Tips for Stamp Collectors

Tip 1 - Tips for Stamp Collection Starters

You should get yourself a themed pack or a whole world stamps pack along with a reasonably priced album and gummed stamp hinges. Practice putting them on before you go for more expensive and rare stamps. You should be very careful about tears and folds and need to keep the stamps as clear and clean as possible. If you are in the UK you should consider Stanley Gibbons.

Tip 2 - Check out this great stamp collection guide

I am linking you to a great stamp collection guide on eBay. Go through it and you will learn a lot.

Tip 3 - Use Lukewarm Water to Soak the Stamps

Never use hot water to soak the stamps for removal from the papers and don't place them all together in the bowl.

Tip 4 - Sort your stamps according to their condition

Before you get on with removing stamps from envelopes and papers you need to sort them according to colored paper backs, dirty stamps or stamps with markings and clean stamps on white paper. After sorting them you have to soak all of these separately. 

Tip 5 - Use Detergent for Old, Dirty Stamps

You can separate the dirty stamps and then soak them in mild warm water with some detergent. When they soften up, you can lightly brush them, but be careful or you will tear off the stamps. You also need to keep an eye on the ink because the detergent can also get it off.

Tip 6 - Sort your stamp according to types

The best way to collect stamps, in my view, is to sort all your collection into types according to any of the following:

Topics, Country, Colors, Shapes, Animals, Numbers, Years etc.

This way your collection will have a perspective and it will be easy for you to organize your stamps in a meaningful way.