COLLECTOR'S EXPO OFFERS PIECES OF WORLD'S PAST.

Byline: Donna Huffaker Staff Writer

And you thought 33 cents was high for postage.

Try springing $15,750 for one sheet of stamps. They're not just any stamps,

of course, they're 24-cent stamps from 1918 - the first air mail stamps to be issued by the United States. And they'll be on sale in plastic at the Glendale Civic Auditorium through Sunday.

Stamps, coins, domestic and international money, bonds, and even fossilized fish are on display this weekend at the Stamp and Coin Expo, a haven for collectors as well as dealers.

Expo director Israel Bick, a stamp collector himself for the last 56 years, said collecting is something everyone can relate to, because it's personal. Bick, 62, showed off his priceless passport of a civil war general and called collecting ``the last family hobby.''

``Anybody can collect. You don't have to drop thousands. Money is not related to the amount of enjoyment you'll get from collecting,'' he said.

In fact, the value of a Russian ruble from 1912 is surprisingly only $10. But the craftsmanship of the drawings, complete with Peter the Great, is enough to prompt someone to buy them, Bick said.

Stamp collector and Russian native Sam Spector said he has been collecting U.S. stamps since he moved to this country 20 years ago. The West Los Angeles resident said he began browsing for U.S. stamps to learn more about U.S. history. Thousands of dollars worth of stamps later, Spector said he's learned a lot and marvels at the fact you could still use a 1918 stamp for postage, unlike in Russia. Not that you would, he laughed.

And then, there are the fish.

Bick pointed out there are many items other than stamps and coins - like the $6,000 penny - at such expos. Enter dealer Glenn Schinke.

Schinke started selling and trading antique coins because he enjoys medieval and ancient history. But to draw people's sights toward the table, he began displaying fossilized fish. Now people buy those along with the quasi-pricey coins.

Merchandise will be on display at the civic center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Parking is $2.