How to Collect U.S. Postage Stamps
One of the more common hobbies is collecting stamps. These stamps come from all over the world, including the United States, which releases specialty stamps every year. Whether you like vintage or modern-day stamps, you'll find that it's easy to get started in this field.
Instructions
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Ask friends, family members and neighbors if they have any stamps they don't want or no longer need, especially when the post office changes the rate on stamps. You can also go through old letters and packages to find used stamps to help you get started collecting.
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Visit the post office in your neighborhood and look for the stamps that are currently for sale. Several times a year the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) releases some type of specialty stamp commemorating a person, a historical event or a holiday. These stamps often come on a sheet with a designed border on the edges. You can also purchase collector stamps from the USPS website, usps.com, which is helpful since local shops may run out of the stamps you want.
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Find the value of your stamps by checking out the postage stamp catalogues. Catalogues are expensive to buy but free to use from the public library. Updated every year, the catalogues include a complete list of all known stamps with the value of each one.
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Join a club for stamp collectors such as Stamporama or the United States Stamp Society. These clubs give you the chance to attend annual events where you can meet other collectors and learn more about stamp collecting. You also have access to frequent newsletters, auctions and other sales where you can find stamps missing from your collection.
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Decide how you want to display and store your stamps. Some collectors prefer using special books, with slots on each page that let you store stamps without damaging them. You can even find insert pages for storing envelopes with stamps still attached. Other collectors like having their favorite stamps framed on archival paper, which lets them display their best pieces.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't necessarily assume stamps you find around your house are worthless just because they've been used. Rare or hard-to-find stamps such as limited edition prints still have value.
The two most expensive U.S. stamps are the Inverted Jenny, from 1918, which sold for $150,000 the last time it came up at auction, and Z Grill One Cent stamp, from 1868, which sold for $935,000.
References
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