The King of Hobbies... and the Hobby of Kings!
Stamp collecting is the most popular collecting hobby in the world, it has so many interesting levels and features, allowing it to be enjoyed by people from every corner of the world of every age, gender, and race.
From children, many of us have loved stamps - they come along for free, cut from letters and freely handed to a child. A stamp collection of many hundreds or thousands of colourful, attractive stamps can be formed for a tiny cost. That feature alone made stamp collecting incredibly popular. You can enjoy so much, for so little.
In contrast, stamp collections have been formed worth tens or even hundreds of millions of pounds. A single stamp, like the famed British Guiana 1856 1c black on magenta, has changed hands for around £6 million - collections built over decades by men such as King George V, Colonel 'Ned' Green (son of the infamous "Witch of Wall Street") or Bill Gross, the famed investor and fund manager, are held back not by any budgetary limitations but the availability of the rarest items which might appear just once in three generations.
Most adult collectors are aided by stamp albums specifically designed for their country of interest and helpful stamp catalogues which explain the differences between apparently identical stamps, but also give helpful guides to pricing.
A collector must over time learn to identify stamps, perhaps to the detail of different ink shades and watermarks, the differences between a used and an unused stamp, and how to calculate the gauge of perforations (the same stamp can exist perforated by different machines or settings) and even develop an appreciation of relative quality.
From children, many of us have loved stamps - they come along for free, cut from letters and freely handed to a child. A stamp collection of many hundreds or thousands of colourful, attractive stamps can be formed for a tiny cost. That feature alone made stamp collecting incredibly popular. You can enjoy so much, for so little.
In contrast, stamp collections have been formed worth tens or even hundreds of millions of pounds. A single stamp, like the famed British Guiana 1856 1c black on magenta, has changed hands for around £6 million - collections built over decades by men such as King George V, Colonel 'Ned' Green (son of the infamous "Witch of Wall Street") or Bill Gross, the famed investor and fund manager, are held back not by any budgetary limitations but the availability of the rarest items which might appear just once in three generations.
Most adult collectors are aided by stamp albums specifically designed for their country of interest and helpful stamp catalogues which explain the differences between apparently identical stamps, but also give helpful guides to pricing.
A collector must over time learn to identify stamps, perhaps to the detail of different ink shades and watermarks, the differences between a used and an unused stamp, and how to calculate the gauge of perforations (the same stamp can exist perforated by different machines or settings) and even develop an appreciation of relative quality.
We collect stamps ourselves!
The entire stamp team at Sandafayre and Cheshire Stamp Auctions are stamp collectors themselves - it's how we each became professional philatelists.
We try to produce interesting content for collectors to enjoy, so alongside the thousands of items and intact collections we offer you can find free articles and videos. We are also keen to help young stamp collectors or those returning to the hobby after many years, so if you have any questions please get in touch.
If you would like to see content around a specific subject, let us know!
We try to produce interesting content for collectors to enjoy, so alongside the thousands of items and intact collections we offer you can find free articles and videos. We are also keen to help young stamp collectors or those returning to the hobby after many years, so if you have any questions please get in touch.
If you would like to see content around a specific subject, let us know!