Stamp Collecting- A Fascinating Hobby

 Most of you that know me are aware of my interest in lapidary. But I have another life long hobby- stamp collecting. I used to collect stamps from all over the world but now I limit my pursuit to Norway- my wife's homeland. I not only collect the stamps but also interesting postmarks. Here's part of that collection.

Stamp collecting was huge in the 70's and earlier but interest has dropped dramatically in recent decades. People who thought of the hobby as an investment have been disappointed but it is still a great hobby. A few factors are accounting for a bit of a revival. The internet is connecting buyers and sellers and collectors from all over the world. Also, a lot of collections that have been dormant for years are now being inherited. 90% want to sell (if you do, don't expect a gold mine) but 10% are intrigued enough to want to keep and even expand the collection.

Stamps are fascinating little pieces of art- loaded with historical and geographical information. Some specialize in collecting stamps from countries that no longer exist! The internet has allowed me to make friends with collectors and dealers all over the world. Here are some stamps that I am sending off as a trade to a collector from the Netherlands.

Sourcing stamps is not as easy today since fewer letters are being mailed and fewer still use postage stamps. But the beauty of a market in decline is that stamps can be bought in bulk at very low prices. For instance, I sell 800 different stamps from Norway for $50 U.S. - shipping included.

Stamps, and stamp supplies can be bought from on line dealers and I want to mention a couple.

stamps_from_norway  run by a Norwegian named Per offers Norwegian stamps at very reasonable prices and shipping costs. After several transactions he has become a friend. Look him up on EBay.

Recently I met a dealer in Toronto named Don Wainwright. He is located in Toronto and he sells a lot of stamp supplies at very reasonable prices through his company- Stamp Wright. Don has an extensive background- especially in stamp publications and sells an amazing array of items. It's not easy being a stamp dealer in Canada these days. U.S. tariffs have made selling into the U.S. difficult, time consuming and expensive but if you are in Canada or the rest of the world, look him up. If you look up his store you can see his great price list.

So is stamp collecting something you might enjoy? If you have a collection sitting in a closet, get it out and have a look. Who knows? You might just get the bug again.

And if you have any questions relating to stamp collecting, drop me a line and I'll do my best to help you out.