A Window on ... Stamp Collecting

	Welcome to Stamp Collecting
	As a hobby, stamp collecting is a fascinating subject to choose. As you collect stamps from all over the world, your album becomes filled with many wonderful pictures and illustrations covering all sorts of topics and themes. There is always a new collection to look for as stamps are being issued all the time. People who study and collect stamps are called philatelists. Every philatelist hopes that one day, they will find a rare, collector's stamp that is possibly worth a fortune. In the meantime, while you are waiting for that rare stamp to turn up, the stamps that you collect are your window on the world.
	About Stamps Stamps have been in circulation for just over 150 years. Although they were only used in Great Britain when they were first issued, they are now used in countries all over the world. See About Stamps.
	Getting Started Like any hobby, stamp collecting can be expensive as you want it to be. World famous stamp collectors pay thousands of pounds for just one stamp. It is unlikely that you would want to spend this much money, particularly if you are just starting to collect stamps as a hobby. This section helps you to get started by making a shopping list of basic equipment. See Getting Started.
	Getting Organised There are so many different kinds of stamps available it is sensible to sort your collection in some way. This section looks at how you can get organised and suggests some themes or topics to help you. See Getting Organised.
	Sources of information If you wish to take your interest in stamp collecting further there are a number of sources you can go to. This section highlights some of the people and places who can help you to develop your hobby. It also provides information about where to buy your stamps and equipment. See Sources of Information.
	Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) You will have many questions if you are starting to collect stamps. Some of the common questions that people ask are included in the FAQs section. Use this section as a starting point for finding out what you want to know or as a checklist at the end to review what you have discovered. See FAQs .
About Stamps Getting Started Getting Organised Sources of Information FAQs
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Last modified on: Tuesday, July 1, 1997.