Favorite Stamps of Collectors

Stamp collecting became popular in the 1930s. What was once thought to be a child's sport took on new meaning when adults became interested in the popularity of certain stamps. There are many specialties when stamp collecting. These include tax or revenue stamps, commemorative stamps, pictorials and sheet stamps, stamps from different countries, and airmail stamps, among others.

Many collectors from this time frame collected several stamps in the hopes that the values of these stamps would increase so that nice profits could be made from them at a later time. However, much to their dismay, these stamps only had face value. There are a few rare stamps that are worth more. These stamps include errors in printing such as the "Inverted Jenny" and the 1-cent Z grill stamp. The 1-cent Z grill stamp is one of two throughout the world. One of these two stamps is in the New York Public Library collection.

Favorite stamps often depend solely upon the inclination of the particular collector. The American Philatelic Society has seminars and even summer camps for children to give them the basics of collecting stamps, inform them on the types of stamps, teach them what to look for when buying, and instruct them on how to read a collector's catalog.

No matter how young or how old, stamp collecting can become an addictive hobby. Many collectors can join clubs that meet regularly to discuss and trade, buy, or sell stamps. The sky is the limit when this hobby is entered into.