Groshan Fabiola asked:


No matter from what continent or country, people are known for their love for collecting various items. And one of these items, some of the most valuable are stamps, rare stamps to be more exact. Rare stamps can be purchased from a number of sources, like collectors, stamp dealers, and stamp auctions.

Some collect stamps for their personal pleasure and some for profit. This article is intended to act as a guide for those collectors and stamp dealers that wish to make a profit from purchasing and collecting stamps. 

Stamp dealers are known for making a terrible mistake at least once in the course of their enterprise. And that mistake is not knowing when to sell their most prized stamps. As a reaction to this, all the time spent with trying to find and acquire valuable stamps, is wasted because collectors and stamp dealers, in the beginning, do not realize the importance of knowing when to actually place a stamp on the market.

The profit that can be returned to an investment, usually constitutes 10-15% per year, but it is not a rule. In the case of stamp collectors, taking the correct steps in order to ensure maximum profit, constitutes a vital action. Numerous collectors decide to sell their stamp collections or rare stamps, to stamp dealers instead of taking them to stamp auctions, thus losing considerable amounts of money.
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Also, when faced with a great wide offer, some stamp dealers tend to offer wholesale prices and try to get discounts over discounts on account of some bogus claims. The only advantage that a stamp collector might have, when selling their individual stamps or stamp collections, to stamp dealers, is that the sale timeframe is very short and that also, stamp dealers work with cash.

When deciding to sell an extensive stamp collection, it is best that a collector correctly grades and classifies his stamps, so that he can sell them individually or in small groups at stamp auctions instead of taking the easy way out and sell them to the first stamp dealer that shows interest.

Determining the value of a collection is equally as important, so if a particular collector is not able to determine the correct value of a collection or a stamp, then he must take his collection to be professionally evaluated at a licensed evaluator or at stamp auction houses. The best advice would be to not take a collection to the same person that purchases it, because that stamp dealer might not have the best intentions, as you may suspect.

One last advice would be to take special care of your collection, and oversee every step of a sale, from the evaluation to the payment type through which you receive the funds due for the transaction.



MELVIN
Christian Okoye asked:


AS a humans we are generaly belief to have different kinds of diversion to unleash the boredom that life sometimes provides. There are people who use coin, stamp, or sticker collecting to accomplish this while others are satisfied with other hobbies such as cooking, gardening, crafts, etc. All of these provide a certain kind of satisfaction that they can’t achieve in other activities.
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Two of the most popular hobbies in the world today are the stamp and coin collection. The value of these two leisure activities is incomparable to other types of hobbies.

Why? you may ask

It is because coin and stamp collecting do not just embody the mere act of accumulating different kinds of coins and stamps but also personify the preservation of a nation’s history. Both stamp and coin collecting highlight the different images that are used to visually record a significant event or era in history.

Merely looking at it, the two have become indistinguishable as far as value and appeal is concerned. For people who wish to collect coins, stamps, or both, here are some of guidelines that you need to know in order to start.

1. Go into research

It is not enough that you are interested in stamp and coin collecting in order to start the activity, it is also important to do your homework first so that you will have enough knowledge about this activity.

2. Be wary when buying items

May be you cannot obtain stamps and coins for free, and the only way to start your collection is to buy the items, be very meticulous about it. Know the seller’s reputation. Research his history and determine the length of time he has been in the business. The point being that the longer he has been in the business, the more reliable his reputation probably is.Just as simple as like that to start with.

3. strategize how to identify the correct item

It is not advisable to just buy stamps or coins without learning how to classify and identify them. For coins, it is best that you know how to grade them. For stamps, you should know how to identify any slight disparities in the kind of paper used or other distinguishable features such as watermarks, color, or perforations.

These are just some of the many pointers that every stamp and coin collector must know. With these tips, you can now start your stamp and coin collection without difficulty and with confidence.Having known what you are doing.



ANTONIO
Groshan Fabiola asked:

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Most people may know that collectible rare stamps have high price tags. However, only people involved in the collection and purchase of rare stamps, know that making a stamp investment is one of the best investment options available out there.

The whole idea behind investments is that there is a waiting period before an investor can see the benefits. And this is especially true in the case of stamp investments. The field of rare stamps is probably one of the fields that are not going to get affected by any economic crisis, no matter how harsh it may be. That’s the best part about rare stamps, they can never depreciate.

There is a constant overwhelming number of collectors entering the rare stamps market, and this only leads to an increase in value for the stamps. The reason why this happens is because, the number of rare stamps is limited, so with the increasing number of collectors and intermediaries, there are not enough to go around. Therefore, we can easily observe that the demand is completely outweighing the supply. The larger the demand, the higher the prices get on rare stamps.

Buying 200 or 100 years old stamps is not the only way to make a stamp investment. Well versed stamp investors prospect various countries around the world that foresee economic growth in the long term. These countries are usually the best sources for quality rare stamps that turn out to be high quality stamp investments. One thing you have to keep an eye out for is quality. The quality has been and always will be directly proportional with the price tag for that item. Making a stamp investment by purchasing stamps of a low quality will not only bring no profit, but it will most likely lead to losses.

The best thing about collecting stamps and keeping them for a profit is that the only requirements are a little education on the subject, and a flair for business. Stamp investments have settled in the top 4 investment options. Investing in rare stamps will get you an annual return of at least 12%.

Moreover, the stock exchange market in London currently holds a company that is selling 150 year old rare stamps. An accomplished stamp collector must be knowledgeable and able to correctly grade and classify rare stamps; must have extensive knowledge about rare stamps from all over the world. He must know the correct ways to handle and store his stamps. Also, keeping tight relationships with other collectors and philatelists, ensures that a collector’s stamp investment will be on the safe side, in the long run.

As a conclusion, I’ll say that collecting stamps is not just a kids’ hobby, but it can also turn into a true business opportunity. And the best thing is, you don’t have to start big; you can just buy a rare stamp, or two, and see how that works out; or maybe, even sift through your parents or grandparents’ stamp collections to see if you find an item that might turn out to be a genuine gem.



HOUSTON