Jérôme Dufresnes asked:


French Stamps: Historical Background

The first postage stamp was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1840 by Rowland Hill and James Chalmers. This stamp, the penny black, had a face value of a penny and revolutionized the postal system in that it was now up to the sender to bear the cost of postage and not the recipient as had been the case until then. Because it was now so cheap to send letters, even by 1840 a penny was not a lot of money, the change prompted an almost instant increase in the amount of mail. Other countries took notice and reformed their own postal system, amongst which Brazil in 1843, the United States in 1847 and France in 1849.
While the same change was proposed as soon as 1837 in France, it took nine years for the postal administration to change, following the 1848 revolution and the impetus of Arago. The first French stamp featured Ceres, the Roman divinity for agriculture and had a face value of 20 centimes or cents. The drawing of Ceres is from Jean Jacques Barre. The Ceres stamp was enough to pay for an envelope up to 7.5 grams to be sent anywhere in France. Shortly after was released a 40 centimes stamp color orange for bigger envelopes and a vermilion red 1 Franc stamp. However, the color of the 1 Franc stamp was too similar to the 40 centimes stamp and people were confusing them. This lead to a change in color for the 1F stamp from vermilion red to deep carmine. Today, the vermilion red 40 centimes stamp is the rarest of French stamps.

French Stamps Today

Stamp collecting is the number one hobby in France with more than two million people practicing it. Exotic islands, botanic, birds, stamp sheets, specimens or air post stamps are popular themes amongst French stamps collectors. Like in other countries, the value of French stamps is often determined by some type of unusual feature some stamps are known to exhibit. This is true for old and new stamps alike. For example, the 1989 stamp commemorating the Revolution designed by Folon is worth less than a euro, but if the signature of Folon is lacking the value of the stamp jumps to 180 euros. Similarly, if the face value of the stamp issued in 2004 commemorating the entente cordiale between France and England is lacking, the stamp can be worth 300 euros and up.

How old a stamp is also plays a big role in its valuation. There are three main periods in the history of the French stamp: the classic period from 1840 to 1900 ; the semi modern period, from 1900 to 1939 and the modern period from 1939 onwards. Stamps from the classical period are highly valued, especially the vermilion red 1 franc featuring Ceres from 1849-1850, which costs 90 000 euros new and 20 000 euros used. A bloc of four of such stamps sold for 820 000 euros at auction because one of the stamps was “tête-bêche”, printed upside down.



WILFORD

BattleFlanky asked:

FIN … Lawn Bowls Checkers Bird Watching Stamp Collecting

CHRISTIAN

Jerald Shin Shapiro asked:


So, you want to start your own stamp collection, don’t you? You may have heard at how satisfying and fulfilling a stamp collection has proven to be for countless people around the globe. The great thing about stamps is that you not only get the satisfaction of browsing through the cultures and the history of the origins of these stamps, but you also stand to gain financially as the value of these stamps increase along with age.

Aside from being just postal implements, stamps have attained the status of being important memorabilia. Stamps typically increase in value when they are rare or are of age. Some people collect stamps as an investment, hoping that the increased value these stamps accrue with age will pay off dividends when sold in the future. Others collect stamps purely for fun.

Whichever collector you belong to, you will always need a good, steady supply of stamps to fill your albums. But where do you get these stamps? And how do you procure them?

There are two ways to get stamps - the free way or the paid way. The free way is fun, since you get to work like a detective sorting, soaking, mounting and processing these stamps on your own. If you wish to collect stamps the quick way, the paid method works pretty fine - especially when you seek bulk amounts of stamps. Paying for stamps is also a great way to acquire rare stamps. However, paying for stamps is not advisable to beginners unless they go for bulk stamps to beef up their collection.

Free

Yes, the oldest and cheapest means of getting stamps is the mail that gets to your mailbox. And while the amount of mail you are receiving may be affected by the advent of the internet and email, mailboxes are still a great way to get stamps. However, you will have to take great care in handling such stamps as you have to learn how to properly soak and mount these stamps for you collection.

Let your friends and neighbors in on your hobby and they’ll only be too eager to share in your efforts. You may have to instruct them to give you the envelope as it is so that you can properly process the stamps out. Or you may have them cut out the stamp from the envelope - while, of course, leaving a lot of leeway around the stamp.

You may also want to trade duplicate stamps with other stamp collecting enthusiasts. This way, both of you get to acquire unique stamps. It’s also a great way to browse and admire each other’s collection while learning more of the hobby itself.

Paid

As time goes on, modern ways of collecting and buying stamps have evolved. In the past you had to go to specialty shops or other collectors to purchase stamps - not to mention dropping by your local post office to snag unique ones. Today, the internet helps stamp collectors communicate with each other. You might want to browse the internet for sites that help stamp collectors band together.

There are also over 1,200 stamp stores in the United States, so it really shouldn’t be too hard to find one around your locality.

Some will sell bulk orders of assorted stamps. This is a great way to beef up your collection, especially if you are starting out.

Knowledge is Power

This phrase cannot be stressed enough. It is really possible that you come across a really valuable stamp and discard it as useless all because you do not know enough about your hobby. Try to know as much as you can about stamps, rarities, current values and useful trivia that will help you gauge the value of stamps in your collection. It is really possible that some glitch or error in a stamp has made it valuable. Without information about such stamps you would probably just let it sit around not knowing that it has great value.

Try subscribing to stamp collecting magazines and sign up for organizations or clubs that cater to collectors just like you. There’s no better way to know more about your hobby than to engage in study and discussion with fellow stamp collectors.



JESSE

Ryusanaga asked:


Stamps collecting, especially the old postage stamps has great value. They are fun, affordable, history, travel, art, valuable, and important. Here is the explanation of their great value.

1. Stamps Are Fun - Stamp collecting is fun because it’s personal - you collect the kinds of stamps you want, the way you want to collect them, whenever and wherever you want to. There’s no right way or wrong way.

2. Stamps Are Affordable - Imagine owning a genuine U.S. postage stamp that’s over 130 years old for as little as $1.25! Even very old stamps can be very affordable, especially in postally used condition. Used stamps have a real history and romance all their own.

3. Stamps Are History - Every time you open your album, stamps take you wherever you want to go in our nation’s past… the plains of the Old West, the Space Race, the White House, the American Revolution, the battlefields of the Civil War, and so much more. Stamps chronicle 19th and 20th century America like nothing else. Stamps are souvenirs of our past - history you can hold in your hands.

4. Stamps Are Travel - Stamps show us traveling the globe as well as taking our first tentative steps into outer space… exploring the frigid icefields of Antarctica and the eerily beautiful landscapes of the moon; celebrating the diversity of America from exotic Hawaii north to Alaska, with the variety of 48 great states in between; discovering the Pacific Ocean and blasting off aboard the space shuttle; flying across the Atlantic to Paris with Charles Lindbergh and floating above the clouds in a lighter-than-air ship called the Graf Zeppelin.

5. Stamps Are Art - Having a stamp collection is like having a miniature art gallery right in your own home.

6. Stamps Are Valuable - Some stamps are tremendously valuable. A stamp may be worth thousands of dollars because it has a tiny printing error, or because only a few examples survive.

7. Stamps Are Important - Stamps are important because they enable us to communicate through letters. The issue of the world’s first adhesive postage stamp in England revolutionized the way mail was sent.



CARLTON

CherrylandPostcards asked:

cherrylandpostcards.com Stamp Montage Postcard Video,Vintage Postcards We have an 1800 lot antique postcard auction closing every six weeks and a “Buy Now” Store selling postcards at a 50% discount. ***We always buy postcards and accept postcard consignments for future auctions…

JOSHUA

Marvin Cervantes asked:


Stamp collecting is a very old hobby and is considered to be one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Though there is not that much money that can be made from this hobby unlike collecting coins, some people just do it for the fun of it.

This hobby involves delicate work. A little smudge, dirt or oil on any part of the stamp loses it value. This will make it hard to trade it with other people should the person want to trade it in exchange for something else.

The first thing that a person needs when working with these little objects is the proper tools. Stamps should be handled using a tong. This is similar to tweezers but has a flat edge.  This will make it easy for the collector to transfer it from the envelope to the album.

A magnifying glass is also needed to check on the quality of a stamp before buying it or trading it with a fellow collector. Stamps of good quality should have all the perforations intact which is the way of making sure it has never been used.

The album is a special binder that is used to store stamps. This can be bought at the local bookstore or at some specialty shops. Since the contents inside are very delicate, this should be stored in temperature and away from direct sunlight.

The best time to practice using these instruments is with letters that the person has received from people. The stamps are usually located on the upper right hand side and to get it out; the area around it must be cut out and placed in water.

After some time, the envelope and stamp will separate. Using the tongs, the person should pick up the stamp, dry it in the air to make sure all the water has been taken out the inserting it in the album. This practice should be done every time there is a need to extract it from a glued surface.

Another place where the person can get stamps without using a pair of tongs is by buying it from the post office. This can be bought per sheet and taken out later should the collector want to trade it with something that another collector has.

There are also people who do business like this that can be found in the newspaper and in the internet who sell stamps in sheets for a price. It just takes some time for the individual to look around and find it.

In order for the collector to have a wider network that can aid in the stamp collection, it will be a good idea to join a club. The benefits of being a member allow the person to trade with other members and stay informed about upcoming exhibits and fairs where further exchanges can be made.

Stamps can also be acquired at auctions. All it takes is for the person to know when it will happen and be ready with some money to bid for it.

The best way to determine if the stamp that is about to be bought is at a good price is by checking a price catalogue. This can be bought at the local specialty store which gives its standard value in the market.

Stamp collecting is both a hobby and a business. Should the person have a lot of a certain kind, to be able to get others to add for the collection, this can be sold just like how other people do it to make some money.

The best place to do it is the internet. The person can advertise it and have sort of an online auction. This can also be exchanged for other stamps.

Stamps these days are circulated more often that it was years ago. Because of this, there is not that much money to be made even if the person has a very good collection.

The internet and other ways of sending messages have made snail mail obsolete. Though this has not erased the use of the postal office or of stamps, it is still used in places where technology has not changed things.

Stamp collecting is fun and looking some through old letters could be the beginning of something big.



PHILLIP

KenmoreStampCo asked:

Kenmore Stamp Company’s guide to finding hidden watermarks on postage stamps. www.KenmoreStamp.com … stamps watermark watermarking watermarks stamp collecting

RON

BattleFlanky asked:

Part 2 … Lawn Bowls Checkers Bird Watching Stamp Collecting

ELBERT