Stamp Collecting for Beginners and Philatelists
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Stamp Column Archives
The Glassine Surfer Column Archive
This column originally appeared in the American Philatelic Society's monthly magazine, "The American Philatelist." Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.
February 2002
Sports Philatelists Internationalhttp://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/6279/
USPS 2002 Winter Sports issue
http://www.usps.com/news/2001/philatelic/sr02_001.htm
Internation Olympic Philately Organization
http://www.collectors.olympic.org/e/fipo/index1.html
Stop Junk
Too much of a good thing is spam, but merchandising mail has been around since the 1800's. My local USPS continually dumps wads of junk mail in my box, so I regard e-mail spam as American as hotdogs and apple pie, but if you'd like to find out where it all comes from and how you can stop it, there are a few places to research.
If you act now, you might be able to stop this year's glut of Christmas catalogs from smothering your reindeer.
How to Get Less Junk Mail
http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/privacy/junkmail.html
Do-it-yourself: Stop junk mail, email and phone calls
http://www.obviously.com/junkmail/
Reducing Junk Mail: How Did They All Get My Address?
http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs4-junk.htm
Junk E-mail
http://www.junkemail.org/
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov/
Album Weeds
We learn more from failure than from success. Indeed, lost baseball games are debated long after wins are forgotten. The subtle process of diagnosis and prescription for future success is carried over to stamp collecting when we examine stamps for forgeries.
We learn much more when we begin to question a stamp, than when we sit back to admire an issue. Detecting forgeries is like a hunt, turning the placid collector into a prosecutor with tongs in hand. Ferreting out a stamp's bona fides is a practical way to learn the why's and how's of stamp collecting, while potentially saving the collector a few dollars in the process.
The Simplicity of Basic Forgery Detection
http://www.gotstamps.com/forge.htm
Luxembourg Stamp Forgeries
http://www.luxcentral.com/stamps/LuxFakes.html
Princely States Report
http://princelystates.com/ForgeryFile/index.shtml
Hawaiian "Numeral" forgeries
http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/nuforgery.html
Stamp Forgeries
http://wvnvaxa.wvnet.edu/~roman/Forgery.html
Scout Stamp Fakes & Forgeries.
http://www.sossi.org/fakes/forgeries.htm
APS Releases Serrane Guide
http://www.stamps.net/newswr29.htm
Europeanstamps.net
http://www.europeanstamps.net/articles/index.asp?ID=29
Blog
A blog is a Web log. A Web log is a continuous diary posted to a Web site. A blog is about whatever its diarist writes about, and is a rapidly growing type of Web publishing.
There are several Web sites that offer bloggers, those who keep blogs, or Web logs, Web automation services. These blog service sites also have directories linked to vast amounts of independent blogs.
Blogs are instant message and comment, but because ultimately they are whatever the blogger wants them to be they run the gamut of human endeavor, take your pick.
I use a blogger program to update the stamp news information on the Glassine Surfer site, and if you like Mike Royko, Jimmy Breslin, Mike Lupica, or Louis Rukeyser, remember that they are all bloggers without a Web. In a sense, we are all bloggers.
The Blog Spot
http://www.blogspot.com/
Blogger
http://www.blogger.com
Blog.org
http://blog.org/
Weblog Madness
http://www.larkfarm.com/weblog_madness.htm
An automated blog might be useful for a stamp club that'd like its officers to regularly post notes, reports and comments online.
Hanging ten.
Previous Glassine Surfer columns are archived online at the Glassine Surfer Web site. If you don't know what AP issue something was mentioned in the Glassine Surfer, use the site's search box.
The Glassine Surfer
http://www.glassinesurfer.com
You're welcome to bring your keyboard to the Sociable Stamp Society, online Sundays and Wednesdays at 8pm. Just click on "chat".
And here's wishing you a warm and sunny February to everyone, except for that central Pennsylvania groundhog named Phil. Thanks for reading the "Glassine Surfer" and support your local stamp club.
