Starting a stamp collection, as well as representing a pleasant and educational hobby, can also, if competently carried through, become a form of saving and investment. This is why we try to provide practical advice.
First of all: what sort of stamps do you want to collect? New or used?
If you decide on new stamps, then you should bear in mind that these are more expensive.
On the other hand, it's also true that as time passes these normally acquire a greater philatelic and commercial value. New stamps must not be creased, must have the original gum intact, and be without stains or yellowing. If, instead, you are collecting used stamps, you must pay special attention to the cancellation, which must not be disfiguring. You should also make sure that the stamps are not excessively fine, discoloured or pierced.
Once you have decided whether to collect new or used stamps, you should then select what type of collection you wish to make. There are two principal types: collections of all the stamps issued in one country, or topical collections comprising stamps from various countries related to a particular theme (for example: sport, art, religion etc.) or to a specific subject (for example: animals, flowers, trees etc.).

As regards the collections of all the stamps issued in one country, here, for obvious reasons, those of Italy, San Marino and the Vatican are very popular. The completion of collections of this kind - especially those of Italy and San Marino - is not within everybody's reach in economic terms. For this reason, collectors frequently decide to collect stamps from the first issued up to a certain event, or from a certain event on.
Below are examples for the three countries mentioned:

ITALY

Ancient states Kingdom Republic

wheel watermark period (with or without services) stars watermark period ( " )

SAN MARINO

From 1877 From 1945 From 1959

(with or without souvenir sheets)

VATICANO

Pius XI Pius XII John XXIII Paul VI John Paul I and II

Which to choose?
As far as we're concerned, they're all valid, but a lot depends on the economic resources of the future collector. Nevertheless, since we are in Italy, we give a slight preference to the Italian Republic collection. This type of collection is accessible to everyone; the stamps, both new and used, are easy to find and can, if necessary, be resold without difficulty.
The cost of creating the type of collection indicated above can be considerably reduced if - at least up to the 1940s - the collector admits to the collection stamps with traces of hinge.
At present the prices of hinged stamps in the Italian catalogues are fairly moderate. Anyone deciding to collect this type of stamp should take care that the stamps are not excessively fine and that the gum is fresh and without traces of rust. Also fairly common within the so-called "Italian area" are collections from the Italian colonies and settlements, from Trieste zone "A", and, since 1966, those of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. In Italy other European country collections are also popular, in particular those of western Europe.
Among overseas countries, those which are most sought-after are the ex-British colonies, the United States and, recently, the Asiatic States.
Now we come to the thematic or subject collections; these offer innumerable possibilities where everyone can choose from an enormous range in accordance with his or her own preferences. Very much in vogue at present are collections related to Scouts, the Red Cross, trains, animals etc.
Like stamps, this postal stationery is issued by the postal authorities of almost all countries, and represents an important complement to the collection. It is much sought after by collectors, and sometimes the commercial value is even higher than that of the catalogue.