To initiate a collection you must to assemble all the envelopes that you have at hand. Then you will proceed to separate the stamp from the envelope. At first you must be sure that the stamp is completly safe and can be identified.
How to collect?
At first you must define if you want collect new stamps or used stamps. Do not mixed. In other times it was usual to collect all the world, but now, because the great quantity of stamps circulating each year in each country, you can begining with your own country, in our case: Costa Rica, because it is more easy to collect. The collection must be cronological, that mean, according the date of the emission.
For Postal Process: you collect according at the use for the emission, as: air mail, urgent, telegraphic rate, or submarine mail.
For Motive: you choose a motive and according the investigation and to the personal outline, choice only the stamps and all the relationed with this, like Date Stamp, cards, franquing machine, carnets, etc. You must elaborate an outline to develop your motive.
For theme: You choose an specific theme, according your investigation and outline.
You do not choose only the stamps also all the matters with one theme.
Postal entire, cards, mechanic franking, carnet, etc. You must to elaborate a project to develop the theme.
Instruments for collectionism
When you are to begining a stamp collection, you will need some instruments:
Pincer: This is an indispensable instrument, utilized to take the stamps and not to use your fingers, because they have bacterias, mushrooms, dirty, grease, etc, and damage your stamps. The pincer must be of good quality y rounded edges
Lens: With the magnifying lens you can see the more little details of the stamps.
Odontometer: It permits you to gaugin the toothed of the stamp, in other mean, the numer of teeth in two centimeters.
Classifier: There are several sheets to put each of the stamps that you have and go to your personal collection.
Catalogue: It is for identify each stamp. In the catalogue appear all the stamps since the emission date , toothed type, paper, gum, printed system until the values and the estimated price. In the catalogue also you can see the stamps that you do not have to complete your collection.
Protectives: Are little envelopes of plastic material, with dark – black – or white bottom, to introduce the stamps to protect them. At Costa Rica the most known mark is Hawid and several times the protective is only identificate with that name.
Another collectionables
Exists another philatelic products that you can use to make a collection:
Souvenirs
Is a little sheet, printed, with a size bigger than a stamp, with one or several values, with a printed text on something special and with a facial value increased.
Postal cards
Are cards emitted with the franking printed in the anverse.
Aerogram
Is a sheet of paper, doubled and gummed, the anverse is reserved to the address and printed the metion "Aerogram".
First day envelopes
Is an alusive envelope for an emission, franked with the complete emission and the date stamped the date of circulation. Knowed international as F.D.C. (First Day Cover).
Carnets
Cardboard doubled to protect the stamps, gummed.
Postal entire envelopes
Are conmmemorative envelopes of an event with the stamp printed in the obverse corresponding to the postage.
Cancelliers
There are many cancelliers or stamps cancelled, but the most common are:
- Dated: is used at the postal offices to cancel of the deliveries send, in which are showed the name of the office and the date.
- Of service: Registered, maritime mail, air mail, etc.
- Commemorative: It is used in some special date or remembrance.
- First day circulation: the cancelliers of the "first day" are utilized only the first day emission circulation and only are stamped on the supports that have the philatelic interest about what is the specific theme of the emission
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