When my grandfather passed away three years ago, he left me his stamp collection. Although I knew a little bit about his hobby, it was never something that I was interested in myself, so I was a bit surprised at his desire to put everything in my hands. I went through the entire collection, and though it was interesting to look at all those old postage stamps, I didn't really know what to do from there.
At first, I figured I would just sell the collection to get some money to pay off a few pressing debts. Towards that end, I contacted a specialist who could appraise old postage stamps and tell me how much they're worth in the current market. My grandfather didn't have a lot of unique pieces, but I did manage to get a pretty good sum for four of the most valuable ones.
Once I got my financial affairs in order, however, I started to feel a bit guilty about selling those old postage stamps. They didn't mean anything to me, but I can only imagine how long my gramps had to save in order to acquire them. He didn't make much money in his lifetime, so even one fairly rare stamp would have required lots of scrimping and saving. Granddad probably didn't leave me his old postage stamps just so I could sell them all, so I decided to continue the collection.
I began reading as much information about philately as I could get my hands on. I learned about each and every stamp in what I now came to view as my own collection, and developed a whole new level of appreciation for the set my grandfather had assembled. I also found some notebooks in which he jotted down the growing inventory of old postage stamps he owned, as well as a wish list of what he dreamed of buying in the future. Once I saw the notes, I decided to make it my own goal to fulfill those wishes.
Through my research, I've discovered that I can buy, sell, and trade old postage stamps online or at various conventions and shows around the country. There are online auctions and marketplaces that handle these types of transactions, making it easy for me to locate and purchase virtually any stamp I want right from my own home. Going to a real show has its own merits as well. By doing that, I can meet other collectors and dealers, and forge personal relationships that can prove mutually beneficial down the road.
I'm probably getting a bit ahead of myself here, but I can't help it. I'm just very excited at the thought of continuing my grandfather's collection of old postage stamps. My only regret is that I didn't get into this hobby while he was still alive. We could have had some great times together!