FACTS 

Where and How to Collect Stamps

One of the great thrills of stamp collecting is the ever-present possibility of discovering, in some unexpected place or manner, rare old stamps worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Such discoveries are not uncommon; we hope that you will someday make a lucky find of valuable stamps. In the meantime...

A treasure Hunt provides the most exciting way to start your collection. Go searching for stamps that may be stored away, forgotten among old letters and papers in your home. Letters of your grandparents and great-grandparents, hidden away and long forgotten in some dusty old trunk, cupboard, or desk drawer may well yield valuable stamps. If you have friends and neighbors who permit you to look through their old correspondence, that will provide other exciting opportunities for a Treasure Hunt.

Save Stamps On Everyday Mail. Ordinary letters and packages will often yield a fascinating variety of United States Stamps.

Have Friends Save Stamps For You. Businessmen and women who get a great deal of mail and people who have correspondence with foreign countries are especially good sources of supply.

Trade Your Duplicates. Collectors usually acquire more than one copy of certain stamps. These duplicates can yield both pleasure and profit. Just get together with your stamp collecting friends and trade duplicates--exchanging surplus extra copies to get new varieties. You should, of course, collect stamps that are in good condition. Torn or otherwise damaged copies may be placed in your album as "space fillers" but should be replaced whenever possible by undamaged copies.

Always Use Stamp Hinges or Hingeless Mounts. Stamps are customarily fastened to album pages with little strips of gummed glassine paper called stamp hinges. The diagram below shows how to use them.

1. Bend back the top half of the hinge and lightly moisten the gum as indicated by the shaded area of the drawing. Most collectors moisten hinges by licking them. So hinge manufacturers use a pure, almost tasteless, gum.
2. Attach the hinge to the top of the stamp with the crease about 1/16 below the perforations on the stamp.
3. Moisten the lower half of the hinge.
4. Now, turn the stamp over and attach the hinge to the album page. The stamp is now hinged and may be turned over for inspection. Never remove hinges while they are wet or you may damage the stamp and the album page.

Many people prefer not to use hinges but instead use the popular hingeless mounts which provide a high degree of protection.

Soaking Stamps Off Paper. Rare old stamps are usually worth more when left in their envelopes. But most other stamps, especially those which beginners are likely to acquire, should be cleanly separated from any attached paper before being mounted in your album. To do this, soak the stamps in lukewarm (but not hot) water for five or ten minutes until the paper peels off easily. Then place the stamps face down on a clean blotter and let them dry before placing them in your album.