Early this year I took possession of my Granddad's old postage stamps
. He had a really great collection and it was my job to help preserve his memory. There has been a lot to learn and I think that I have done well.
Being able to go through the entire collection of old postage stamps was a treat. It took me a long time but I went through and took a record of every single stamp. It is always good to have a complete record of your collection. It also helps for insurance purposes.
The next thing you need to be concerned about is where you store the old postage stamps. I moved them to my house and piled the albums on top of each other. After a little bit of research I found out that you shouldn't do this. You need to store them in a dark dry place. It is also important to stand the albums upright to avoid them getting damaged.
When you first get an album the first thing that you want to do is add to it. This is understandable and I did the same. I think that it important that you decide exactly what you want your album to be. There is so much choice and you could end up with a very mixed album. I have decided to go for a theme.
There are lots of places to buy old postage stamps. You can buy them directly from the post office and that is what I have done with a number of mine. I have also bought a few over the internet on Ebay which went well. When you become more experienced you can look at going to an auction or a stamp dealer. This is better for more rare offerings.
I have really enjoyed collecting and learning about old postage stamps. You can have the same experience to and learn in your own way. You don't have to do it like I did.