During my pre-teen and teen years I really got into the hobby of Stamp Collecting. That was the 70's and I think it was a pretty popular fad in that decade.

Well, my collection fell out of my hands in later years and the responsibilities of life got in the way. But in the back of my mind I always thought that someday I would return to that wonderful hobby.

And now, in my 50's I have finally returned to that hobby that I loved so much : Stamp Collecting! Yay!

And I am sharing it with you here.

The most valuable stamp in American Stamp collecting. One sold at auction for over a million dollars. And I have one. Well, not really. I kind of have one. LOL - There are only 100 of these stamps with the airplane accidentally printed upside down. Read more about it here

The picture here shows the actual stamp I own.

I love collecting topical stamps (stamps on specific topics) - And among my favorites are stamps of castles. I have some of my favorites right here..Stamps of Castles

The almost overlooked clump of stamps stuck together - worth over $1,000 dollars - Hard work and paying attention to detail sometimes pays off big.A family member bought a big box of stamps at an estate sale. It was a lot of the usual stuff but....Read the story here

New: An explanation of re-issue stamps. These two stamps look exactly the same. They use the same exact design but were issued in different years by the USPS. And there is a difference! Identifying differences in reissued stamps can be very challenging. I have some tips for you here: Navigating the challenge of reissued stamps.

New: Valuable stamps to look out for. This is an easy guide for people that don't know a lot about stamps. Maybe you have come into a collection and you are intimidated by all the stamps! Here I have some stamps that are easy to identify and are actually worth some money! It's an easy way to get a sense for whether your collection might have value. Valuable stamps to look out for <--- This stamp is worth as much as $2,000.

The USPS issues a set of unique eclipse stamps. They are thermochromic. You press your finger on a stamp and the moon appear. Fun little stamp. I have more about them here: USPS Eclipse Stamps

New: A video on the basics of starting a stamp collection. I cover some of the basics of the hobby including where to get stamps, how to put them in albums and how to identify watermarks, grills and more: An introduction to Stamp Collecting

What is your stamp collection worth?- So, you have come into a stamp collection. Maybe you inherited it or somebody gave it to you. You don't know anything about stamps but you are wondering if the collection is worth anything. I have seven tips for you to assess if the collection is valuable. And you don't have to know anything about stamps. Is your stamp collection worth anything?

Totally free audio book on stamp collecting by Librivox. It is a public domain book and recording. You can download it right here on my site, unzip it and listen to it. Stamp Collecting Audio book.

About Stamp Lift Fluid - Experience the frustration of trying to remove a hinge without damaging the stamp? They make a special fluid for removing stamps from albums, or envelopes. And for removing hinges safely. Does it work? Is it worth it? I have a full review with pictures right here: About Stamp Lift Fluid

The philosophy of stamp collecting - Stamp collecting very neatly fulfills some basic human traits. I also call this article the Crow, the organizer, the Historian and the Banker.

On the Absurdity of Stamp Collecting

New - I have a selection of books on stamp collecting that are in the public domain. You can download them here. Free Books on Stamp Collecting

Is it a rotary press or flat plate stamp? It makes a big difference. They look identical but they aren't I show you an easy way to find out which it is. Identifying rotary and flat plate stamps.

New Article: The 1954-62 Liberty series of stamps has six stamps with the statue of liberty. It can be difficult to know which stamp is which. But the torch is the key! Take a look at my easy explanation and identification of these stamps. Identifying the Liberty Stamps

The Stamp Camera! I don't know what else to call this. But after struggling with taking pictures of stamps I thought it might be fun to make myself a nice little camera box that makes it easy to take pictures of my stamps. It was fun and it works really well. I just pop my camera into it and voila. Great pictures. See more about this project and how to make one right here: Make a Stamp Camera box.

New Article: Stamp Collector or Philatelist? There is a difference. Are you one or the other? Or are you both! Read my article here.

A visit to a stamp show - I went to a weekend long stamp show outside of Boston and it was a fun experience. I found a whole lot of stamps for my collection. Read more, see some of the stamps I got and get some tips on going to a show like this. A visit to a stamp show

After forty years I have finally returned to the hobby that I loved so much as a teen. Just a little story about my return to stamp collecting

Collecting Topicals - This is a fun way to collect stamps. You get stamps in a subject that you like. I collect topicals for Castles and Astronomy Check it out here: Collecting Topicals

Removing stamps from envelopes - Getting stamps off of envelopes is a great way to build your stamp collection for free or nearly free. But how do you get the stamps off the envelopes? We use a process called soaking and I show you how right here. Soaking Stamps

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