Stamp Collecting Tips - Don't Make Simple Mistakes
If you find a stamp on an envelope (cover) that you've been looking for, you're likely to get excited. But don't let your enthusiasm carry you away and make a mistake that you'll regret.
Check your covers very carefully before you soak the stamps off, because sometimes the cover is very collectible and worth more than the stamps alone would be. Some postmarks are valuable and first day covers and event covers can also be collectible. Wartime mail with censor markings can also be nice postal history finds. So before you trim the stamp, check your cover first.
Another stamp collecting mistake that's easy to make: if it turns out that your covers have no intrinsic value other than the stamps that are on them, you'll want to trim off the excess paper before you soak the stamps. But be careful while trimming: do not cut off or cut into any part of a stamp's perforations.
Showing posts with label covers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label covers. Show all posts
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Collecting Covers - A Stamp Collecting Specialty
New stamp collectors may wonder just what "covers" are, and why they are collectible.
The most simple answer is that a "cover" is an envelope that has been stamped and sent through the mail. They can be collectible for the stamp(s), for the postmark, for the recipient or for the sender, or a combination of these factors. There are two main types of covers: commercial covers and philatelic covers.
Commercial covers are those that are mailed for ordinary (non-collecting) purposes. Since by definition they are not created expressly for stamp collectors but are instead used to transmit material (whatever was inside the cover) they always contained some type of content (although that content often is removed by the recipient before the cover gets into a collector's hands).
Philatelic covers, on the other hand, are covers that are created and mailed specifically for the purpose of someone collecting them. Sometimes they originally include(d) some type of meaningful content inside, but other times there may only be a blank cardboard stiffener. First day covers are a subcategory of philatelic covers.
Sometimes the distinction between commercial covers and philatelic covers can be a bit blurry. But if you're a commercial cover collector, it is essential to be able to determine if a particular cover is commercial or philatelic.
Tomorrow we'll discuss how many stamp collectors make this determination.
New stamp collectors may wonder just what "covers" are, and why they are collectible.
The most simple answer is that a "cover" is an envelope that has been stamped and sent through the mail. They can be collectible for the stamp(s), for the postmark, for the recipient or for the sender, or a combination of these factors. There are two main types of covers: commercial covers and philatelic covers.
Commercial covers are those that are mailed for ordinary (non-collecting) purposes. Since by definition they are not created expressly for stamp collectors but are instead used to transmit material (whatever was inside the cover) they always contained some type of content (although that content often is removed by the recipient before the cover gets into a collector's hands).
Philatelic covers, on the other hand, are covers that are created and mailed specifically for the purpose of someone collecting them. Sometimes they originally include(d) some type of meaningful content inside, but other times there may only be a blank cardboard stiffener. First day covers are a subcategory of philatelic covers.
Sometimes the distinction between commercial covers and philatelic covers can be a bit blurry. But if you're a commercial cover collector, it is essential to be able to determine if a particular cover is commercial or philatelic.
Tomorrow we'll discuss how many stamp collectors make this determination.
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