3 Responses to “VISITORS BLOG”

1. Stuart Mitchell says:

   March 17, 2010 at 6:37 pm

   Stamp Collecting As a Hobby

   As stamps started being used massively, featuring different people and different designs, the birth of stamps collectors occurred as well. Great Britain was the first country that started producing stamps during the 19th century, thus it’s not surprising that there are still many people who like collecting stamps as a hobby. This hobby actually has a name; it’s called philately, deriving from the Greek language.
   There are billions of stamps available today, of all kinds and types. With feature and the picture of an important persona, of a city or a monument. These are produced based on different occasions; for instance, during the Olympic games every four years, there are series that hit the market, as there are many collectors who appreciate their uniqueness and would like to add them to their collection.
   An individual who likes collecting stamps can start gathering normal and regular; a few years later the same ones will become rare, once they are replaced by newer designs and styles. People who like collections, whether they like collecting antique toys, they tend to develop their personal taste and build collections that reflect their preferences.
   Internet is an ideal place for collecting beginners, as there already made collections or stamps that are sold individually. There are stamp books, which are considered to be a quick start collection. Some of them feature rare and can be very interesting; however, it is important to remember that they usually contain stamps that were sold in a particular country. Most stamp collectors today tend to gather from all over the world – this is anyway the most interesting part related to these collections. Stamps featuring queens and kings, historical persons or buildings can be quite expensive as well.
   Sturat is article marketer, copywriter and enjoys writing on topics like Collecting Stamps and Collecting Antique Toys. For more information on these topics, please visit us.

   Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sturat_Mitchel
2. Jeffrey Meier says:

   March 18, 2010 at 8:45 pm

   Stamp Collecting Still Going Strong in the 21st Century

   Over the years many people thought that stamp collecting would never last. Boy, were they ever wrong. In fact it’s one of the more popular hobbies throughout the world and boasting collectors in every country in the world. Stamps are still used today and will be for a very long time. This makes collecting them to continue to grow even in bad economic times. Stamp collecting has grown and is divided in many different segments. Their use to be a time where only certain things were collected but that has really expanded a lot. Every day it seems they add something new to collect. It doesn’t look to end anytime soon either. Let’s look at some of those.
   First let’s learn a little background about stamp collecting before we go any further. Condition is king in most any collectibles and stamps are no different. The come in conditions from mint to good condition which determine value. These are just one of the factors in determining how much they are worth. The other thing is if the item has been used or is unused. Used means it has been used on postage while unused hasn’t. Unused will almost be worth many more dollars and are collected more than any other type of stamp and that won’t change anytime soon either.
   Over the years collecting stamps can be divided into many different classifications. One of the most popular ones is collecting stamps from someone’s country. Everyone loves their home country and having a piece of its history is basically one of the things that postage stamps give you. Each one has a little story behind it and you would be surprised at how many people know the stories behind the stamps that they collect. Presidential and heads of state are another important collecting interest among collectors. It seems that people have a love affair with authority figures and that could have something to do with it. Other really popular collecting subjects are animals, sports, vehicles, transportation.
   Stamp collecting has had its ups and downs in recent years as getting younger collectors interested in the hobby has been tough. This doesn’t mean the hobby hasn’t been growing, because it has. Many countries are now gearing promotions and stamps more to kids so they can try and bring them into stamp collecting. It’s slowing make progress, but it’s going to take some time. Education is probably the key to this kind of program working as the more information made to the masses can only mean more people for the hobby.
   Investing in stamps is something that people have also been doing over the years with great success. Just like most other hobbies production of stamps is limited to a certain amount and once they are gone that is it. This means the values on rare or hard to find items will continue to rise. These make stamps ideal investments for people willing to hold them for a few years. Stamp collecting is a lot of fun and the more people find out about it the more they like it. In the end isn’t that what a hobby should be fun.

   Jeffrey Meier at Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.thearticlehome.com blog offers even more detailed information on a wide variety of topics.

   Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Meier
3. Mike Selvon says:

   March 24, 2010 at 7:30 pm

   Stamp Collecting Software Options For You

   If you’re serious about stamp collecting, then you should definitely invest in stamp collecting software to help you manage, value and catalog your collection. Before you can trade, buyers will want to know what you have, so don’t end up fumbling around and losing the deal! Read on for some of the top software choices.
   The SCOTT catalog is like the holy grail among collectors. If you plan to sell or trade stamps, you’ll need to know the corresponding catalog numbers. For instance, some traders and buyers only know “the inverted Jenny” one as a “C3a.” Therefore, it’s advantageous to obtain either detailed software for purchase or simple freeware to organize and properly catalog your collection and make it suitable for trade.
   You can find a SCOTT-licensed software program at EZstamp for $80/CD. This huge database contains 36,700 stamps and contains a search tool to allow you to find individual stamps quickly if needed. You’ll enjoy the EZstamp color guides, slide shows, watermark guide, and magnifier and thumbnail viewer.
   Valuing and inventorying is made easy with this software. Yet, also be aware that the main CD only covers US and US territories. If you’d like European stamp information and databases, for example, you’d have to buy one of the other CDs at $49.99 a piece. You can however, have the entire collection, which is comprised of nine CDs, for $314.
   If you’re looking for free stamp collecting software options, try Freedownloadmanager or Download3000 for a list of free downloads to try. For instance, StampCAT, will help you catalog and obtain the value of your entire collection. You can enter country, catalog number, face value, watermark, perforation, design topic, purchase date and more.
   Stamp Collector Professional helps new stamp collectors discover valuable items, catalog their collection and learn how to use stamp collecting software. Stamp Organizer Deluxe 2.8 (free to try, $75 to buy) has a couple of unique features such as: a dictionary of applicable terms, a place to organize information about dealers and auctions, easy printing, exporting and importing, as well as a place to save trader contact info.
   Whether you’re just beginning your hobby or you’ve already acquired an exhaustive database of these historical artifacts, stamp collecting software can be a big help! How else can you tell used stamps, from rare or new postage stamps?
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   Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Selvon