| I have worked full-time in the stamp trade since 1998. It has been a real voyage of discovery for me; I have probably learnt more about history, geography and the world around me, through stamps, than I ever did at school, college or university. I started as a self-employed dealer, specialising in South Africa and selling my stamps through mail order price lists. Eighteen months after starting, I was invited to work part-time in the Enfield Stamp Centre where I would learn more about general philately and how to buy and sell. I refer to my four happy years there as being at “Stamp University.” I still carried on with my retail lists, as well as attending stamp fairs and going on buying trips to South Africa. In 2005 I had a change of direction and started work as an auction describer for a large philatelic auctioneers; it was quite a change – not being involved in direct selling. Although learning to write descriptions for auction lots was a real challenge, I was able to work on a very wide range of material, from Penny Blacks and other worldwide classics to modern topicals, postal history, even untidy box lots. In 2008 I relaunched my price lists online. The website format is simple with standard price lists alongside specialist items for sale. Since 2008 I have expanded the website to include more countries such as Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, South West Africa and Swaziland. I enjoy very much finding great stamps and lots to break down and then in turn offer them for sale on AfricaStamps.co.uk and in turn helping you form satisfying and attractive collections. In early 2020, I over-hauled the website to better facilitate the needs of my customers. |