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Tis the season.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

It's the beginning of the holiday gift-giving season, and there may be a stamp collector 
on your list.

But most collectors now are very specialized. Unless you know EXACTLY what he or she needs 
for the collection, it's easy to make a mistake. Perhaps the collector has left some hints 
lying around.

Once upon a time, you'd have been pretty safe buying accessories for a collector, like stamp 
hinges or a magnifying glass. But few collectors use them any more, and those who do, already 
have them.

You could give an Inverted Jenny, the 1918 upside-down airplane stamp. Since only 70 or 80 
collectors own one, chances are YOUR collector doesn't have it yet. But chances are also good 
you don't have the hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy one.

So here's a generic one-size-fits-all suggestion:

How about a donation to the collector's favorite stamp society, in his or her name? Nearly 
all these organizations are hurting for money in this economy, and will appreciate it.

For a list of suggestions, visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamps collecting, visit 
virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

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Major stamp societies that will appreciate your help:


American Philatelic Society, www.stamps.org
American First Day Cover Society, www.afdcs.org
American Topical Association, www.americantopicalassn.org
U.S. Stamp Society, www.usstamps.org
American Air Mail Society, www.americanairmailsociety.org/


Links to other stamp collecting organizations can be found on the VSC site, the APS site  and the ATA site.