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All About the Hobby of
Philately
(Stamp
Collecting)
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Types of Collections: Single Country
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Another way that some collectors specialize
is to concentrate on the issues of only one country.
When starting a country collection, thought should be given to
price and scarcity of earlier stamps in some countries. The
newer republics such as some of the countries of Africa and
South America present a better opportunity for obtaining all
or most of those countries issues without a serious
outlay of cash.
| Illustrated below are stamps from the
Republic of Mali |
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New collectors should be aware of certain countries
that produce dozens of issues that are never used postally. The
stamps are Canceled To Order (CTO) or sold mint and they are
essentially worthless, although many of the designs are quite
striking. Some countries that engage in this practice are
Mongolia, Barbuda, Ajman, and Grenada. There are also a few
unscrupulous dealers that sell stamps from made-up countries,
such as; Karelia (A Russian federated republic) and Buriatia (also a
Russian federated republic). A good rule of thumb is that if the
stamp is or was not intended to be postally used, it is not a real
stamp. |
