Stamp Collecting for Kids

In the activity of stamp collecting for children, one can learn a lot about different cultures, countries, etc. A big collection of stamps is a delight to watch and one can also preserve such collections while simultaneously enriching them with new additions. Let's learn more about stamp collecting for kids.

Philately
The study of stamps and the items which are related to them is known as philately. It is different from stamp collecting in the sense that the activity of merely collecting stamps does not necessarily include their systematic study. Therefore, a philatelist may not have his own collection of stamps but he will know a lot about them.

Stamp Collecting for Kids
Collecting postage stamps is a nice pastime for kids which helps them know about different countries, cultures and arts through the designs and pictures depicted on the stamps. The following paragraphs provide information about stamp collecting for beginners.

Getting Started: One would have a lot questions regarding stamp collection in the mind, like, how to start?, which stamps to collect?, etc. While undertaking any hobby, one should first understand that whatever he does reflects his personality. The types of stamps collected by a person reflect his interests. Some kids collect stamps with a particular theme or subject, for example, sports. This kind of stamp collecting activity is known as thematic or topical philately. The collection could also be specific to a particular country. Some of the common stamp collecting themes are musical instruments, trains, boats, Presidents of different countries, etc. The stamps could also be chosen randomly without any theme.

Finding the Stamps: The activity of stamp collection could begin at home itself. Searching for stamps on the letters at home, from neighbors, friends, etc. should be the first step in this activity. As the collection increases, one should join a stamp club and ask the members to help in collecting stamps. The stamp clubs provide a common platform for stamp collectors to interact. Here, one can trade they duplicate/extra stamps for new ones.

Preserving the Stamps: To preserve the stamps properly is important just like having a huge collection. One would would have to first soak the stamps before sorting or mounting them. Soaking is done to separate the stamps from the papers to which they are affixed. Soaking is done in cold or lukewarm water. Once the stamps are removed carefully, they need to be dried by placing them between paper towels. Few stamps should be soaked at a time in order to prevent them from bleeding onto each other. Glassine envelopes are generally used for storing the stamps. One would require tools, like, magnifiers, stamp tongs and perf gauges to handle the stamps properly. The perf gauges help in measuring the holes that are present along the stamp edges while magnifiers facilitate reading the stamp details easily.

Sorting and Mounting the Stamps: It is recommended that stamps be sorted according to country. The websites like 'iswsc.org' provide the necessary help on how to recognize the name of the country on stamps. The sorted stamps should be stored in separate binders or albums, for easy handling. Stamp mounts or peelable hinges are generally used to attach stamps to the pages of albums. The peelable hinges which are translucent papers with a special type of glue on the backside, should be moistened before using them. Read more on:

• Stamp Collecting the Safe Way
• Coin Collection
• List of Hobbies

Stamp collecting for kids is a hobby which could taken up without having to invest much on it. The information provided in the above article would at least help in getting started with the hobby.