| Collecting stamps has been a popular hobby for | | | | and family. See if they have any old stashes of |
| many years. Lots of people collect stamps. Even | | | | letters and correspondence that they could spare |
| Queen Elizabeth herself has an enormous stamp | | | | the stamps from. If you want to remove stamps |
| collection and the Palace continues to build this. | | | | from envelopes, you can usually either steam or |
| Getting children interested in stamp collecting is a | | | | soak them, but be careful. In some cases it might |
| great way to develop an interest and appreciation | | | | be safer to just cut them out of the envelope, |
| of history. | | | | making sure you don't cut the perforations. |
| The first British postage stamp was the Penny | | | | However, if the envelope or postcard the stamp |
| Black, issued in 1840 during the reign of Queen | | | | is on looks historical, you might want to keep it |
| Victoria. The Penny Black was issued as a way | | | | intact and put the whole envelope in your stamp |
| for people to pre-pay for their postage at a set | | | | album. For example, if it was addressed to |
| rate. Believe it or not, the Penny Black was only | | | | someone from your family, or to someone |
| printed for one year. The problem was that the | | | | famous. Friends and family might also have a |
| stamps were cancelled (or stamped by the post | | | | stamp collection that they perhaps started on and |
| office) in red ink, and the Royal Mail found that a | | | | never completed that they would be willing to let |
| lot of stamps were being re-used. The red ink | | | | you have to get you going. If you don't ask you |
| used to cancel them was also relatively easy to | | | | don't get so see if you can find out! Other places |
| remove; hence sneaky people did this and used | | | | worth checking are charity shops. Charities |
| the stamps again and again, thus depriving the | | | | sometimes have appeals for used postage |
| Royal Mail of their revenue. | | | | stamps and may have bags of stamps for sale at |
| One of the best things about the Penny Black is | | | | low prices. |
| the fact that it is historically very exciting as | | | | When starting out, if you are not worrying so |
| when you see a real Penny Black you are | | | | much about condition, you can also buy bulk lots |
| immediately taken back to a Dickensian Victorian | | | | of stamps where you buy stamps by weight |
| London. The other great thing about it as a new | | | | from stamp dealers (or online). You essentially |
| stamp collector is the fact that contrary to some | | | | pay by the Kilo for stamps that will be on paper |
| misconceptions, it is NOT a rare stamp. Over 68 | | | | backings and these are often referred to as |
| million were made, and even through the passing | | | | kiloware. These stamps are unlikely to be valuable |
| of time, there are many genuine Penny Blacks | | | | or rare, but they will be interesting and this is a |
| about in collections, sales rooms and dealers | | | | great way to start off your collection. You can |
| stocks. | | | | always move on to rarer stamps a little later on, |
| The important thing about collecting British | | | | perhaps getting a particularly sought after British |
| stamps, as in all collecting hobbies, is the condition | | | | stamp as a birthday or Christmas gift. |
| and the rarity of particular variations of any given | | | | The other popular areas of stamp collecting are |
| stamp. To the untrained eye, you might be able | | | | the collection of first day covers (or Fad's as they |
| to put two Penny Blacks side by side and they | | | | are often referred). First day covers are issued |
| might look pretty much identical, but the trained | | | | by the Royal Mail on the first day that a stamp is |
| stamp collector will know that one is worth $10 | | | | officially issued. You can buy special first day |
| and the other $2000. This might be because one | | | | envelopes which contain information about the |
| is used and slightly worn, the other mint and | | | | stamp and its designer, and get these specially |
| unused. | | | | franked on the day of release. Or, of course, you |
| So where can you start to collect rare British | | | | can simply buy a stamp on the first day of issue |
| stamps? If you want to get some of the | | | | and post it to yourself so you have your own |
| legendary stamps of the Victorian era, such as a | | | | first day cover. Again, it's a historically interesting |
| Penny Black and a Penny Red, then you will | | | | thing to collect. |
| probably need to buy these from a dealer or | | | | If you are going to collect stamps then you need |
| another collector. However there have been | | | | to get a good stamp album to put them in as |
| thousands of other fascinating stamps printed by | | | | well. Even if your stamps are not particularly rare, |
| the Royal Mail over the last 170 years. All sorts of | | | | you need to look after them and ensure that |
| sets to commemorate important events have | | | | they stay in the condition they are when you get |
| been issued from football world cup stamps to | | | | them. Stamps are easy to damage and destroy |
| royal weddings and jubilees. However, just | | | | so try and keep them somewhere safe from |
| collecting the basic postage of the time is in itself | | | | flooding as well. |
| quite fascinating because it gives a sense of how | | | | As your collection improves you may also want |
| inflation the spending power of the UK currency | | | | to consider getting some tweezers and a |
| has changed over time. You might be surprised to | | | | magnifying glass so you can start to understand |
| note that though a Penny Black's worth of | | | | and spot fine details on stamps that make them |
| postage now costs only 39 pence, £1 in | | | | stand out from more common versions. |
| 1840 is now equivalent to around £44 in | | | | British stamp collecting is a great hobby that |
| spending power so the real cost of postage has | | | | doesn't have to be expensive to be fascinating. It |
| stayed roughly the same in all those years | | | | gives a real insight into history and the past, and |
| (conversion figure of £1 in 1836 being | | | | your stamp collection can go wherever your |
| worth £44 in 2007 from the UK National | | | | interests take you. You might start off collecting |
| Archives government site). | | | | British stamps but end up collecting US postage |
| The easiest place to start looking for stamps for | | | | stamps or the stamps of another country that |
| your new British stamp collection is to ask friends | | | | interests you. |