Philatelist vs. Stamp Collector

David H. Aeschliman writes on the Stamp Collecting World website, "A stamp 'collector' is one who collects postage stamps, without regards to their technical aspects, origin, or usage, usually arranged for display in a stock book or a stamp album. Collecting can be very rewarding, in that one can assemble a beautiful display of stamp issues, to cherish for a lifetime, without having to worry about the technical aspects of each of the stamps."

Aeschliman goes on to say, "A 'philatelist' is one that embarks on the study of stamps and related items, such as postmarks, covers (postal history), proofs, essays, postal stationery, errors etc. It is actually possible to be a philatelist, without owning a single stamp. For instance, the stamps being studied may be very rare or exist only in philatelic museums.

"In a philatelic sense, the examination of a group of stamps, all appearing to be the same, may reveal different printings, different kinds of paper, different watermarks, variations in shades, different perforations, possible errors etc."

To visit the Stamp Collecting World website, click here.