December 09, 2008

Franklin Z-Grill

rare stamp
U.S. Franklin Z-Grill, 1867. This stamp is the rarest of all U.S. stamps, as only 2 copies are known to exist. An 1868 1 cent "Z-Grill" stamp sold for $930,000 in 1988.

November 05, 2008

Hawaiian Missionaries Stamps

rare stamp
Hawaiian Missionaries, 1851 is Hawai first stamps. Because the first "Hawaiian Missionaries" were crudely engraved and printed on thin and poor quality paper, very few of these stamps have survived and they are extreme rarities.

The lowest denomination, the 1851 two cent, is the rarest of the set, with only about 16 copies known to exist today. A 2 cent Missionary is valued at about $760,000 in unused condition and about $225,000 used.

October 15, 2008

The Penny Black

penny blackThe Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp in the world's, was issued by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 May 1840, for use from 6 May.

The Penny Black is not a rare stamp, but it is rather expensive. The total print run from all plates was 286,700 sheets with 68,808,000 stamps. An unused Penny Black stamp is valued in the 2001 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue at $3,000, and a used one is valued at $180.

September 10, 2008

Cheap Stamp Collecting Tips

Here is some tips for low expense stamp collecting:

1. The first thing you must have of course is stamp. Collect as many as possible used stamps from various state by various type. You can get it for free by collecting used stamp from your family, neighbour, friend, and your office etc. If there is more than one in same stamp, choose the best to be kept as your collection and you can exchange for the rest with other collector.

2. Start to buy new stamp from post office every new issue. Stamp price in post office is an original price. You can become customer by list in philately counter on your post office if there available, so you will remain to get new stamp each time their published. Buy at least 2 or 3 stamp in each type. One is for your collection and for the rest you can use it for exchange or you can sell it later, at higher price of course. The cost of all that isnt costly, average $3-$5 per month, or around $36-$60 per year. Depended on your country state. And remember that is your invesment.

3. For saving your money, choose a category or theme which you like. For example you can collect stamp just from one state, or only stamp of flower theme, or more specific just selected flower theme, etc. All is up to you. Here is you being trained on how to hold your passion to have altogether.

4. Next thing which you need is a stamp album for saving and protecting your collection. Stamp album price is various according to his quality, around $10-$35, I suggest to you to buy a big stamp album, so you can save more stamp. Don't keep all your stamps in the album. Keep only the best stamp as your collection and for the rest you can keep in small plastical box, so that is covert from water.

5. And the important thing is a stamp catalogue. Knowledge is a power. A collector better have a catalogue. With catalogue you can get information concerning your collection, stamp list which have been published, estimate of price value, and other details. Unhappily catalogue is costly enough. There are two catalogue which often become reference of philatelist of the world, Scott catalogue and Stanley Gibbons catalogue, they are most complete catalogue including all stamps of whole world.

But don't be disappointed, there is a tips to get information concerning your collection with low cost. Catalogue will be published every year, so buy an late used catalogue from any collector. You also be able to use special stamp catalogue of your state, usually published by philately club ini your state. Or join with some Philately Club in your area, they will gladly give information concerning your collection. Ask brochures or stamp list from post office in your area. Or you can also get information through internet, there are some site providing online catalogues.


August 08, 2008

How to sell your stamp collection?

This is some ways you can sell your collection:

  1. Sell to any member of philately club
  2. Sell to any stamp shop
  3. Sell in stamp bazaar or stamp market, usually was held by philately club or post office
  4. Sell in stamp exhibition
  5. Sell in stamp auction
  6. or sell through internet stamp auction

The sell value of the stamp is depending from:

  1. Originality
  2. Rarety
  3. Condition
  4. Used or unused (mint)
  5. Category or theme
  6. Special mark or special history
  7. etc

August 05, 2008

What is Philately

Philately is a study of of any area related to the postal system. Stamp collecting is however only one part of Philately. Philately is study about the fake, rarety or quantity isued, howmany exist, price apraisal, category etc of postal object. There’s many object of philately such as First Day Cover, Miniatur Sheet, Souvenir Sheet, and the main core is stamp. All of them is issued by government authorities in a limited quantity. Couse of that, its became rarety for each day and being expensive. And collecting of them being popular. Most of philatelist are a collector, but a collector not exactly is a philatelist.

The coining of the word "philately" in its French form has been circumstantially attributed to Georges Herpin in the publication Le Collectionneur de timbres-postes, Vol. 1, November 15, 1864. It is formed from the Greek words philos (friend) and ateleia (exempt from charge, or "franked"), which is a stretch to relate to the study of stamps, but the alternatives of "timbrophily" & "timbrology" or "timbrologist" never caught on.

There’s many club of philately in every country, and for some times there an exhibition of philatelly by local, regional or international. A collector can sold their collection in an auction or in stamp market.