Not sure if you live in Canada or elsewhere but if you lived in Canada I could be more specific. If you can find a Stamp Club in your area this would help you to see what other collectors are doing and to attend the meetings. No matter where you live you might like to subscribe to Linn's Stamp News, P.O. Box 429, Sidney, Ohio, 45365-4129, USA - Phone 937-498-0800. Try to find a friendly stamp dealer or two, either in your area or over the internet or by mail and they can advise you what supplies might be useful. No matter how long you are in this hobby you can always learn something new. The hobby is a love you can have for a lifetime. Have fun and I am sure you will. John Talman
Marji, are you starting from scratch, do you have a collection started, or have you inherited someone's collection and would like to know where to go from here?
Are you interested in certain countries? Is there a social cause you are fond of, like the environment, medicine, endangered animals? Most countries produce stamps honoring these causes, and many collectors form topical collections, seeking out those particular stamps.
Stamp production methods have evolved over the years. Today the most common methods are photo-lithography and photogravure. Back in the old days (and to a much lesser extent, today) stamp designs were hand-engraved by an artist, in the actual size of the stamp. These "line-engraved" stamps are especially loved by many collectors.
I don't want to overwhelm you with the myriad paths one can take in this hobby. If you just don't know where you might like to go, in your collecting, one thing you might do is buy a worldwide kiloware mixture. Kiloware refers to stamps that are accumulated into large batches and sold by weight - kilograms, or ounces. You can spend many hours, or days, sorting through such a mixture, and discovering what appeals to you.
If you still can't decide what to concentrate on, that's all right, too. Many collectors are general worldwide collectors, and will collect anything that comes their way. The only rule about stamp collecting is, "There are no rules" -- a lot of opinions, and a lot of preferences, but you are free to collect whatever you want, however you want.
I've also just started collecting within the last 2-3 months with the hope of selling down the road (maybe sooner than later). 99 3/4% of my purchases are sheets and I basically buy on eye appeal although I've bought older sheets also. Most all are bought on Ebay but I've also found a couple dealers here with great prices. I've purchased a few cheap foreign sheet issues but have since quit because my intent will be to only ship within the USA.
Comments
https://stamps.org/Starting-a-Collection
The hobby is a love you can have for a lifetime. Have fun and I am sure you will. John Talman
Are you interested in certain countries?
Is there a social cause you are fond of, like the environment, medicine, endangered animals? Most countries produce stamps honoring these causes, and many collectors form topical collections, seeking out those particular stamps.
Stamp production methods have evolved over the years. Today the most common methods are photo-lithography and photogravure. Back in the old days (and to a much lesser extent, today) stamp designs were hand-engraved by an artist, in the actual size of the stamp. These "line-engraved" stamps are especially loved by many collectors.
I don't want to overwhelm you with the myriad paths one can take in this hobby. If you just don't know where you might like to go, in your collecting, one thing you might do is buy a worldwide kiloware mixture. Kiloware refers to stamps that are accumulated into large batches and sold by weight - kilograms, or ounces. You can spend many hours, or days, sorting through such a mixture, and discovering what appeals to you.
If you still can't decide what to concentrate on, that's all right, too. Many collectors are general worldwide collectors, and will collect anything that comes their way. The only rule about stamp collecting is, "There are no rules" -- a lot of opinions, and a lot of preferences, but you are free to collect whatever you want, however you want.
Welcome to the club.
Ted
What has that got to do with collecting stamps?
Nothing really since they were bought on eye appeal and being cheap. It was my choice when starting but sticking only now to USA stamps.