Welcome, Collectors (and collectors to be)

About Stamp Collecting
Before Baseball Cards and Comic Books. Before Classic lunch-boxes, Autographed Pictures and original Barbie dolls, Stamp Collecting was the most popular and certainly the most fascinating of all hobbies. The world's first adhesive postage stamp was issued in 1840 and stamp collecting started one year later. Today stamps remain the World's most enduring and recognized collectable. In fact, with countries around the world now issuing stamps featuring famous figures such as Mickey Mouse, Elvis Presley, Babe Ruth, Princess Diana, Bob Hope, and Marilyn Monroe, stamp collecting has become more popular than ever.

The Value of Stamps
People collect stamps for a multitude of reasons. Some save them in albums for display purposes. Some collect them to learn more about the subjects depicted. Others save stamps for the pure joy of accomplishment and almost all collectors keep them with the hope that they will someday increase in value. This may be the only hobby in the world where mistakes made on a stamp makes it more valuable. Limited quantity issues, misprinted stamps and older issues tend to be the most valuable. However, with enough popularity, the simple law of supply and demand often will dictate the price of a stamp.

The Educational Factor
Stamp collecting opens a window to the world by learning about countries on the other side of the globe. Through the postage stamps issued by that country one can learn their culture, language, historical symbols and much more. Stamps can become a valuable tool in teaching children the importance of organization, saving their possessions and learning to be patient with their investment. By keeping stamps in an orderly fashion (such as an album) kids will be sure to know where they can be found. The opportunity to see their collections increase in value will prove an important lesson in teaching them to properly handle these distinguished possessions. From a historical standpoint, stamps can stimulate a child to study its subject. From epic figures such as Picasso, John F. Kennedy and members of England's Royal Family such as the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Princess Diana and more. Historical events like the Olympic Games, the bombing of Hiroshima and the Mars Space Exploration Mission, to the cultural lifestyle of a nation, stamps reflect the times in which they were issued. They are a visual encyclopedia of history and an open invitation to further explore the famous faces of yesterday and today. A learning experience you could never receive from any history class.

Stamps Are Legal Tender
Whether or not a collector ever has an opportunity to visit the country issuing a beautiful stamp and mail it on a letter, each and every postage stamp issued by the nations listed by IGPC are in fact legal tender, same as money, from officially recognized governments. Every stamp shown can be used as postage in the country of origin.

Stamps Are Undiscriminating
Stamp collecting is a pastime without discrimination. Collectors include the young, old, rich and poor, crossing over lines of race, nationality and religion. Stamps are more affordable than most collectibles and are often enjoyed on a global scale, handed down from generation to generation.

Stamps Are Fun
Beyond all other reasons for stamp collecting, stamps are a great way to hold onto memories of people, places and things that have occurred in, or before one's lifetime. Whether it be sports superstars, a world-renowned musician, animated characters, an historic event or simply a national flag, stamps are an attractive keepsake to be viewed and enjoyed forever.

Start Your Collection NOW!
For more than 200 years stamp collecting has been the world's most enduring hobby. Known as the 'hobby of kings,' postage stamps have been collected and traded by royalty, world leaders and citizens of every nation. Since 1957 Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corp.has done its part to revolutionize this remarkable hobby by changing the way people think about stamps. As the world's largest postal agency, IGPC has organized postal issues of topics ranging from music and movie legends, sports heroes, animated characters, famous authors, inventors and world famous figures. As a result of IGPC's efforts, new collectors have joined the hobby and thousands of others have casually collected postal issues of their favorite subjects. Stamp dealers around the globe regularly carry the stamps issued on behalf of many United Nations countries represented by IGPC, and we encourage everyone to discover the fun of stamps by visiting your local stamp dealer for further information on how to purchase stamps. For more information on stamp collecting and interesting stamp topics, please visit www.thejournal.cc, where you may read about and purchase topical stamps.

Enjoy the hobby of today that lasts a lifetime!!