STICKING TO COLLECTING : STAMP LOVERS SHARE PASSION IN A.V. CLUB.Byline: Karen Thacker Special to the Daily News Stamp collectors say the hobby holds truly different attractions for every person who takes it up. What catches the eye of one stamp lover will be boring to another, and the worth of the stamp is truly beholden be·hold·en adj. Owing something, such as gratitude, to another; indebted. [Middle English biholden, past participle of biholden, to observe; see behold. to the law of supply and demand The law of supply and demand states that in a competitive free market, the price for a good will move towards the level where supply and demand for that good are equal. Supply and demand
Some like used stamps bearing the postmark of the place and age when they were mailed; others are insistent that the adhesive gum on back remains in place. Some travel to stamp shows to add their collections, others buy stamps through mail-order firms, and others trade with fellow collectors. ``Some collect from only one country, or the whole world, or ones that have only to do with butterflies. It's whatever interests the person,'' said Carolsue Teper, who has been collecting since she was a girl. ``Some collectors never look at a stamp catalog A stamp catalog (or stamp catalogue) is a catalog of postage stamp types. Although basically just a list of descriptions and prices, in practice the catalog is an essential tool of stamp collecting. - they don't care how much the stamp is worth. It's the inherent beauty or if it fits on their page.'' Although stamp collecting is pretty much a solitary hobby, close to two dozen philatelists This is a list of philatelists, persons notable for their contributions to philately.
Members range from their late 20s to their late 70s, with a junior club for 8- to 13-year-olds. Club member Don Bacon began collecting stamps 50 years ago when he was 8, started by an older brother who passed on his collector's book when he got a new one. Bacon figures he has 50,000 stamps from all over the world. He calls it ``a magpie magpie, common name for certain birds of the family Corvidae (crows and jays). The black-billed magpie, Pica pica, of W North America has iridescent black plumage, white wing patches and abdomen, and a long wedge-shaped tail. It is altogether about 20 in. collection. I collect whatever just strikes my interest.'' Retired three years ago from NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. after 30 years work at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. , Bacon has a special interest in stamps about airplanes and space. And he said he likes stamps that went through the mail. ``It's interesting to see the cities they went to and how long ago,'' he said. Bacon likes to work through a company that sends him stamps ``on approval.'' Like a book club, he keeps what he wants and sends back the rest. He also likes to send away for ``grab bags'' filled with miscellaneous stamps. ``I like to do that because you never know what you're going to find,'' he said. Teper is not sure how she got hooked on stamp collecting, which she started as a schoolgirl. ``I love puzzles, and to me it is sort of the same thing. When was this printed? Does it have this watermark watermark: see paper. See digital watermark. ? Does it have this perforation per·fo·ra·tion n. 1. The act of perforating or the state of being perforated. 2. An abnormal opening in a hollow organ or viscus, as one made by rupture or injury. Perforation A hole. ? I enjoy that kind of detail,'' Teper said. ``There are also many, many things that can be learned from stamps - things about foreign countries, their geography. It's great for kids,'' Teper said. Antelope Valley Stamp Club Meeting Antelope Valley Stamp Club meets at 2 p.m. the second Sunday of each month at the Lancaster Estates Clubhouse, 45465 25th St. E. Information: (805) 946-0629. Collection tips Tips for getting started in stamp collecting: Save stamps that come in the mail to your home. Ask friends and neighbors - or a local business - to save their envelopes, with stamps attached, for you. Search stamp publications, such as Lynn's Stamp Weekly, at local libraries for names and addresses of stamp dealers, stamp catalogs and wholesale suppliers. Get the basic tools: a stamp album, hinges or mounts for applying the stamps, and small tongs tongs long-handled, about 3 feet, shaped like pincers with knobs on the ends of the grasping blades. Applied by standing behind the subject in a confined space and closing the jaws to grasp the animal's head just below the ears. for handling the stamps. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, 2 Boxes Photo: (1--Color only in AV edition) Tawnya De Sha, 12, checks out jazz musician stamps at the Antelope Valley Stamp Club meeting. (2--Color only in AV edition) A member of the Antelope Valley Stamp Club looks through an American Philatelic Society The American Philatelic Society (APS) is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting and philately society in the world, with over 47,000 members as of 2003. Although currently headquartered in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, having recently moved from its long time headquarters in State book, which has many stamps from many difference countries. The club has members of all ages, with a variety of interests, who get together every month to trade, discuss and learn. John Lazar/Special to the Daily News Box: (1) Collection tips (See text) (2--AV edition only) Antelope Valley Stamp Club Meeting (See text) |
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