Guides
Each guide answers one question completely, using checks you can make in seconds on the water.
Starting a Collection Without Wasting Money
Buy tools before stamps, pick a narrow subject, and ignore the packets of a thousand worldwide — which is where most beginners' money goes.
3 min read
Storing a Collection Without Damaging It
Hinges reduce mint value permanently, PVC pages destroy stamps slowly, and humidity is the enemy that does the most damage unnoticed.
3 min read
Forgeries, Fakes and Why Certificates Exist
Printing method catches most classic forgeries. Overprints, regumming and repairs need an expert, and any expensive stamp should carry a certificate.
3 min read
Do Not Soak That Envelope
The cover is frequently worth more than the stamp on it. Postmarks, routes and usages carry the value, and soaking destroys all of them.
3 min read
Where the Value Hides in Identical-Looking Stamps
Two stamps from the same design can differ by three orders of magnitude. The difference is almost never visible in the design.
3 min read
Is My Stamp Collection Worth Anything?
Usually a modest sum. Stamps were printed in the hundreds of millions, catalogue values are not selling prices, and condition decides most of what remains.
3 min read
How to Identify an Unknown Stamp
Country first, because catalogues are organised by it. Then printing, perforation and watermark, which is where the value actually hides.
3 min read