As your collection grows, keeping an inventory will be a logical next step. By keeping one, firstly, you will have a proper record of your holdings for insurance purposes, and secondly, it will allow you to quickly see what you have or do not have in your collection. This is especially helpful when you are buying material.

Since computers became popular, many specialised programs for inventory and tracking of philatelic collections were released. A list of different types of philatelic software can be found in Stamp2's Software Directory.

Many would still prefer the old method of using pen and paper as it allows more flexibility in terms of input fields required and layout. But using computer programs have many advantages. Additional items can be inserted easily. Your list can also be printed and sorted any way you want: by year, by date, by subject, etc. and you will not face a bulging paper file.

Another benefit of using computer inventory programs is that they allow you to include a scan of your actual stamp or cover. This gives an added advantage when checking your inventory, to see the stamp or cover without pulling out your album.

Looking for and buying the correct software is not an easy task. A review of some programs is planned in the near future to help you in your buying choice.

If you are familiar with programs like Filemaker Pro, Excel or Access, you can even create your own inventory program. In fact, most collectors are using Excel to create a list of their holdings.