Stamps – Daryle Lambert's Antiques and Collectibles Blog - Our new Expert.

Alex Rogolsky

The one objective that I have tried to keep in mind has been that if I couldn't provide the information you were searching for, I would provide the person that could. Stamps are one area of collecting that has to be your specialty for you to do it justice. Yes, like most kids, I had a collection of stamps but that was just for fun. The true stamp collector is a person who has a serious interest in the art of stamps and their rarity. Are you ready for this big word? They are called philatelic.

I have had many emails and calls from people over the last three years who inherited a stamp collection or bought one at auction. Their question is always the same. What is the value of what I own? Up to this point, I could only send them to the stamp guides which aren't the best places for that information. You need to contact someone who has the passion and experience to give them information that is current. Alex Rogolsky will be on our panel of experts for stamps. Here is a short biography that he sent me.

Alex Rogolsky, President of StampSelector.com and Anagram Cachets/The Stamp
Specialist, has been a full-time stamp dealer, First Day Cover cachetmaker,
and investor since 1987.  His current website (http://www.stampselector.com)
provides stamp investment recommendations and practical information for
stamp collectors, investors, and dealers. Alex currently resides inRockville, Maryland, and purchases and appraises stamp collections in theWashington, DC and Baltimore, MD areas. He is a longstanding member of the
American Philatelic Society.
...........................................

Alex will be a consultant for the Daryle Lambert's Antiques and Collectibles Club and he will be providing information on future blogs. Here is a short article that he prepared for us.

While Stamp Collecting is a fascinating and illuminating hobby which may be enjoyed by all, profiting from it financially requires a high level of knowledge and experience. Neither the stamp trade nor philatelic investment are games for dilettantes. Even experienced collectors can make expensive mistakes at times, and beginners who attempt to purchase stamps in order to re-sell them at a profit without sufficient knowledge very frequently get burned. In order to become a successful "stampselector," it is necessary to "pay one's dues" by becoming an advanced collector first, partly in order to understand how stamp collectors think.

I recommend that the prospective stamp trader, dealer, or investor spend years learning about the hobby before gradually and cautiously entering it as a business.

Minimally, he should join a local stamp club or two ( see the American Philatelic Society's list ) and also consider joining the A.P.S., which currently has about 40,000 members. Benefits of joining include a subscription to their monthly magazine THE AMERICAN PHILATELIST, and access to many useful services. Joining a local club will connect him to the local community of stamp collectors, some of whom will have had many years of experience and be excellent sources of good advice. He should attend local stamp shows every once in a while. He should begin to patronize local stamp dealers, and endeavor to find at least one that he likes and trusts. He should subscribe to LINN'S STAMP NEWS, a weekly stamp newspaper and the largest in the U.S.. Both THE AMERICAN PHILATELIST and LINN'S are full of informative articles and ads - invaluable sources of information.

My 220 page book about how to make money buying and selling antiques and collectibles is FREE with your membership in the Daryle Lambert's Antique and Collectible Club. Join Us Today http://www.darylelambert.com/

I believe that this should give you confidence that he knows his business and will provide the right information to our members.