Stamp shows are usually held every couple of months and could last for one to several days. These shows feature stamp dealers from across the country and the world selling numerous philatelic items. As a collector you can virtually fulfill all your philatelic needs in one swoop at a stamp show.
Last week, the New Yorker Hotel, located in New York City, recently held the spring edition of the Postage Stamp Mega-Event. There were approximately 60 dealers scheduled to appear, each manning a booth for stamp collectors to go through their items. Buyers have the opportunity to go through stamp albums or boxes of stamps.
Not every dealer is the same: some may specialize in stamps from particular countries; another may only deal with early 20th century U.S. stamps; and others sell only first day covers. Some dealers will charge for an older item based on the current Scott catalog prices, while others may sell their stuff at a discount or a sale price. The best thing to do as a consumer is to know the going value for an older stamp before you buy. You can do that by consulting the latest edition of the Scott catalog, which you can find at your local library.
At the Postage Stamp Mega-Event shows in New York, the U.S. Postal Service has its own booth so that customers can buy the latest stamps currently in circulation as well as other philatelic items. The United Nations Postal Administration also has its own booth that sells its stamps.
If you go to the first day of the Mega-Event, you can attend the first day ceremonies of stamp issues. At the one from last week, the Postal Service launched the first day of issue for the new polar bear stamp and the koi fish postal cards. Collectors could buy the stamps from the Postal Service booth and have them cancelled on their envelopes with a special first day postmark.
There are also philatelic societies at these stamp shows that serve as clubs and forums for stamp collectors. Some of them include the American Philatelic Society, Collectors Club, Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections. And at past Mega Events there are museum-like displays of older stamps from collectors and a children’s area for kids to get into the hobby.
Simply put, the options at stamp shows are endless, and you may find yourself walking through the aisles and browsing through items not just once but several times in a couple of hours. More importantly being at a stamp show is a great time to know what is currently out there in the stamp world, to be with other collectors, and talk to dealers.
To find out where and when the next stamp show will be held near where you live, visit the American Stamp Dealers Association’s Web site. And when you do, bring an extra shopping just in case!
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