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Two of my
interests are stamp
collecting and lighthouses. Recently, I've
combined the two and am building a topical collection of
lighthouse stamps. It can be something of a
challenge considering how specialized a collection this is and how difficult it
can be to find definitive lists of domestic and international lighthouse stamps,
but that's half the fun of it. Bear in mind that many stamps that are
simply nautical in nature or that show some kind of vista can be lighthouse
stamps since the only qualification is that a lighthouse appear on the stamp in
some form; neither the size of the lighthouse nor the position are of concern.
I originally thought that this would
be a simple diversion and would fill up a small
stockbook or two. How wrong I was! It turns
out that there are thousands of lighthouse-related
philatelic items out there from stamps to souvenir sheets,
postcards, cancels, and even stationery. I've decided to focus on
the uncancelled stamps and the souvenir sheets.
For any readers interested in
starting a topical collection on lighthouses I have some
advice for you: beware of eBay! It's not
that the site itself is a problem, but some of the
sellers on there are not terribly particular as to what
they are selling. I had originally collected
United States mint sheets and singles, and moving from
that into the international lighthouse stamps was an
eye-opener for me. I discovered the term
cinderella, denoting a stamp or souvenir sheet that
is not valid postal currency in its nation of origin.
In other words, it's a fake. A cinderella is
nothing more than pretty pictures on paper that are
designed to fool novice collectors. I learned
about cinderellas the hard way, namely after collecting about
8 different souvenir sheets from Benin that were just
fancy wallpaper. And, of course, the seller was
quite happy to sell them to me. That's not to say
that all of the eBay sellers are guilty of this; on the
contrary, I've
had many good transactions that went off without a hitch.
Just be careful when shopping and caveat emptor!
My other primary advice to a new
collector is to establish a good relationship with one
or two dealers and go to them for your collecting needs
- you'll save money and you'll avoid cinderellas.
I have two dealers who are happy to sell me as few or as
many stamps as I wish, whenever I wish it. One of
them is my primary source for sheets and singles and
I've been working with him for about the past five
years. His name is Jack and he owns the
Stamp Emporium in
Metairie, Louisiana. He never asked for me to
mention his name or his business, but he's an honest man
and a great guy. You won't go wrong with Jack.
The other dealer was recommended to
me by Jack since his collection of international
topicals is limited. I'm just getting started with
this new dealer, but she comes highly recommended and
our initial conversations have been good. I'll
post more about her after we've done a transaction or
two.
In conclusion, if you're considering
collecting lighthouse stamps in particular or just
stamps in general, stamp collecting can be a fun and
entertaining hobby. It's relatively inexpensive
unless you specialize in something obviously pricey like
19th century Britain, and stamp dealers are fairly
common in even mid-sized cities. If you can't find
someone local, then just look around for a reputable one
over the Internet or through the
APS. You'll
need to invest in a good stockbook or sheet album and a
decent set of tongs, but your dealer can help you out
with that.
I
welcome your comments and suggestions, so please contact
me if you have any. Also feel free to contact me
about anything related to lighthouses or stamps in
general or just to say hello. Happy collecting! |
