Yeah. Finding all these stamps in used condition is going to be a challenge. People don't send much mail and the vast majority is tossed.
Fed up with the UK issues too, most are aimed at collectors only and they aren't expecting anyone to actually use them, most P.O.'s don't even get supplied with new issues anymore. I stopped collecting Mint UK about 2 years ago, now I've decide used will only go up to 2015, so no more GB for me
I only know of one post office near me that I can still get special issues so my supply is dwindling and those that get post from me may very soon just get those yucky labels on the envelopes
Antonio, finding these stamps in mint condition is going to be a challenge too as who the heck has all that money to buy them all? Oh, and there's another new issue today, the birds in snow. Only available in a booklet of 20. That makes three new issues (25 total stamps, including an 89 cent stamp) in the past week. None of this, of course, mentions that one has to buy the entire panes and booklets to get them. So the cost is much more than just what it will cost to get one of each stamp.
Plus, now USPS announced a new addition to the 2016 issues with four Wonder Woman stamps. This will be issued on October 7 along with two other stamps on the same day, which is a day after two other stamps are issued on October 6. Another October issue hasn't been given an issuance date yet.
So far for September, there are four stamps scheduled to be released. And there is a new one cent stamp announced without a release date.
It's the same the world over (although the dune states may be noticeably worse than others). I think I made a good decision - Collect nothing after 1975.
I might just collect Kionga. Only four stamps, and I have them. I guess my collection is complete. Onto model railroading!
Which is why I collect 1903-08!
When I was a collector back in the mid 1970s there was a serious concern then that USPS was getting out of control with too many stamp issues. Well, coming back after 40 years, we hadn't seen anything yet! Today it's just nuts, to the point of driving people away from collecting instead of bringing them in!
And any money spent on these stamps is gone for good, since I can buy it all as discount postage today and in the future.
About a year ago I decided to organize my hoard of USA into a collection and I've been enjoying doing so. I'm only up to 1966 in my organization and I love that era as that's the time I first discovered stamps as a kid. I got out around 1980, I think I will end my collection there.
Tom,
I came to that conclusion a long time ago and consider (IMHO) most of the production for the last 50 years to be wallpaper. I have since given up on US stamps and sold most of them off. Having been more attracted to Canadian stamps I am finding out they are even worse than the US. They issue almost every stamp in several different forms, now that's ridiculous. I still like their stamps, but am certainly curtailing my participation in their folly.
Mike
Mike-
I'm working on my collection of USA stamps with full understanding that they aren't and never will be worth anything. Back when I was a kid, my father explained to me that if every stamp collector saved a full sheet of each commemorative, we would need more than 50 times the then current stamp collector population to absorb all those stamps! And I guess that never will happen!
As I work on the commemorative era of the late 1930s through the 1980s I already had a decent collection from my old collection. I've added to it by buying large lots at below or at face value. One lot at 60% of face included 10 each of 3 cent commemoratives starting in 1936, as if they emptied an old dealers stock book into a pile. Others have been chock full of plate blocks up to the 8 cent era. Those all find spots in my collection, and eventually I'll trade or actually buy the few I'll be missing to complete the albums. As such, I don't care if any of them are hinged, because they're just postage anyway.
I believe I'm partial to this era because they are familiar to me from my youthful collecting. As I was working on the 1966 year, I was admiring the vibrant colors and simple designs of the poster art. It makes me happy to view those pages, who cares if they are worth nothing.
BenFranklin writes:"I'm working on my collection of USA stamps with full understanding that they aren't and never will be worth anything."
Not quite-have you considered that there are many varieties and/or EFO's with the recent stamps? Check out #1488a,b,c (1973 Copernicus issue)
You can still find a bunch of these around if you keep a sharp eye out.(But if memory serves, for the yellow color omitted there are only 500 known copies)
These types of varieties on many recent issues are worth collecting and notating-just saying!
Best,
Dan C.
The United States Postal Service is putting out stamps quicker than rabbits having kittens.
Now the pets booklet is a set of 20, but in order to display all the stamps, you have to buy two booklets. Also, many stamps are not being sent to the post offices to sell, or if they are, only a few sheets are being sent.
Daily issues at the New York stamp show, and now almost daily issues with the APS show. Surprise stamps are being issued without much advance notice as well.
This is enough to make me want to collect stamps from just Danzig!
re: USPS on Steroids
Yeah. Finding all these stamps in used condition is going to be a challenge. People don't send much mail and the vast majority is tossed.
re: USPS on Steroids
Fed up with the UK issues too, most are aimed at collectors only and they aren't expecting anyone to actually use them, most P.O.'s don't even get supplied with new issues anymore. I stopped collecting Mint UK about 2 years ago, now I've decide used will only go up to 2015, so no more GB for me
I only know of one post office near me that I can still get special issues so my supply is dwindling and those that get post from me may very soon just get those yucky labels on the envelopes
re: USPS on Steroids
Antonio, finding these stamps in mint condition is going to be a challenge too as who the heck has all that money to buy them all? Oh, and there's another new issue today, the birds in snow. Only available in a booklet of 20. That makes three new issues (25 total stamps, including an 89 cent stamp) in the past week. None of this, of course, mentions that one has to buy the entire panes and booklets to get them. So the cost is much more than just what it will cost to get one of each stamp.
Plus, now USPS announced a new addition to the 2016 issues with four Wonder Woman stamps. This will be issued on October 7 along with two other stamps on the same day, which is a day after two other stamps are issued on October 6. Another October issue hasn't been given an issuance date yet.
So far for September, there are four stamps scheduled to be released. And there is a new one cent stamp announced without a release date.
re: USPS on Steroids
It's the same the world over (although the dune states may be noticeably worse than others). I think I made a good decision - Collect nothing after 1975.
re: USPS on Steroids
I might just collect Kionga. Only four stamps, and I have them. I guess my collection is complete. Onto model railroading!
re: USPS on Steroids
Which is why I collect 1903-08!
When I was a collector back in the mid 1970s there was a serious concern then that USPS was getting out of control with too many stamp issues. Well, coming back after 40 years, we hadn't seen anything yet! Today it's just nuts, to the point of driving people away from collecting instead of bringing them in!
And any money spent on these stamps is gone for good, since I can buy it all as discount postage today and in the future.
About a year ago I decided to organize my hoard of USA into a collection and I've been enjoying doing so. I'm only up to 1966 in my organization and I love that era as that's the time I first discovered stamps as a kid. I got out around 1980, I think I will end my collection there.
re: USPS on Steroids
Tom,
I came to that conclusion a long time ago and consider (IMHO) most of the production for the last 50 years to be wallpaper. I have since given up on US stamps and sold most of them off. Having been more attracted to Canadian stamps I am finding out they are even worse than the US. They issue almost every stamp in several different forms, now that's ridiculous. I still like their stamps, but am certainly curtailing my participation in their folly.
Mike
re: USPS on Steroids
Mike-
I'm working on my collection of USA stamps with full understanding that they aren't and never will be worth anything. Back when I was a kid, my father explained to me that if every stamp collector saved a full sheet of each commemorative, we would need more than 50 times the then current stamp collector population to absorb all those stamps! And I guess that never will happen!
As I work on the commemorative era of the late 1930s through the 1980s I already had a decent collection from my old collection. I've added to it by buying large lots at below or at face value. One lot at 60% of face included 10 each of 3 cent commemoratives starting in 1936, as if they emptied an old dealers stock book into a pile. Others have been chock full of plate blocks up to the 8 cent era. Those all find spots in my collection, and eventually I'll trade or actually buy the few I'll be missing to complete the albums. As such, I don't care if any of them are hinged, because they're just postage anyway.
I believe I'm partial to this era because they are familiar to me from my youthful collecting. As I was working on the 1966 year, I was admiring the vibrant colors and simple designs of the poster art. It makes me happy to view those pages, who cares if they are worth nothing.
re: USPS on Steroids
BenFranklin writes:"I'm working on my collection of USA stamps with full understanding that they aren't and never will be worth anything."
Not quite-have you considered that there are many varieties and/or EFO's with the recent stamps? Check out #1488a,b,c (1973 Copernicus issue)
You can still find a bunch of these around if you keep a sharp eye out.(But if memory serves, for the yellow color omitted there are only 500 known copies)
These types of varieties on many recent issues are worth collecting and notating-just saying!
Best,
Dan C.