The History Of Stamp Collecting
By Victor Epand
With the birth of stamps came the birth of stamp collectors, which occurred shortly after the first adhesive postage stamp was introduced by Great Britain during the year of 1840. The study of postage stamps, which is also known as philately was derived from the Greek word phileo that means I love and the word ateleia meaning free of charges.
As individuals first began collecting these interesting little pieces of paper they did not actually realize just how valuable they would become. The first advertisement for collectors began in 1841 in the London Times when women began placing ads requesting help collecting their stamp so they could paper a bedroom wall. With the variety of postage stamps available in the 1860s, children every where began collecting stamps from the mail of their parents. These children quickly grew into adults and as they grew they continued collecting stamps making it their hobby.
In fact, the grandson of Queen Victoria began collecting stamps with the help of servants who handled the mail at Buckingham Palace, and it quickly became his passion in life. When he became an adult he was one of leading philatelists in world and also known as King George V, who was asked to become a member of the Philatelic Society in London. He soon became a very a very active member and was later elected as the president of the Society, but later when he became the King of England he gave the club a new name, which was the Royal Philatelic Society of London. As King, he assembled what would turn out to be the greatest stamp collections in the world. He would present parts of his collection to the club as their annual program and this tradition still continues today for members to view his massive collection.
With the introduction of commemorative stamps came an increasing popularity in the hobby. The very first United State stamps that were issued for commemorative stamps, which were designed to remember and honor the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus was during 1893, while a few of those stamps are extremely valuable today.
There have been many changes in stamps since their first introduction in 1840, which includes that they have been perforated, coiled, and are now being printed in a variety of colors, types, formats, and designs. During the years that lead up to the horrible Great Depression collecting stamps had become one of the most popular hobbies in the world, which is continuing to be popular among children and adults. Stamp collecting is accessible for just about anyone without them having to spend major amounts of money because there are few stamps that are exceptionally valuable.
With the increase of postage stamp values came a large increase of the number of stamp collectors, which was the result of older stamps being saved in such good condition. During the 1930s, many American collectors stockpiled stamps that were issued in the 1920s, which quickly rose in value, with hopes of eventually selling them for a sizeable profit later on. However, this never occurred. More than sixty years later, these stamps can still be found in mint condition.
Souvenir sheet from various countries are extremely popular with collectors and any hard to find plate number coils, plus any stamps with errors are always going to be popular. So when you begin your own collection determine exactly what type or theme you desire and start collecting.
About the author
Victor Epand is an expert consultant about rare coins, stamp collections, and rare collectibles. Follow these links to find the best marketplace for: collections, stamp collections, and collectibles. from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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