Tools of the Trade

It is neither hard nor expensive to get started although there are a few things you will need.

Tongs: To prevent damage, use tongs instead of your fingers to pick up stamps.
Magnifying Glass: A magnifying glass lets you see all the details on your stamps.
Album: A stamp album has pictures of stamps and you try to find all the ones pictured. You can also buy blank album pages to make your own arrangements - especially nice if you are building a topical album.
Hinges: Hinges are small folded papers with gum on one side. Using a hinge is better than using glue or tape to put a stamp in an album. Hinges are less expensive than stamp mounts, and are perfect for mounting inexpensive used stamps.
Mounts: Clear plastic mounts are available for your more expensive stamps.
Stockbook: Instead of using an album, you can use a stockbook. This is a more expensive option, but has the advantage of flexibility and eliminates the need for hinges and mounts which can be hard to handle for young children.
Perforation Gauge: Perforations are the jagged white edges on stamps. Some stamps have more than one perforation size. This is then part of the description of the stamp and can affect its value.
Catalogue: You use a catalogue to look up information about your stamps. You can find catalogues in your local library or you can buy one if you know what stamps you plan to collect.

Removing Stamps from Paper

Children enjoy saving stamps from letters that come in the mail. You can show them how to safely get the stamps off the envelopes.

Cut the envelope around each stamp so that you leave about 1/4 of an inch of envelope. That extra piece of envelope is important because children do not have precise control when they are cutting, and you do not want them to damage the stamp.
Soak the stamp in warm water. After about ten minutes you should be able to slide the stamp off the remains of the envelope.
Rinse the stamp in a cup of cool water.
Let the stamp dry, face down, on a clean paper towel.
Cover it with another paper towel and place a heavy book, such as the telephone book on it. You do this so that it won't curl up.