Hi All, My son is interested in learning about stamp collecting and stamps. Can anyone recomend a site or free/cheap independent study course that would help him? Also, he is looking for a good site that will teach him to identify stamps. Thanx, - DLG
Hi DLG - Collecting stamps can be quite fun and it provides an opportunity to learn a lot about geography, history and other cultures. I wholly endorse such activities. I am a coin collector (numismatics) myself and have discovered over the years that there is little difference between those who collect coins and those who collect stamps. One problem that you might be experiencing in your search is that Philology is the study of languages. It tends to be closely related to Philosophy. The practice of collecting stamps is known as Philately. You and your son could start your search together here: http://www.stamps.org/
I found stamp collecting a fun way to learn about Canadian history. The small stamp collecting club was organized by a retired English teacher who had collected stamps since childhood. My advice would be to start with a specific time period, theme, or geographic location. There are stamp distributors that provide a large selection of stamps at nominal cost, especially for stamps from around the world. Also, buy a copy of the Harris Reference Catalog of Postage Stamps Prices of the United States, United Nations, Canada & Provinces (Paperback edition). In post office will certainly have products related to philately, including albums in which to mount your stamps. I recommend collecting used stamps rather than never circulated or unused (mint condition) as the used stamps are generally much less expensive. I will provide a link to another source to get you started though there are many, many such distributors. If your son prefers to organize his collection electronically, or in addition to the traditional album-based collection, check out this product. I do not endorse these particular vendors, but provide the information here to help in your adventure. Joining a local stamp collecting club, preferably oriented to young collectors, will provide a means of learning more about the stamps in the collection as well as the stamps sought for the collection. Trading stamps between members of a club is a great way to unload unwanted stamps and pick up desired stamps.
