The adhesive substance on the back of stamps is called bum. The term derives from the words gum arabic which is a derivative of the acacia tree found in Africa. Before the introduction of self-adhesive stamps, additional forms of gum came into use in stamp production.

Every hobby has its expenses and stamp collecting is no exception to this rule. With a hobby, you have some control over how much money you want to spend on it. Granted you may not have any judgment and just jump in and spend your money recklessly. But stamp collecting can be done on the cheap.

Stamp collecting is a very popular hobby that has been around for a long time. The hobby has been so popular that some philatelic enthusiasts take it to serious levels involving money. Stamp investing has become a serious business, so serious that it goes way beyond normal stamp collecting.

There�s a funny thing about albums. Albums hold a host of memories within their pages. But what do stamps and albums have in common? You will be surprised to find the answer.

In mid-December 2008 the Media repeatedly used the term “Ponzi Scheme� to describe Bernard L Madoff’s investment scandal. Few people are even aware of what the original Ponzi scheme was. The original scheme is named after Charles Ponzi, an Italian immigrant.

Stamp collecting is one of the most popular hobbies of many Americans and other cultures. It may be weird to some people who do not understand the joy people get from collecting stamps.

Much like coins are counterfeited or altered, stamps can also be faked, altered, and forged. Since stamps are one of the most collected items in the world, you really need to learn how to spot a fake or altered stamp.

If you have been online for any length of time, I am sure you are aware there a number of online auction sites in existence. Of course nearly everyone has heard of eBay, but it isn’t the only auction site on the web, just the biggest and most well known.

One of the most exciting ways to collect stamps is to process them while they are still attached to envelopes. It’s a bit like detective work, and doing so is pretty fun and exciting.

Once a stamp collector gets beyond the beginning stages of stamp collecting, the urge comes to make the hobby pay for itself. Of course this isn’t as easy to do as one might think. There are purists that believe it is sacrilege to try to make money collecting stamps.