If you are a philatelist, then your elixir to exploring the world is the numerous countries, the diverse history, the aesthetic artwork, and charming cultures. The chances of stamps being elevated to the stature of a collector’s item were bleak when you traverse the history back to 1840 when the first postage stamp was exhibited in Britain.
Concurrently, in Canada alone, there exists an elephantine 5 million people whose penchant for collecting stamps cannot be satiated. At the same time, while you luxuriate in this fulfilling hobby, there are specific things you should be considering before you embark on this exploit.
The Rich Heritage
The year 1840 witnessed the One Penny Black of Great Britain, the first stamp to be effervescent in the scrolls of history. The stamp resembles the young monarch of that period and that being the youthful Queen Victoria.
For mail to be pre-paid by the sender, the introduction of stamps assumed the status of labels. This was a revolutionary change because before this change engendered, the system was cursed being an exorbitant and inefficient one with the recipient paying for the mail; this made zilch sense.
Teleport to the 1850s, ten years later, significant reformations were enkindled with stamps galvanized as the popular choice across the globe, with major countries providing its own stamps.
Who Indulges in Collecting?
Stamp collection remains to be a celebrated hobby since its inception in 1840. The 20th century witnessed an upswing in stamp collection in the US, with one in seven families possessing a collection.
Though there is a melange of collectors, the contribution by millions of schoolchildren can never be discounted. Some of the celebrated philatelists are King George V of England, John F. Kennedy, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The Identification of Stamps
The various publishing houses are responsible for issuing catalogues that examine stamps released. For multiple countries, these publishing houses differ with Stanley Gibbons for Britain, Michel for Germany, Scott is the publisher for the US, and in France, it is Yvert and Tellier.
The catalogue is published every year with a proper listing of stamps. These are both well-illustrated and informative. This catalogue is also deployed as a tool to aid in the identification and ranking of stamps.
It also provides a plethora of information about a melange of stamps, Provisionals, possessions and territories, essays, and proofs. At the same time, the catalogue presents an indispensable asset to a collector with a retail price for every stamp.
The Most Famous
The most well-renowned stamp was auctioned for $9.4 million in 2015. This was discovered by a schoolboy in 1872, and it was the 1856 IC Black on Magenta from British Guiana.
The United States, however, celebrates the 1918 24c Inverted Jenny as the celestial one. And the first stamp of 1840 Penny Black also enjoys the stature of a renowned collectible.