Postage Stamps to Start a Stamp Collection

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Postage stamp king Elvis

The joy of being a stamp collector. Stamp collecting is one the the cheapest hobbies to start up and you can get friends and family to post letters to you to begin a collection. A friend who knew I was a philatelist sent me these stamps when he went to the US on holiday. He was there when the USPS first release the stamp and he went to the local Post Office on the first day of issue only to find that these 29 cent stamps had all sold out. They were incredibly popular, even to those who do not have a full time stamp collecting hobby. These first class stamps (in every sense of the word) were so nice to have and at only 29 cents they represented great value for money. The current rate is 44 cent for first class mail in the US. the USPS have issued many classy postage stamps like these Elvis ones and it is no surprise that the USPS is one of the best Postal Services in the world.

More legendary stamps to collect

Great postage stamps featuring one of the Hollywood greats. Beautiful stamps for any collector to treasure.

Bette Davis Legends of Hollywood pane of 20 x 42 cent us U.S. Postage Stamps

Best time to begin collecting stamps

Its Christmas time

"The best time to start a stamp collecting hobby is at Christmas because of the amount of greeting cards and festive presents that are sent at this time of the year. Get all your friends and relatives to collect their postage stamps for you and by January you will have a worthwhile amount of stamps to begin a good collection."

New postage stamps from USPS

Forever stamps

Unlike the Elvis postage stamps above and most of the Hollywood legends on stamps the new stamps will not have a price on them at all. They are simply called forever stamps and the stamps will display the word forever instead of the price or denomination (as in the 29) on the Elvis Presley stamp. If the USPS were to issue the same Elvis stamp today the 29 would be replaced with the word forever. The USPS 2011 stamp below features Oweny who was the canine mascot of the Railway Mail Service

Oweny the Postal Dog sheet of 20 x Forever Stamps 2011

Great cowboy postage stamps

Great John Wayne classic postage stamps to have in your stamp collection.

John Wayne Legends of Hollywood Self Adhesive Sheet of 20- 37 Cent Stamps

U.S. Postal Service and Civil War stamps

Historic US postage stamps

20 Civil War postage stamps were issued by USPS in 1995 and they feature some famous historic figures from the past. Among the 16 individuals who are featured are Abraham Lincoln, General Ulysses S. Grant, Major Sherman and Clara Harlowe Barton who was a volunteer nurse in the Civil War. Miss Barton founded the American Red Cross. The remaining 4 stamps celebrated famous battles including Shiloh, Chancellorsville and the Battle of Gettysburg, This is a great piece of history on one sheet of stamps.

1995 LEGENDS OF THE CIVIL WAR #2975 Pane of 20 x 32¢ US Postage Stamps

Forever stamps to buy

Forever stamp sheet featuring USPS postage stamps

Get a Forever stamp from USPS
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How do forever stamps work

First class postage forever

Christmas Forever Postage StampsChristmas Forever

You may use the forever postage issued by USPS at any time to post a first class letter. Once you have the stamps in your possession you may use them at any time in the future. if you buy a lot of these stamps today you will be able to use them in 2011, 2012, 2013 and so forth regardless of mow much the price of a first class stamp increases. See the four Christmas 2011 forever stamps pictured opposite and you notice the word forever on each stamp without any sign of the price of the stamp. If you do not use all that buy this Christmas, don't worry, as they will be perfect for use every Christmas from now on. These stamps are pretty and will do nicely in a new stamp collection.

Lady Liberty and U.S. Flag

Beautiful sheet of 18 x Forever US Postage Stamps

Lady Liberty postage stamp USPSThe stamp was actually one of the few mistakes made by the USPS. The statue photograph used for the forever stamp is not of the real one in NY. Somehow, or other, this image is of the replica statue situated in Las Vegas. Tell tale signs are the too blue sky and the too clean statue.

They are not expected to be rare or of significant value because of the mistake as several million of the stamps were issued and a recall was not an option. Still, they are nice stamps for a philatelist to own.

Lady Liberty and U.S. Flag ATM Sheet of 18 x Forever US Postage Stamps

2012 postage stamps to collect

Irish Postage stamps celebrating dance

Beauty of Dance postage stamps issued by An Post IrelandThese unusual diamond shaped stamps were issued in Ireland in 2012. They celebrate Dance Companies in Ireland. The four stamps from An Post (who issue stamps in Ireland) honour 4 dance companies. EIRE which is printed on the stamps is the Irish Gaelic name for Ireland. They would make a nice starting point for a philatelist.

The 4 different dance companies featured are

1 Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre
2 Dance Theatre of Ireland
3 Irish Modern Dance Theatre
4 CoisCéim Dance Theatre.

Buy these Christmas bauble stamps

Christmas Forever postage stamps

These stamps will do for this Christmas and every other Christmas to come. The are forever postage stamps from USPS.

Holiday Baubles ATM Sheet of 18 x Forever US Postage Stamps

Postage stamps for kids

Great postage stamps to get children interested in stamp collecting.

Bugs Bunny Postage Stamps

A First Stamp Album

Getting started with stamps

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Postage stamps for adults

Great postage stamps to get everyone interested in philately.

1995 MARILYN MONROE LEGENDS OF HOLLYWOOD FULL PLATE OF STAMPS 20 32 CENT STAMPS



This stamp as a jigsaw puzzle 1000



MARILYN MONROE

This iconic female actor can also be found on jigsaw puzzles, as can several of the more popular legends who were commemorated by USPS.

White Mountain Puzzles Marilyn Monroe



Now for some fun collecting stamps



The Simpsons Mint Sheet 20 USA .44 Cent Postage Stamps MNH

Fun postage stamps to collect or use

Simpsons postage stamps

The Simpsons postage stamps are great for starting kids off in the philately hobby. These are real postage stamps from USPS and will be of interest to philatelists and Simpsons fans worldwide.
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USPS The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps

United States Postal Service

For the serious stamp collectors this reference guide looks at commemorative stamps, Scott catalog numbers plus prices of postage stamps, both used and unused. This is the bible for philatelists and includes many color illustrations. This is the 36th Edition of this famous guide.
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Getting value for postage stamps

Good deals on stamps: Guide to Selling Your Stamps

It is important to know the value of your stamps and from time to time you may wish to sell them in order to build your hobby. To ensure that you are paid the best possible price you will need a reference resource from someone reputable. This book is the answer as it contains valuable information and tips on how to get the best value from your collection.

Top Dollar Paid!: The Complete Guide to Selling Your Stamps

Love Stamps?

Thumbs up for philately!

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Create your own stamps

Your photo on real USPS stamps

Sample of 4 Zazzle postage stamps from photographsIt is possible to create your own stamps from photographs. The stamps will be legal and will be honored by the United State Postal Service. The link to making your own stamps online is through Zazzle which is affiliated to USPS. These personalized stamps can be used for real posting in the US. See samples here where I simply used my own stock photos. You don't have to be a member of Zazzle to create your own stamps. Just uploads the photos you want to use and the software takes care of the rest. You will have your stamps delivered to your home within days. Celebrate birthday and special occasions with your own images on postage stamps.

Other items to collect

Collectors

Stamp collectors often collect other things like postcards or First Day covers. Oftentimes too, a philatelist will collect coins and banknotes.
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Information on USPS forever postage

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Your views on postage stamps

A good hobby for kids? What do you think?

  • intermarks May 18, 2012 @ 6:16 am | delete
    I have been collecting postage stamps since in primary school. It is great and fun to collect world stamps where we can learn many things including the cultures and history of a country.
  • Leopold-Blatt May 18, 2012 @ 9:38 am | delete
    Thank you intermarks for your remarks on this article. Like you, I have collected them since I was a kid and you are so right because we can learn so much historically from the humble stamp.
  • filcaske1 May 18, 2012 @ 6:13 am | delete
    Very nice Lens here! I love the Elvis stamps at the top! I am a die hard Elvis fan, and love to collect stamps! Thank You!
  • Leopold-Blatt May 18, 2012 @ 9:35 am | delete
    Thank you filcaske1 for your comment on this postage stamp article. The King postage stamp was the best selling stamp ever and many of them were never used for their intended purpose. Too precious, I'm a fan too.
  • crazy_anna May 17, 2012 @ 3:34 pm | delete
    I am interested in stamps because I like the history. This is a great page! I think I should get into collecting now <3
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Latest News in philately

All about stamps

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By Anonymous AP New postal stamps will honor several standout baseball players, including Larry Doby, who joined the Cleveland Indians in 1947 as the first black player in the American League. Doby helped lead Cleveland to a World Series title in 1948 ...
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The release of the "Make a Smile" series of US postage stamps featuring Pixar characters at the Art of Animation resort at Walt Disney World featured plenty of pomp and circumstance. There was a color guard and a stirring rendition of the "Star ...

by

Leopold-Blatt

I am a fan of the legends that appear on postage stamps. The artwork on these stamps is exquisite.

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ELVIS PRESLEY collectible postage stamps 

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1993 ELVIS PRESLEY #2721 Block of 4 x 29 cent US Postage Stamps

Amazon Price: $3.00 (as of 06/04/2012)Buy Now

King of Rock 'n' Roll postage stamp from USPS.

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Collectible Disney US Postage Stamps for Philatelists. Includes Dumbo, Mickey Mouse, Aladdin, Peter Pan & Tinker Bell.

2012 The Official Blackbook Price Guide to United States Postage Stamps 

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