The Philatelists who study the postal system extensively will typically concentrate their focus on the mail system. All the processes that mail goes through to get to its destination are included in this study.

The history of the mail system will include all the different forms of conveyance used over the years to move mail. For a period of time the Pony Express was considered the quickest way to move mail. Some collectors look for covers that actually moved with the Pony Express mail and if one is found, it’s generally considered pretty valuable. Other forms of transportation over the years are trains, planes and of course trucks. Philatelists will also study post offices, authorities who work for the postal system and postmarks found on letters and packages.

There are thousands of books, papers and reports written on the subject of philately. These books explain every finding and information on the subject of stamps or the postal system. One can find books detailing the history of the postal system and its transportation methods. There are books that list every single stamp that has been officially issued by the post offices over the years. They’ll explain every stamp in detail, telling one what to look for and what to watch for by the way of forgeries.

Philately is basically a lot of reading but one also needs to study actual stamps. For this, there have been special tools created just for handling these stamps. Tools from stamp tongs to protect the integrity of the stamp from skin oils to a perforation gauge to distinguish perforation sizes are used. Being that stamps are so small and the details even tinier still, there is a super strong magnifier created just for studying stamps. For the study of watermarks or the gum on a stamp, there is a fluid especially made to “wet” this without destroying the integrity of the ink or gum. Some have gone even further to use colored light filters to try and avoid touching these objects in any way. Fluoroscopes are used to determine whether a stamp is authentic or not. The use of ultraviolet lights is extremely helpful in examining stamps for any possible flaws or even previous repairs.

Many people who start off collecting stamps as merely a hobby usually find themselves getting more and more interested in the philately side of stamps. The more they read and study on stamps and the history of the postal system, the more it pulls them in. The history of the postal system dates back many, many years and there are millions of stamps available for study. There are so many different areas in this field that one can study, it would be hard to limit one to just a small field. The more one learns about this, the more fascinating it becomes.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for WindPurifier.com, RareStamp.com, and MarketingSuccess.biz

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