Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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I chose a very narrow path, specializing only in UNUSED US well-centered stamps.
That allowed me to concentrate (obcess?) on obtaining a relatively few stamps at a time that fit my monthly budget.
This approach did wonders for my knowledge of American history. However, and while I have no (few?) regrets, it did deprive me of the joy and beauty available by collecting more diverse world wide stamps.
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Phil
I'm with you. I collect everything and buy everything. When I get bored I can always work on a different country. The only thing I have changed over the years is to go to mounting only used. I still buy mint for trading if the price is right. Something new is always catching my eye. Awhile back I noticed I had a lot of used booklet panes so now I have a album of used booklet panes. A couple of dealer friends of mine swear that if they have a stockbook lot on the table that doesn't interest me all they have to do is dump it in a box and raise the price and I'll buy it. I'm 74 and will never mount all that I have but just bought more in the SOR auction this month. Got a shoebox full of glassines and 3 x 5 stock cards last month at our club auction and sat here until 5 a.m. this morning sorting it. I do shows occasionally and sell or swap some of it off but I usually buy as much as I sell. My wife says my hobby is not collecting and occasionally repacking them to make room for more stamps, it's buying them and looking at them and occasionally calling her to come in and look at the neat thing I just found that I've probably had for years.
Jack
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Sounds good Jack(fellow APS life member) i have never had the nerve and ambition to put my stuff in good enough order to rent a table at a stamp show...am envious of the guys that do. I purchase mainly covers...1933 Chicago Century of Progress, Netherlands East Indies,and whatever else appeals..I will have you by 4 years New Years Day..i sell my duplicates but do not plan on selling my collection and hope i do not have to sell my wifes !
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Phil
I hope you do not have to sell your wives either. That's a drastic way to expand your collection.
I don't collect covers as such but I find myself buying covers just because they are neat or a friend would like it. I have some nice early Ethiopian covers. One is from Addis Ababa to London with backstamps in Jerusalem and I believe Rome and still made it to London quicker than it would today. I do look for souvenir sheets on cover. I keep first days but like them better when they were just used to mail the letter. Roy had a bunch a while back mailed to Australia from various countries in Europe.
Don't forget Rodney Dangerfield's famous line "Take my wife, Please".
Jack
p.s. I did notice that you celebrated a significant wedding anniversary a while back and offer a belated congratulations. My wife and I just renewed our vows at 25. I figured at 74 the odds of making 50 were a little slim. However if we did make it, she would still be saying "How much is catalog value in real money?"
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My collecting interests are probably most like your Guatemala collection, Phil. I collect US, but I omit type differences unless they come from different plates. Most of the pre-Civil War type difference are contrived, in my opinion. I also ignore grills, paper, watermark and perforation, unless it indicates a difference in press. I try to correctly identify the stamp I have, but it does not matter if a Flat Plate 3rd Bureau stamp is double-line watermarked, single-line watermarked, or unwatermarked. Any one will do. I do collect press differences and all type differences after the Civil War.
For fun I have two worldwide collections. One is an OFEC (one from every country) collection, and the other is a topical collection, just because that is such a different way to collect. I suppose technically I have yet another US collection. I have 6 albums full of examples of things I don't include in my U.S. collection, like covers, revenues, CSA, local posts, Cinderellas, and so on. That has been a lot of fun because I have learned about so many different areas of collecting that I was previously ignorant about.
But more than anything, being able to create my own pages has really allowed me to define my own parameters for my collection, and that is empowering. Everyone should feel free to define the parameters of their collection any way they choose. Unless you have $8 million, you will never own a complete U.S. collection (based on Scott major catalog numbers), but you can create something very special for a whole lot less!
Happy hunting.
Lars
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Next to seeing flesh and blood collectors once or twice a month at our stamp club..the discussion threads here are a way of relating to other stamp people (who else would understand us?) It really is harmless fun(so far) !
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This is my only connection to other collectors. No stamp clubs here. The nearest show is 2 hours away and only has about 20 vendors.
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Like philb & stampmanjack, I do not welcome stamping into my life as yet another great opportunity for goal-setting, self-discipline & guided restraint.
That's what coin collecting is for.
Okay, not.
So I grab'n'go. It's not like I'm denying someone else the opportunity to own something critical'n'unique that would complete their collection and, if I am, what is the likelihood that they would have looked in that same pile, and found it, anyway?
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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When I first started to collect it was only United States and mostly used. Then my husband collected mint plate blocks. Then he decided to buy mint Tuvalu stamps in the 70's and then he bought Silver Jubilee First Day issues. As my United States started to fill up, I started to buy the more expensive stamps in mint and used stamps in bulk. Later I started to collect world wide mostly used and would try to get as many different ones as I could. I could look at a stamp and know immediately if I had it or not. My world wide collection really expanded when I started doing the round robin letters and started getting contacts all around the world. I started trading one on one with some people from here on StampoRama. I started to loss interest when it became harder and harder to identify different issues.
I now have 5 United States albums, 4 Worldwide Albums, and shoeboxes full of duplicates. My interests are changing and I am now selling my world wide collect on the approval books. (No one in the family is interested so I don't want to leave it for the estate to dispose of them.)
The more I see the covers, the more I do like them. I am thinking about switching to collecting them even though they aren't as valuable now. The more you work with your stamps the more your interest builds.
Happy New Year and may everyone find those special stamps they are looking for and enjoy the ones that come in the mail as a surprise.
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I'm probably repeating myself here - I feel sure I've expounded my collecting interests somewhere on these boards before, possibly more than once. They are, compared to most SOR members, a bit limited in scope, and do rely on a specific wants list, beyond which I go only rarely.
I have various collections, mostly small, which I have listed elsewhere. In most of them I collect mint stamps, hinged or otherwise. My main collecting path was stamp fairs, but more recently online purchases. I don't do auctions or trading - anyone who wants my broken mint sets or spare used is free to apply.
My interest is primarily in the reason for stamp issues, a focus about which it is notably difficult to find authoritative evidence. Speculation here is great fun, but usually boils down to 1. propaganda, 2. potential for sale to collectors, 3. practical use for sending letters, and 4. absolutely no rationale whatever. Currently in the UK, #3 has virtually disappeared, while #2 and #4 thrive. What is depicted on a stamp is of importance to me - I need to know all about the event or person or even place. This is where the internet has proved invaluable.
Secondarily I am interested in stamp design, while finding it difficult there again to find any consensus on what constitutes good or bad. I have tried studying the few books on stamp design available, but it does get a bit academic.
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My main interest is stamps and postal history, but I have a lot of different collections within that realm focusing on various areas.
Seems the only other collection I have is ex-wives, a collection I'd just as soon not have.
My other major passion would be motorsports, particularly Formula 1. I do have a small collection of scale model Ferraris, mostly older models and Formula 1 cars.
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I simply collect worldwide stamps. If they are listed in the Scott 2012 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, I collect it. I prefer used but I will take a mint stamp from some of those hard to get used countries.... No U.S. ( I have Grandpa's album )
Larsdog... Bill I would drive two hours for a show that has 20 dealers.. I have to drive to NYC to go to a show with more then 10 dealers...or to New Jersey
But hey..that's what makes buying on stamporama so convenient..
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I recently was at a show in Pennsylvania that had 5 or 6 dealers. The big room was all coin dealers and this little cozy side room had the stamp guys. It was rather pleasant and people chatted as we sorted through things. I bought something from 3 of them.
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LARSDOG is the closet collector to me, and like him it is hard to find stamp shows close by. I always look, but haven't ever found one close enough to attend. I've lived in KY for over 20 years with no stamp shows and when I lived in Iowa it was the same way. I bought an old stamp collection at a gun show once.
But even with no shows, I have been able to collect through internet.
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We went to a show in Troy N.Y. Sunday..60 miles each way...boy was it dead...with the Holidays and weather...4 dealers ...i spent more on gas than on stamps...but there is an interesting couple there that sells covers and we get to chat stamps with them. I wish i could dicker like BobG does..but when i see something i want i get emotionally involved !
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I'm lucking living in the Wash DC area. Between DC, Baltimore, and No. VA, there are several large and medium shows a year!
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Chris- side note
My daughter has a condo in D.C., but she is in The Netherlands right now ( she is a state department foreign service officer). Anyway, when she returns sometime in the future, and I visit her, perhaps I could get together with you - i would find that enjoyable!
My main focus is WW 1840-1940 (-1952 British Commonwealth).
But I have many feeder albums and collections that go way beyond those years, so I am attempting to place those stamps in Minkus Global Supreme 1840 -1967 pages. I think it would take me a year or two just to organize that, and only if I don't obtain more feeder collections. 
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My main focus is WW 1840-1Commonwealth).940 (-1952 British
Went to your blog, and was truly impressed by your collected stamps, your illustrations, and your very thorough and interesting text. I salute your dedication.
carl
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We used to go to the Dutch Country auctions in Wilmington Delaware..a lot of dealers from Philly and Baltimore go there...the first years it was fun and competitive and then the dealers would shut me out on bids ..if i bid on a 200 dollar lot they would bid 400 they did not care about the value of one particular lot as they would come with their vans and buy 7 or 8 thousand dollars to my several hundred..one decent guy told me he picked what he wanted and repacked the boxes for the next auction in 7 weeks.
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"Anyway, when she returns sometime in the future, and I visit her, perhaps I could get together with you - i would find that enjoyable!"
Jim,
It would be an honor to meet you in person. Just let me know, anytime! The National Postal Museum in DC is definitely worth a visit if you haven't been before.
Chris
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"... one decent guy told me he picked what he wanted and repacked the boxes for the next auction ..."
I always thought that this is the way it is supposed to work.
Sure, if you are a beginner, you might need most everything in the lot. Once.
But most of the time, it only makes sense to take what little you really need, add whatever you have been sitting on to no purpose, and recycle (as it were) the lot.
Still gotta get 'round to that recycling bit ...
Cheers,
/s ikeyPikey
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@ jkjblue / Jim: I assume your daughter is stationed in The Hague? If so, and if you would be considering a visit to the Netherlands, there are a few of the best stamp stores in the country in that city.
There is a stamp club where I live and I do go to their meetings, but if it is once or twice a year, it is often... Not always that much time, and besides that, my stock books with duplicates are in disarray and it takes time to get them reorganized so that I can take them to those meetings. I prefer to exchange at those meetings as do most other collectors who come there. When it comes to getting new material, I have a few regular addresses where I buy small collections. I go through them and create approval books from the stamps I cannot use myself. The profits are used to buy stamps here on Stamporama that go in my collections. That's how I collect stamps nowadays.
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@jansimon I was in The Hague in May. What a beautiful city (the mix of old and new architecture is stunning) and I wish I had stayed longer. Now that I hear that I missed some good stamp shops I really wish I had stayed longer!
Mark
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Den Haag / The Hague is indeed a nice, stylish city with lots of wonderful city villas and other posh buildings, which is not surprising when you think that it is the seat of government. Most of the embassies are also there, as well as many international institutions such as the International Court of Justice. But there are also many districts that are among the poorest in the country, so it is a city of two extremes.
Personally, I think there are quite a few cities in the Netherlands that are more beautiful, but on the other hand I can fully understand your appreciation.
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Jansimon
Yes, when we were in The Hague for the month of March last year, I took advantage of the stamp store not far from my tram stop.
They did most of their business on the internet, and they had many country collections for sale. But I was very surprised to see such a wonderful store and inventory for the WW collector still existing as brick and mortar.
The owner spoke perfect english ( as do most Dutch), and he sat me down on a sorting table with a cup of coffee, and made me feel welcome indeed.
I purchased a Victoria collection from him.
Jim
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I think I know which one that is. The owner of this shop lived in the UK for many years, that would explain his perfect English.
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Well, it's January 2017 and I'm thinking of making a sea change in my collecting. Up to now I've tended to buy cheap stamps of a number of countries, leaving gaps for the higher cost items. I don't have a lot of money to spend on stamps, so I buy a few lots each month of the lower cost items from my chosen countries. Now I find myself considering saving up my cash for a few weeks or months and then going for a single stamp instead of a dozen lower cost items. That way I may be able to close a few gaps.
I've listed the targets for this policy, to be aimed for each month or two - I'd go for France, the Caisse d'Amortissement aka sinking fund stamps from the late 1920s and early 1930s, for Denmark the early air set with the startled horse and ploughman, for Sweden the higher values of the two UPU sets of 1924, and for Iceland some of the two parliamentary millennium issues of 1930.
I've done this before a few times, and have some lovely stamps to show for it. So ... I think I'll go for it again! Maybe in 6 months from now I'll have ticked off some stamps I'd never expected to get.
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Strider, that's a decent plan.
And to add to that, you could always sell off some of the cheaper extra stamps you have to add to the kitty for more expensive stamps!
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Speaking of "different paths," beginning this year I've decided to start a Worldwide Classic AirMail collection!
I still have enough unmounted stamps to keep me busy adding items to my BigBlue for some time to come, but I've decided to focus my new purchasing on classic AirMail stamps and make my own pages (edited Steiner pages actually) for them.
I still consider myself a WW collector, I will just will focus on AirMail for while
This will be a totally new learning experience for me, which I'm very excited about. Above are a few of my first pages. Comments welcome!
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I very much like the use of 'off-white' pages, rather than pure white, and I also like borders to pages. The arrangement balances stamps, write-up and clear space nicely, although a 2-3-2 line-up rather than a 4-3 on the Ethiopia page would have avoided too much clear space at the foot of the page - perhaps you have something planned for that?
The stamps themselves are very attractive - have you been able to identify the aeroplanes illustrated? I'm sure someone can.
Good luck with these - they make an excellent display!
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Chris has an absolutely terrific start at collecting a very exciting area! (You probably could not guess that I am also an enthusiastic worldwide airmail collector). The pages he is designing are really turning out excellent.
For Guthrum's interest, the following information is provided...
Alexandrette-
The 1/2P Depicts a Savoia-Machetti S73 flying over the citadel located in Aleppo
The 1P Depicts a Potez "62" flying over the Omayyad Mosque and the Minaret of Jesus located in Damascus
Ethiopia-
Depicts a Potez "25". A plane of the "Aeropostale" french airline. It was known for its climbing abilities. The Aeropostale airline used them between 1929 and 1933.
Cheers,
Terry
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The worldwide airmail is an excellent interest. I am soly US right now and decided that I want to collect my early US airmails on cover. Since you are doing your own pages, you could include covers as well.
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Love the pages, Chris! The text is a great addition.
Oh. The stamps look good, too!
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Airmail collectors unite! Airmail stamps and covers are the best! Yay!
Speaking of the Potez 25, here's France (Scott) C61, commemorating Aeropostale pilot Jean Mermoz, and showing him and his mechanic on the first airmail flight over the Andes, from Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile, in 1929:
Here are two French stamps (Scott) 325-326) commemorating Mermoz himself; along with Mermoz was instrumental in establishing airmail routes from France to South America and throughout South America. He is known today as the "French Charles Lindbergh":
And here's a recent purchase, a rare first-flight cover carried on that first flight over the Andes, signed by Mermoz:
Mermoz died December 7, 1936 when his Latécoère 300, named Croix-du-Sud, disappeared in the South Atlantic on a flight from Natal, Brazil to Senegal. Here's a photograph of Croix-du-Sud:
Bob
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Cool Bob!
Here's one of my favorite airmail / special delivery covers...
At first glance it's just an old cover that was roughly handled and in poor condition. Then you look closely... postmark San Francisco Dec 31 1932... transit cancel at the Airmail Field in Chicago on January 1 1933. Then delivered in Ardmore, PA (right near me!) on January 2nd. This one travelled over the New Year!
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I am enjoying this thread, so I will add to it with a Japan airmail cover from my own postal history collection.
Linus
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When i reached middle age (or better) i began acquiring stamps by box lots and remainder albums. I was not too concerned about completion...i concentrated on getting "better" stamps and filling spaces. In time i met more sophisticated collectors...they would probably wisely purchase complete sets only or build their collection "one page at a time". In most cases (i did take a Guatemala collection as far as i could) i do not have the discipline for that type of collecting, my stamp collections have been built on a "treasure hunt" method but i am always interested in how other folks collect.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
I chose a very narrow path, specializing only in UNUSED US well-centered stamps.
That allowed me to concentrate (obcess?) on obtaining a relatively few stamps at a time that fit my monthly budget.
This approach did wonders for my knowledge of American history. However, and while I have no (few?) regrets, it did deprive me of the joy and beauty available by collecting more diverse world wide stamps.
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11:37:33am
re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Phil
I'm with you. I collect everything and buy everything. When I get bored I can always work on a different country. The only thing I have changed over the years is to go to mounting only used. I still buy mint for trading if the price is right. Something new is always catching my eye. Awhile back I noticed I had a lot of used booklet panes so now I have a album of used booklet panes. A couple of dealer friends of mine swear that if they have a stockbook lot on the table that doesn't interest me all they have to do is dump it in a box and raise the price and I'll buy it. I'm 74 and will never mount all that I have but just bought more in the SOR auction this month. Got a shoebox full of glassines and 3 x 5 stock cards last month at our club auction and sat here until 5 a.m. this morning sorting it. I do shows occasionally and sell or swap some of it off but I usually buy as much as I sell. My wife says my hobby is not collecting and occasionally repacking them to make room for more stamps, it's buying them and looking at them and occasionally calling her to come in and look at the neat thing I just found that I've probably had for years.
Jack
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Sounds good Jack(fellow APS life member) i have never had the nerve and ambition to put my stuff in good enough order to rent a table at a stamp show...am envious of the guys that do. I purchase mainly covers...1933 Chicago Century of Progress, Netherlands East Indies,and whatever else appeals..I will have you by 4 years New Years Day..i sell my duplicates but do not plan on selling my collection and hope i do not have to sell my wifes !
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09:12:06pm
re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Phil
I hope you do not have to sell your wives either. That's a drastic way to expand your collection.
I don't collect covers as such but I find myself buying covers just because they are neat or a friend would like it. I have some nice early Ethiopian covers. One is from Addis Ababa to London with backstamps in Jerusalem and I believe Rome and still made it to London quicker than it would today. I do look for souvenir sheets on cover. I keep first days but like them better when they were just used to mail the letter. Roy had a bunch a while back mailed to Australia from various countries in Europe.
Don't forget Rodney Dangerfield's famous line "Take my wife, Please".
Jack
p.s. I did notice that you celebrated a significant wedding anniversary a while back and offer a belated congratulations. My wife and I just renewed our vows at 25. I figured at 74 the odds of making 50 were a little slim. However if we did make it, she would still be saying "How much is catalog value in real money?"
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
My collecting interests are probably most like your Guatemala collection, Phil. I collect US, but I omit type differences unless they come from different plates. Most of the pre-Civil War type difference are contrived, in my opinion. I also ignore grills, paper, watermark and perforation, unless it indicates a difference in press. I try to correctly identify the stamp I have, but it does not matter if a Flat Plate 3rd Bureau stamp is double-line watermarked, single-line watermarked, or unwatermarked. Any one will do. I do collect press differences and all type differences after the Civil War.
For fun I have two worldwide collections. One is an OFEC (one from every country) collection, and the other is a topical collection, just because that is such a different way to collect. I suppose technically I have yet another US collection. I have 6 albums full of examples of things I don't include in my U.S. collection, like covers, revenues, CSA, local posts, Cinderellas, and so on. That has been a lot of fun because I have learned about so many different areas of collecting that I was previously ignorant about.
But more than anything, being able to create my own pages has really allowed me to define my own parameters for my collection, and that is empowering. Everyone should feel free to define the parameters of their collection any way they choose. Unless you have $8 million, you will never own a complete U.S. collection (based on Scott major catalog numbers), but you can create something very special for a whole lot less!
Happy hunting.
Lars
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Next to seeing flesh and blood collectors once or twice a month at our stamp club..the discussion threads here are a way of relating to other stamp people (who else would understand us?) It really is harmless fun(so far) !
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
This is my only connection to other collectors. No stamp clubs here. The nearest show is 2 hours away and only has about 20 vendors.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Like philb & stampmanjack, I do not welcome stamping into my life as yet another great opportunity for goal-setting, self-discipline & guided restraint.
That's what coin collecting is for.
Okay, not.
So I grab'n'go. It's not like I'm denying someone else the opportunity to own something critical'n'unique that would complete their collection and, if I am, what is the likelihood that they would have looked in that same pile, and found it, anyway?
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
When I first started to collect it was only United States and mostly used. Then my husband collected mint plate blocks. Then he decided to buy mint Tuvalu stamps in the 70's and then he bought Silver Jubilee First Day issues. As my United States started to fill up, I started to buy the more expensive stamps in mint and used stamps in bulk. Later I started to collect world wide mostly used and would try to get as many different ones as I could. I could look at a stamp and know immediately if I had it or not. My world wide collection really expanded when I started doing the round robin letters and started getting contacts all around the world. I started trading one on one with some people from here on StampoRama. I started to loss interest when it became harder and harder to identify different issues.
I now have 5 United States albums, 4 Worldwide Albums, and shoeboxes full of duplicates. My interests are changing and I am now selling my world wide collect on the approval books. (No one in the family is interested so I don't want to leave it for the estate to dispose of them.)
The more I see the covers, the more I do like them. I am thinking about switching to collecting them even though they aren't as valuable now. The more you work with your stamps the more your interest builds.
Happy New Year and may everyone find those special stamps they are looking for and enjoy the ones that come in the mail as a surprise.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
I'm probably repeating myself here - I feel sure I've expounded my collecting interests somewhere on these boards before, possibly more than once. They are, compared to most SOR members, a bit limited in scope, and do rely on a specific wants list, beyond which I go only rarely.
I have various collections, mostly small, which I have listed elsewhere. In most of them I collect mint stamps, hinged or otherwise. My main collecting path was stamp fairs, but more recently online purchases. I don't do auctions or trading - anyone who wants my broken mint sets or spare used is free to apply.
My interest is primarily in the reason for stamp issues, a focus about which it is notably difficult to find authoritative evidence. Speculation here is great fun, but usually boils down to 1. propaganda, 2. potential for sale to collectors, 3. practical use for sending letters, and 4. absolutely no rationale whatever. Currently in the UK, #3 has virtually disappeared, while #2 and #4 thrive. What is depicted on a stamp is of importance to me - I need to know all about the event or person or even place. This is where the internet has proved invaluable.
Secondarily I am interested in stamp design, while finding it difficult there again to find any consensus on what constitutes good or bad. I have tried studying the few books on stamp design available, but it does get a bit academic.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
My main interest is stamps and postal history, but I have a lot of different collections within that realm focusing on various areas.
Seems the only other collection I have is ex-wives, a collection I'd just as soon not have.
My other major passion would be motorsports, particularly Formula 1. I do have a small collection of scale model Ferraris, mostly older models and Formula 1 cars.
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05:49:11am
re: Different paths of stamp collecting
I simply collect worldwide stamps. If they are listed in the Scott 2012 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, I collect it. I prefer used but I will take a mint stamp from some of those hard to get used countries.... No U.S. ( I have Grandpa's album )
Larsdog... Bill I would drive two hours for a show that has 20 dealers.. I have to drive to NYC to go to a show with more then 10 dealers...or to New Jersey
But hey..that's what makes buying on stamporama so convenient..
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
I recently was at a show in Pennsylvania that had 5 or 6 dealers. The big room was all coin dealers and this little cozy side room had the stamp guys. It was rather pleasant and people chatted as we sorted through things. I bought something from 3 of them.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
LARSDOG is the closet collector to me, and like him it is hard to find stamp shows close by. I always look, but haven't ever found one close enough to attend. I've lived in KY for over 20 years with no stamp shows and when I lived in Iowa it was the same way. I bought an old stamp collection at a gun show once.
But even with no shows, I have been able to collect through internet.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
We went to a show in Troy N.Y. Sunday..60 miles each way...boy was it dead...with the Holidays and weather...4 dealers ...i spent more on gas than on stamps...but there is an interesting couple there that sells covers and we get to chat stamps with them. I wish i could dicker like BobG does..but when i see something i want i get emotionally involved !
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
I'm lucking living in the Wash DC area. Between DC, Baltimore, and No. VA, there are several large and medium shows a year!
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Chris- side note
My daughter has a condo in D.C., but she is in The Netherlands right now ( she is a state department foreign service officer). Anyway, when she returns sometime in the future, and I visit her, perhaps I could get together with you - i would find that enjoyable!
My main focus is WW 1840-1940 (-1952 British Commonwealth).
But I have many feeder albums and collections that go way beyond those years, so I am attempting to place those stamps in Minkus Global Supreme 1840 -1967 pages. I think it would take me a year or two just to organize that, and only if I don't obtain more feeder collections.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
My main focus is WW 1840-1Commonwealth).940 (-1952 British
Went to your blog, and was truly impressed by your collected stamps, your illustrations, and your very thorough and interesting text. I salute your dedication.
carl
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
We used to go to the Dutch Country auctions in Wilmington Delaware..a lot of dealers from Philly and Baltimore go there...the first years it was fun and competitive and then the dealers would shut me out on bids ..if i bid on a 200 dollar lot they would bid 400 they did not care about the value of one particular lot as they would come with their vans and buy 7 or 8 thousand dollars to my several hundred..one decent guy told me he picked what he wanted and repacked the boxes for the next auction in 7 weeks.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
"Anyway, when she returns sometime in the future, and I visit her, perhaps I could get together with you - i would find that enjoyable!"
Jim,
It would be an honor to meet you in person. Just let me know, anytime! The National Postal Museum in DC is definitely worth a visit if you haven't been before.
Chris
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
"... one decent guy told me he picked what he wanted and repacked the boxes for the next auction ..."
I always thought that this is the way it is supposed to work.
Sure, if you are a beginner, you might need most everything in the lot. Once.
But most of the time, it only makes sense to take what little you really need, add whatever you have been sitting on to no purpose, and recycle (as it were) the lot.
Still gotta get 'round to that recycling bit ...
Cheers,
/s ikeyPikey
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Approvals
re: Different paths of stamp collecting
@ jkjblue / Jim: I assume your daughter is stationed in The Hague? If so, and if you would be considering a visit to the Netherlands, there are a few of the best stamp stores in the country in that city.
There is a stamp club where I live and I do go to their meetings, but if it is once or twice a year, it is often... Not always that much time, and besides that, my stock books with duplicates are in disarray and it takes time to get them reorganized so that I can take them to those meetings. I prefer to exchange at those meetings as do most other collectors who come there. When it comes to getting new material, I have a few regular addresses where I buy small collections. I go through them and create approval books from the stamps I cannot use myself. The profits are used to buy stamps here on Stamporama that go in my collections. That's how I collect stamps nowadays.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
@jansimon I was in The Hague in May. What a beautiful city (the mix of old and new architecture is stunning) and I wish I had stayed longer. Now that I hear that I missed some good stamp shops I really wish I had stayed longer!
Mark
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Den Haag / The Hague is indeed a nice, stylish city with lots of wonderful city villas and other posh buildings, which is not surprising when you think that it is the seat of government. Most of the embassies are also there, as well as many international institutions such as the International Court of Justice. But there are also many districts that are among the poorest in the country, so it is a city of two extremes.
Personally, I think there are quite a few cities in the Netherlands that are more beautiful, but on the other hand I can fully understand your appreciation.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Jansimon
Yes, when we were in The Hague for the month of March last year, I took advantage of the stamp store not far from my tram stop.
They did most of their business on the internet, and they had many country collections for sale. But I was very surprised to see such a wonderful store and inventory for the WW collector still existing as brick and mortar.
The owner spoke perfect english ( as do most Dutch), and he sat me down on a sorting table with a cup of coffee, and made me feel welcome indeed.
I purchased a Victoria collection from him.
Jim
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
I think I know which one that is. The owner of this shop lived in the UK for many years, that would explain his perfect English.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Well, it's January 2017 and I'm thinking of making a sea change in my collecting. Up to now I've tended to buy cheap stamps of a number of countries, leaving gaps for the higher cost items. I don't have a lot of money to spend on stamps, so I buy a few lots each month of the lower cost items from my chosen countries. Now I find myself considering saving up my cash for a few weeks or months and then going for a single stamp instead of a dozen lower cost items. That way I may be able to close a few gaps.
I've listed the targets for this policy, to be aimed for each month or two - I'd go for France, the Caisse d'Amortissement aka sinking fund stamps from the late 1920s and early 1930s, for Denmark the early air set with the startled horse and ploughman, for Sweden the higher values of the two UPU sets of 1924, and for Iceland some of the two parliamentary millennium issues of 1930.
I've done this before a few times, and have some lovely stamps to show for it. So ... I think I'll go for it again! Maybe in 6 months from now I'll have ticked off some stamps I'd never expected to get.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Strider, that's a decent plan.
And to add to that, you could always sell off some of the cheaper extra stamps you have to add to the kitty for more expensive stamps!
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Speaking of "different paths," beginning this year I've decided to start a Worldwide Classic AirMail collection!
I still have enough unmounted stamps to keep me busy adding items to my BigBlue for some time to come, but I've decided to focus my new purchasing on classic AirMail stamps and make my own pages (edited Steiner pages actually) for them.
I still consider myself a WW collector, I will just will focus on AirMail for while
This will be a totally new learning experience for me, which I'm very excited about. Above are a few of my first pages. Comments welcome!
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
I very much like the use of 'off-white' pages, rather than pure white, and I also like borders to pages. The arrangement balances stamps, write-up and clear space nicely, although a 2-3-2 line-up rather than a 4-3 on the Ethiopia page would have avoided too much clear space at the foot of the page - perhaps you have something planned for that?
The stamps themselves are very attractive - have you been able to identify the aeroplanes illustrated? I'm sure someone can.
Good luck with these - they make an excellent display!
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Chris has an absolutely terrific start at collecting a very exciting area! (You probably could not guess that I am also an enthusiastic worldwide airmail collector). The pages he is designing are really turning out excellent.
For Guthrum's interest, the following information is provided...
Alexandrette-
The 1/2P Depicts a Savoia-Machetti S73 flying over the citadel located in Aleppo
The 1P Depicts a Potez "62" flying over the Omayyad Mosque and the Minaret of Jesus located in Damascus
Ethiopia-
Depicts a Potez "25". A plane of the "Aeropostale" french airline. It was known for its climbing abilities. The Aeropostale airline used them between 1929 and 1933.
Cheers,
Terry
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
The worldwide airmail is an excellent interest. I am soly US right now and decided that I want to collect my early US airmails on cover. Since you are doing your own pages, you could include covers as well.
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Love the pages, Chris! The text is a great addition.
Oh. The stamps look good, too!
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Airmail collectors unite! Airmail stamps and covers are the best! Yay!
Speaking of the Potez 25, here's France (Scott) C61, commemorating Aeropostale pilot Jean Mermoz, and showing him and his mechanic on the first airmail flight over the Andes, from Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile, in 1929:
Here are two French stamps (Scott) 325-326) commemorating Mermoz himself; along with Mermoz was instrumental in establishing airmail routes from France to South America and throughout South America. He is known today as the "French Charles Lindbergh":
And here's a recent purchase, a rare first-flight cover carried on that first flight over the Andes, signed by Mermoz:
Mermoz died December 7, 1936 when his Latécoère 300, named Croix-du-Sud, disappeared in the South Atlantic on a flight from Natal, Brazil to Senegal. Here's a photograph of Croix-du-Sud:
Bob
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
Cool Bob!
Here's one of my favorite airmail / special delivery covers...
At first glance it's just an old cover that was roughly handled and in poor condition. Then you look closely... postmark San Francisco Dec 31 1932... transit cancel at the Airmail Field in Chicago on January 1 1933. Then delivered in Ardmore, PA (right near me!) on January 2nd. This one travelled over the New Year!
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re: Different paths of stamp collecting
I am enjoying this thread, so I will add to it with a Japan airmail cover from my own postal history collection.
Linus
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