Do You Know Where To Buy Postage Stamps?

Catalogs are a safe bet, whether you want to buy postage stamps, sell or appraise your collection. Stamp collecting and trading has captured America's heart and millions of collectors for over a century.

For the every day collector who can't wait for the next auction, a Scott's catalog can fill the void in one's collection. Additionally, the APS, Stanley Gibbons, Kenmore Stamp and the US postal service offer catalogs for your enjoyment.

Scott's Catalogue is a world-renowned philatelic reference for people who want to buy postage stamps and sell or appraise their collection. Annual subscriptions for this 5,000 page pamphlet cost as little as $18.97 for six months or as much as $98.97 for three years. Subscribers can choose between print or online, or even receive both for a small price! The Scott's Catalogue numbering system is how most collectors categorize their collections, so it's not uncommon to refer to an "Inverted Jenny" simply as "C3a."

The American Philatelic Society has a database of over 270,613 items that you can search by country, type, keywords, Scott Catalogue number, country and its type, country and keyword, its type and keyword, or Stamp ID number. You needn't be a member to browse, but if you'd like to buy postage stamps or get personal stamp information, you must become a member. Membership fees go toward publishing their monthly journal and costs range from $11.75/year to $38, depending on when you register (July - September is best).

The first Stanley Gibbons catalogue was published in 1865 and since then, they've been a leading resource for collectors looking to get postage ones from Great Britain or elsewhere, with the exception of the United States. You can find a $181,575 first day black cover from Great Britain (1840), an unused 1847 one from Tobago for $8,070, or 1 1913 "kookaburra" one from Australia for $80.

This is the place to find a rare stamp or special gem for your collection. It should also be noted that in addition to the free online catalogue, Stanley Gibbons also offers personal, web-based stamp "My Collection" organization where you can keep an online database of your collection.

Kenmore Stamp Company from Buffalo, NY has been in operation since the 1930s and offers a wide array of them from $10-20, Pope John Paul II and Lord of the Rings souvenir sheet types to $195, first Trans-Atlantic crossing / Zeppelin flight covers, $3,900 red-brown 5 cent Franklin imperforates and mint 10 cent Washington blacks for $16,000! This is a great place to acquire them, whether you're a beginner or expert philatelist.

The United States Postal Service puts out an annual catalog where you can find all the commemorative and press sheet stamps put out each year. At Shop USPS, you can order the full catalog or just browse a few categories. Buy 20 Marvel comic ones for $8.20, a 79-cent Gerald Ford one or an uncut Star Wars press sheet for $18.45.

There are decent prices for first-time collectors. Whether you'd like to purchase postage stamps with pop culture themes as gifts or collectibles, you can find them here.

Many people buy postage stamps through legitimate catalogs to safeguard their investments and receive some sort of guarantee of authenticity. However, beginners might find it more advantageous to collect stamps online through an auction site like eBay, where bids start as low as one cent.

Trading stamps through catalogs isn't free, which is why other internet sites seem to have such an enormous selection on hand.

Mike Selvon has some great stamp collecting articles for the hobbyist, where you can find out more about places to buy postage stamps. We appreciate your feedback at our stamp collecting values blog.

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Learn to Recognize the Authentic Autograph Or Get Ripped Off

RECOGNIZING THE FAKES
Every collector, no matter how good or how long they have been collecting has been fooled by a fake. However, after a while of collecting, they get an a feel for it. For the most part, a Sharpie marker autograph is the best and easiest to recognize as authentic. Most of the fakes you can tell by holding up to a light, placing it on a light table, or viewing closely through a loop. The best defense however is an education in autographs and autograph forgeries.

Here is a list of some of the techniques that are used to try and fool collectors:

1. Proxy or Secretarial - This is when a celebrity has their secretary or assistant, etc. sign their signature for them. Usually if an autograph is acquired through the mail and is a personalized response in Sharpie from a major star it is very likely to be signed by a secretary, but not always. In some cases the proxy signed photo is very good and other times it is not even close to what it should look like. So it is important to do research. Many magazines and web sites have authentic samples of their signatures to compare it with.

2. Pre-Print - This is when the celebrity signs one photo and has many copies made from it. Usually they are a just a little blurry and easy to recognize when held up to the light or viewed through a loop. Sometimes they use a heavy stock paper with a Matt, velvety or high gloss finish on the photo to help hide the pre-print..

3. Duo-Print - This is when an existing photo has a separate signature printed onto it so it appears raised off the surface and not part of the photo but it is also recognizable as a fake under a light or loop, and it looks unnatural and stiff.

4. Rubber Stamp - A rubber stamp is made from a signature and it definitely looks like a signature that has been rubber stamped. It also appears a little smeared and messy, or faded if the stamp pad is low in ink. This is usually the easiest type of fake to spot

5. Autopen - The autopen is a machine that traces a signature from a pattern or metal template. Some of the machines are better than others. The signatures look machine manufactured and start with the same indentation mark as they end. They have no flare or looseness to them, a drawn look, no variation in pressure and abrupt pen stops. Sometimes the ink bleeds out of the indented line. This machine can make an autograph appear as if it was signed with an ink pen because of the indent into the paper. So it is important to remember, that a Sharpie pen won't cause paper indentation and ball point pen signatures don't indent the paper as much as these machines. Pens and Sharpie signatures will have a slight fade out and loosening up after each word is written. However, if a heavy stock paper is being used, there is relatively little paper indentation with an autopen signature. Most modern fakes are Autopens.

6. Forgery - This is an autographed photo being advertised and sold as authentic but in fact has been signed by someone other than the celebrity. There are good forgeries and some that don't even resemble the real signature. This is another good reason to be well educated on the specific autograph looks like.

There are numerous organizations and resources available that will help a collector to authenticate an autograph. However if the collector uses a reputable dealer with a long and good reputation and always gets an unconditional guarantee of lifetime authenticity then the risks are very low of getting ripped off.

Virgil Morris is a successful author and businessman having written 2 books and numerous articles and owner of an online celebrity gift and hobby shop, Big Fan Gifts and Collectibles. Big Fan Gifts and Collectibles http://www.tias.com/stores/bfa/

bigfangifts@charter.net

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Easy Way to Make Your Own Christmas Cards

Christmas cards are favorite card for many. Especially when they come with their jingles playing or with attractive Santa Claus and reindeer, it would be interesting. They are the most special card of the year with all sorts of tiny accessories speaking the language of glory. They could be made of several accessories and they do not have any fixed symbol to denote Christmas in that way they are different. They could be as simple as a wish or as grand as depicting the entire universe with little things around.

Things You Will Require

1. Silver paint maker or gold paint maker
2. Photograph
3. Black photo corners
4. Rubber stamp
5. Snow flakes
6. Waxed paper
7. Blue art paper for every photograph you use
8. Embossing powder
9. Heating gun or embossing gun

Ideas to Make Your Christmas Cards

Here we will mention some of the awesome ideas that you could use to make out your favorite Christmas cards.

1. Now glue the photograph onto the blue paper and let this blue paper be sized to the photographs dimension. Glue them exactly so that their corners and sides match. Place the black photo corners near the corners of the photograph exactly.
2. Now take your rubber stamps with different shapes. Mostly the shapes of star and snowflakes would be used. Rubber stamps with little tree and Santa Claus would also be available. Now apply the silver ink or your gold ink to the rubber stamp and stamp the card evenly. If the star rubber stamp is used, stamp it equally and sparsely so that they do not occupy much of your space. Do not place the rubber stamp in the same direction to have a same pattern, turn them as necessary to give a very natural look.
3. It would be excellent if you were using the rubber stamp with wider dimension. In this case, use the rubber stamp to make a border for your card. If your card needs a gold touch, then use the gold ink or else use the silver ink. If you are using the stamp to make your card border then do not allow them throughout the card.
4. Now apply embossing powder all throughout the snowflakes before the ink dries so that they stick well to the snowflakes or star shape. Make sure that the ink is not dried soon. Now just blow out the excess emboss powder stuck over the shapes being printed. Now just make sure that the emboss powder exactly surrounds the shapes made with the rubber stamp.
5. Now use the emboss gun or heating gun to heat the emboss powder. This heating will melt the powder and give it an embedded and raised look.

Making Christmas cards would be interesting enough to keep you occupied when you are free. It would be one of the creative sessions to start with for your kid. You can teach your kid to start making out a beautiful Christmas cards and develop creativity.

I enjoy Christmas, because for that celebration all Family Members will meet and enjoy that great day.

I have shared my Christmas experience on my website: http://www.ineedchristmas.com

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