A stamp is a distinctive mark or impression made upon an object, for instance those made on a piece of paper and used to indicate the prepayment of a fee or tax. Types of stamps include:
• Postage stamps, used on mail
• Revenue stamps, often used on documents; they are superficially similar to postage stamps, but may have very high denominations
• Rubber stamps, devices used to apply inked markings to objects
• Seal (device), used by notary publics or other authorities for identification purposes
• A coupon, voucher, or electronic record of the right to a benefit, for example, Ration stamps and food stamps
People called Stamp:
• Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp, British banker
• Laurence Dudley Stamp, British geographer
• Terence Stamp, English actor

Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects, such as covers (envelopes or packages with stamps on them). It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with estimates of the number of collectors ranging up to 20 million in the United States alone.

Collecting is not the same as philately, which is the study of stamps. A philatelist often does, but need not, collect the objects of study, nor is it necessary to closely study what one collects. Many casual collectors enjoy accumulating stamps without worrying about the tiny details, but the creation of a large or comprehensive collection generally requires some philatelic knowledge.
Stamp collectors are an important source of revenue for some small countries who create limited runs of elaborate stamps designed mainly to be bought by stamp collectors. The stamps produced by these countries far exceed the postal needs of the countries]
Some collectors, observing the generally rising prices of rare stamps, have taken to philatelic investment. Rare stamps are among the most portable of tangible investments, and are easy to store.

Source: wikipedia.org

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