Perhaps one of the first questions a beginning stamp collector has is, "Where can I get more stamps?" Fortunately, there are many sources available to obtain new stamps for your collection.

You can ask family, friends and neighbors to save the stamps from their daily mail for you. Sometimes the same people may be able to save stamps from their work mail for you.

You can start a pen-pal club with friends and relatives across the country or the world. Exchange letters as often as desired. Make sure you use interesting stamps to post on your mail and request the same from your pen-pals. You might be surprised to learn how many young collectors there are in the world that would be very happy to exchange letters and stamps with you.

Recently issued stamps can be purchased at your local Post Office. If your Post Office does not have the stamps available you can buy them on-line from the Post Office.





The CYPHER Stamp Club has hundreds, if not thousands, of stamps available FREE to beginning youth stamp collectors. Stop by one of our monthly meetings and browse through our treasure tubs and topical binders.

Local stamp clubs may also have stamps available to new collectors. Many members of local clubs have duplicate stamps they are willing to trade, sell or give-away to beginning collectors.

Local stamp dealers will have stamps available for all levels of experienced collectors, from the beginner to the advanced collector. Support your local small business owners and try to find what you are looking for from someone local before heading to outside sources.

The Rocky Mountain Stamp Show is an excellent source for finding new material for your collection. Dealers from around the country attend the show, many carry material for beginning collectors to the highly advanced collector. The CYPHER Stamp Club will also have a booth at the show where young collectors are able to browse through our material, participate in activities, ask questions about stamps and collecting and leave with an accumulation of FREE stamps guaranteed to satisfy the beginning collector needs.

There are many national stamp dealers, businesses and organizations that sell material over the internet. Use your best judgement and exercise caution, it is easy to get carried away while purchasing material. 

Finally, there is the option to purchase stamps through auction houses. This option is generally not realistic for the young, beginning, collector. There are many auctions houses found on the internet. Bidding can be confusing and expensive but the material offered for sale will make a fine addition to most collections.

A reasonable auction source is through the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library. The Library holds two or three auctions every year. Bids are accepted by mail, over the internet or in person during the live auction. The auction catalogs are included with the bi-monthly Scribblings journal mailing and they are available on-line at the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library Auctions website. The auctions feature single stamps, country collections, accumulations of postal history, covers and stationery that were donated by members and other individuals. The auctions are a main source of revenue used to support the day to day operations of the non-profit Library.