What Beginners NeedCollecting IdeasThere are many ideas for beginners to start a collection. The stamp is sometimes not the important part. Perhaps the cancellation interests you (in which case, you want to keep the envelope, or at least the corner with the entire cancellation, not soak it off). Cancellations can have a slogan, or some design, celebrate a particular event, or just be the name of a town. The Post Office also issues pre-stamped envelopes and postcards, which are collectible. There used to be special stamps issued for newspapers, cigarettes, and legal uses, as well as Air Mail and Special Delivery (ceased use in the 1950's). Some had letters perforated into the body, or had a letter overprinted on a regular stamp (indicating Government use). 
Beginner collectors can find all sorts of information in a stamp catalogue to give you ideas, as well as identify what you have. For stamps from countries not using the Roman alphabet, there is usually a stamp identifier section in the catalog. Scott has this section in the back of each volume (there are 6 volumes in 2008). Where to find stamps?Friends and family are a good place to start; it doesn’t hurt to ask if anyone has stamps you could have. A parent may have some in their office, at a club or church / temple, or even an old collection you could take over.Some businesses have contests with reply envelopes that you might sort through. However, privacy legislation may prevent the contest holders from passing along envelopes with personal return addresses; you might be able to clip stamps from the covers. And there are always stamp dealers who sell bulk packages, or stamps already identified. You might find one where you least expect it, so keep your eyes open. Go to the definitions page to find the meaning of terms that people use in stamp collecting. You can enjoy the hobby more when you understand what is meant by terms such as "definitive", "commemorative", "perf" or "perfin" and " cancellation ". In the section about soaking stamps you will find advice on removing stamps from paper. It's fairly simple to do, and makes them ready to mount. Some information on
mounting stamps
might be useful to you. It covers more than just mounting by hinges into an album.
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