Rakesh Walia, a passionate philatelist and columnist, has been actively involved in the world of stamp collecting since 1968. Starting his philatelic journey at a young age, he participated in various district, state, national, and international exhibitions. His dedication earned him a 2nd place finish in a philatelic quiz during the 1973 Indian National Philatelic Exhibition. In 1977, he attended the first-ever School of Philately, a 14-day workshop in Bangalore, which further deepened his love for the hobby. Over the years, Rakesh has become a prominent figure in promoting philately, particularly among schoolchildren in Chandigarh, and his influential columns in The Tribune—Stamp Lover and Stamp Quiz—have inspired countless enthusiasts.
Perfins are stamps with perforated initials or symbols. As almost every country has permitted their use, so it is quite rare that a stamp collector will miss them. They are just like any other stamp, except that they have these perforated initials usually punched through the center of the stamps. These perforated initials as they […]
With a phenomenal rise in the number of issues of stamps by various countries over the past 150 years and the amount of money needed to acquire them, it has become impossible for an avid stamp collector to have access to all of them. To this, one can add the development of stamp issuing policies […]
When this hobby had just started the collectors did not hear of hinges and mounts. They used different odd methods, such as sticking them with tape and use of different types of glues to paste their stamps on to their albums consisting of small exercise books to large plain leaf bound registers. Later on they […]
For preserving stamps and making them displayable, a collector needs a stock book, an album, transparent glass like envelopes and some apparatus. The apparatus consists of a pair of tongs, a magnifying glass, a perforation gauge, a watermark detector, a colour guide and some mounts or hinges and of course the world map. Stock books […]
After accumulating a good number of stamps, whether used or unused, the next problem faced by a stamp collector is how he is going to clear them from foreign material and also where he is going to keep them. Beginners, specially youngsters have been seen keeping these fragile pieces of paper in small boxes or […]
Stamp collecting is such a hobby, which can be perused at any age. Some are lucky enough to inherit family collections while others have to start right from the beginning. Yet it is not difficult as there are many other easily accessible sources of making a stamp collection. Exchanging gifts and purchasing is the most […]
As there are many types of stamps it is necessary that a collector knows about them and is liable to distinguish them. The most important being the definitives, commemoratives and airmails. The definitives are stamps intended for ordinary use over a period of several years and are available in each and every post office counter […]
With the passage of time, internet has taken over in all fields and has virtually come parallel to books in almost all subjects. Further the internet has made quick access to any subject at the click of a button on the key board in the search column of goggle. It has a lot of contribution […]