Collecting No. 1 Stamps - A Different Type of Topical or Thematic Stamp Collection




There are specialized collectors who try to collect all of the first stamps that were issued by every country in the world. These stamp collectors are sometimes called "No. 1 Collectors" because most stamp catalogs number the first stamp issued by any given country as that country's number 1.



Many No. 1 stamps are inexpensive, making it possible for the average stamp collector to specialize and collect many number 1 stamps of the world on a modest budget. The number 1 stamps of some countries are definitely very expensive, but a surprising number are within reach. And some no. 1 stamps are so common that they are priced at the minimum catalog value.



Why would the first stamps issued by many countries be so inexpensive? We don't know, but maybe it's because the postal authorities of those countries printed their first stamps in high numbers and many still survive today. Many countries - especially those in Africa and the Caribbean - issued their first stamps upon achieving independence from their European colonial overlords. Those countries may have flooded the market with stamps in their over-exuberance. What is clear, however, is that it is possible for a collector to start a collection of no. 1 stamps of the world and achieve a fairly high degree of completion.