During the last fifty years I have had dealings with hundreds of stamp dealers. They ranged from the smallest to the largest, the sadly ignorant to the world-class expert, the poor to the wealthy, the crooked to the honest and the nasty to the nice. What have I learned?

Just like any other endeavor in life stamp dealing is made up of a wide diversity of people exhibiting different approaches to business, ethics, tradecraft and inter-personal skills.What does this mean for the beginning collector?

Beginners, lacking knowledge and experience, are truly at the mercy of stamp dealers. Luckily, most stamp dealers are honest, ethical, fairly knowledgable and friendly. It's just good business! There are, however, dealers that prey on the ignorance of begining and intermediate collectors if they can. Even advanced collectors can and do fall prey to these scoundrels. How can a collector tell?

The simple answer is that one can't at first. Lacking philatelic knowledge and experience the beginner will surely experience both the thrill of a good honest deal and the dejection of getting royally fleeced. No matter what, the beginner will surely experience both on the road of collecting life. How does the beginner mitigate this?

The beginner must learn at least the basics of stamp collecting:

1) Accurate measurement of stamp perforation.

2) Detection of stamp paper watermarks.

3) Detection of defects such as paper thins, tears, holes, etc.

4) Proper use of the stamp catalogue.

The Scott Catalogues  have an Introduction to their listings that is simply superb. Not only do they explain, in detail, how to read the listings but give the reader a concise and comprehensive course on collecting. I'll bet not one in a hundred beginning collectors have read let alone studied this material. It's a must!

In conclusion, knowledge is power! Everyone has heard this. The funny thing is that in the stamp collecting world very few collectors buy philatelic books or subscribe to philatelic journals! Again, most stamp dealers are hardworking, trustworthy merchants but it doesn't hurt to know something about what your buying before making the decision.

Best Regards, Dan

Philatelic questions answered: daniellaymon@adelphia.net