Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Just curious...
Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
In other words, when it is time to sell that collection, would you expect to make money?
Johnny
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I read somewhere, perhaps eve on this board that someone said something like if your hobby was fishing for 40+ years you wouldn't expect to get a lot for your equipment when you quit why would you expect to profit from a stamp hobby.
It makes you think. Its supposed to be the fun you have along the way, not the payoff in the end.
So I collect for fun!!
Bob
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I collect for fun. If I collected to make a profit in the end, then I would get discouraged, because I would always be chasing the $$$. Also to make a profit I could not afford to buy the stamps that will increase in dollars.
Also when the end comes are you going to be around to sell the stamps and enjoy the dollars?
Doug
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I believe that one can do both. The key to doing this is knowledge of what you are collecting, what the market will bear, and making sure you understand the return to be expected if you choose to sell after you have bought something. Being aware of the buying practices of the folks you are planning to sell to is also key.
That's the money end-on the fun end the joy of broadening your own knowledge base and building an heirloom to pass on is the icing on that cake. In the retirement years you will find that the scope of this hobby is never-ending, and surprises always await.
(Or at least that is how I personally view the pursuit, and I have been collecting for over 75+ years.)
Dan C.
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@dell4c,
Couldn't agree more. As a fisherman, I expect my equipment to not be worth much 5 years after purchase. The anti-profit. LOL!
@d1stamper,
Yep, my thoughts exactly. Probably better investing in stocks! 
When a hobby is work or "stress", it becomes no fun in my opinion.
@dani20,
Wow! 75+ years, that is quite an achievement. I can see where if I had more time like you mention and did not have to work, it would really broaden the hobby for me. Very exciting prospect to look forward to.
Thanks to all,
Johnny
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We collect for pleasure of course,some of my non collecting friends purchase lotto tickets !
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Fun....no expectations.
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Collecting for fun, I thought it was a punishment bestowed upon us mortals by greater powers.
The agony of soaking that elusive last stamp for the set only to find it was torn before being stuck to the envelope.
The aching wrists from hours of sorting through Machins.
The tired eyes from looking for phosphor bands.
Irritation from trying to separate or uncurl the little bits of glassine hinges.
The headaches from the watermark fluid trying to find visible evidence on some lousy Hong Kong stamp.
Finding your latest, greatest, purchase has been dragged through hell by the postal authorities and finally folded to fit in your mailbox.
Mind you it does bring relaxation peace and quiet until she who must be obeyed needs another cup of tea or heaven forbid actually wants to have a conversation.
Oops, time to put the kettle on.
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That reminds me i have a gun cabinet upstairs..i have not touched them in years...but i just seem to hang on to things rather than sell. Will have to leave a letter for my oldest..get at least $300 for the 45/70 carbine..the poor thing that Custers luckless guys had to try and fight with.
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Fun. At least, I think it's fun. What's not fun is waiting for a US $225 purchase from Delcampe which should have arrived from Finland weeks ago! Well, I don't spend money on much of anything else, and I can recall only two other stamp purchases which never arrived in more 40 years of collecting. That's not a bad record.
I collected mint and used Eire for several years, until I got bored with it, and tired of spending huge bucks on album supplements and new (often stupid) issues. So, I sold it to a dealer and got $500 dollars for it, a lot less than catalogue and a lot less than I paid for the collection, but how many hobbies can you get any sort of return on? Not many.
Bob
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It's all about the money for me, when I sell off my goods at 1/64th of a cent on the dollar I am going to be rolling in dough. Drinks with umbrellas, white sand beaches, coconut trees, shrimp cocktails ......................
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I was actually pleased when I turned back to the hobby two years ago to find that the market had tanked and nearly every US stamp after 1940 was worth face value or less!
That meant I could build the monster collection I wanted to have as a kid! I have so much of this stuff I could bathe in it! My USA 1940 to 1980 collection is a lot of fun. I have collected single mint stamps, large blocks and plate blocks and a first day cover for nearly every stamp! And I have fun doing it. I have collected all of the artwork I found attractive as a kid. Yipee! The little kid deep inside me rejoices!
And in the end I don't care what it's worth... because I'll be DEAD!
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Like Bob, there is not much else i spend on...so please..let me have my passion, i know the room is messy but !
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"Fun. At least, I think it's fun. What's not fun is waiting for a US $225 purchase from Delcampe which should have arrived from Finland weeks ago! "
For what it's worth Finnish Post is very reliable, but delivery times abroad can vary hugely (from few days up to 4-5 weeks). It somehow relates to how international mail is routed, customs etc. and there's absolutely no way to predict how long it will truly take (the official delivery time for most countries is 7-14 days)... I've got lots of first hand experience on this.
If it was sent with tracking, then you could use Finnish Post website to see where its stuck.
-k-
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It has to be a Beach Boys track.....Fun Fun Fun!
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"I was actually pleased when I turned back to the hobby two years ago to find that the market had tanked and nearly every US stamp after 1940 was worth face value or less!
"
This is true if you are buying stamps in multiples but you do not find many for profit selling individual items like single 4¢ stamp for less than 4¢.
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Further to my Finland debacle: I wrote to the seller this morning to tell him that the stamp I bought had never arrived. Within three minutes, he had given me a full refund, with a note that said it's the second time in recent months that a registered shipment had vanished. He suspects a thief somewhere within Finland Post. What a sad world we have created.
Bob
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Hi Bob,
While I cannot speak to the rest of the world, I can tell you that registered mail theft was a problem from its official inception in the US on July 1, 1855. Frankly, even the informal and unofficial register mail systems in Philadelphia (1845) and New Orleans (1851 to 1855) also suffered from mail theft. The whole reason that the USPO moved toward formalizing the registered mail system in 1855 was due to the rise of mail theft. So mail theft is most certainly not a new problem.
I guess it can be debated whether or not humans have gotten more or less greedy and inconsiderate over the decades. My personal opinion is that we have always been like this but I might be wrong.
Don
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To be read using your version of HBO announcer's voice: And now, the Algerian stamp which I ordered from a dealer in Finland on February 21, the same stamp that hadn't arrived this morning, the same stamp that the dealer gave me a full refund for because he assumed, like me, that it was lost, the same stamp arrived in this afternoon's mail! Maybe things aren't as bad as I thought in the world's attempts to deliver mail. Although, with due deference to Tom's post, I remember when we could expect mail not to be stolen, a time when everyone had mailboxes that weren't locked. Anyway...
Here's the stamp:
Now I need to learn more about the stamp. I do know that it's the first issue of the newly independent Algerian state, following the end of the war between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front, from 1954 to 1962. Wikipedia describes the war thus:
"An important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by guerrilla warfare, maquis fighting, and the use of torture by both sides. The conflict also became a civil war between the different communities and within the communities. The war took place mainly on the territory of Algeria, with repercussions in metropolitan France."
The Algerian War is of interest to me because it immediately preceded the Vietnam War, at least that part of the Vietnam War that the United States became embroiled in, and was very similar to the Vietnam War in terms of its goals, its order of battle, and its inevitable outcomes. Helicopters played a vital role in Algeria, as they came to play in Vietnam. The Algerian War, like the Vietnam War, was for the most part an asymmetric war, pitting earthbound Algerian guerrillas fighting for freedom and armed with obsolescent weapons against professional French soldiers operating with little incentive to fight and armed with modern weapons. And both wars resulted in deep political divisions in the imperial/colonial powers — France and the United States.
Finally, there's the "French connection" in the Vietnam War. French soldiers who were fighting communists in the First Indochina War, which ended with the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, were sent from Vietnam to Algeria to continue supporting French colonialism. The American Navy's hospital ship, U.S.S. Haven, was used to transport surviving French soldiers from Vietnam to Algeria.
Bob
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Hi all,
Just curious...
Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
In other words, when it is time to sell that collection, would you expect to make money?
Johnny
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04:42:41pm
Approvals
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
I read somewhere, perhaps eve on this board that someone said something like if your hobby was fishing for 40+ years you wouldn't expect to get a lot for your equipment when you quit why would you expect to profit from a stamp hobby.
It makes you think. Its supposed to be the fun you have along the way, not the payoff in the end.
So I collect for fun!!
Bob
5 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
I collect for fun. If I collected to make a profit in the end, then I would get discouraged, because I would always be chasing the $$$. Also to make a profit I could not afford to buy the stamps that will increase in dollars.
Also when the end comes are you going to be around to sell the stamps and enjoy the dollars?
Doug
Login to Like
this post
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
I believe that one can do both. The key to doing this is knowledge of what you are collecting, what the market will bear, and making sure you understand the return to be expected if you choose to sell after you have bought something. Being aware of the buying practices of the folks you are planning to sell to is also key.
That's the money end-on the fun end the joy of broadening your own knowledge base and building an heirloom to pass on is the icing on that cake. In the retirement years you will find that the scope of this hobby is never-ending, and surprises always await.
(Or at least that is how I personally view the pursuit, and I have been collecting for over 75+ years.)
Dan C.
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re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
@dell4c,
Couldn't agree more. As a fisherman, I expect my equipment to not be worth much 5 years after purchase. The anti-profit. LOL!
@d1stamper,
Yep, my thoughts exactly. Probably better investing in stocks! When a hobby is work or "stress", it becomes no fun in my opinion.
@dani20,
Wow! 75+ years, that is quite an achievement. I can see where if I had more time like you mention and did not have to work, it would really broaden the hobby for me. Very exciting prospect to look forward to.
Thanks to all,
Johnny
Login to Like
this post
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
We collect for pleasure of course,some of my non collecting friends purchase lotto tickets !
1 Member
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re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
Fun....no expectations.
Login to Like
this post
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
Collecting for fun, I thought it was a punishment bestowed upon us mortals by greater powers.
The agony of soaking that elusive last stamp for the set only to find it was torn before being stuck to the envelope.
The aching wrists from hours of sorting through Machins.
The tired eyes from looking for phosphor bands.
Irritation from trying to separate or uncurl the little bits of glassine hinges.
The headaches from the watermark fluid trying to find visible evidence on some lousy Hong Kong stamp.
Finding your latest, greatest, purchase has been dragged through hell by the postal authorities and finally folded to fit in your mailbox.
Mind you it does bring relaxation peace and quiet until she who must be obeyed needs another cup of tea or heaven forbid actually wants to have a conversation.
Oops, time to put the kettle on.
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like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
That reminds me i have a gun cabinet upstairs..i have not touched them in years...but i just seem to hang on to things rather than sell. Will have to leave a letter for my oldest..get at least $300 for the 45/70 carbine..the poor thing that Custers luckless guys had to try and fight with.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
Fun. At least, I think it's fun. What's not fun is waiting for a US $225 purchase from Delcampe which should have arrived from Finland weeks ago! Well, I don't spend money on much of anything else, and I can recall only two other stamp purchases which never arrived in more 40 years of collecting. That's not a bad record.
I collected mint and used Eire for several years, until I got bored with it, and tired of spending huge bucks on album supplements and new (often stupid) issues. So, I sold it to a dealer and got $500 dollars for it, a lot less than catalogue and a lot less than I paid for the collection, but how many hobbies can you get any sort of return on? Not many.
Bob
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Login to Like.
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
It's all about the money for me, when I sell off my goods at 1/64th of a cent on the dollar I am going to be rolling in dough. Drinks with umbrellas, white sand beaches, coconut trees, shrimp cocktails ......................
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
I was actually pleased when I turned back to the hobby two years ago to find that the market had tanked and nearly every US stamp after 1940 was worth face value or less!
That meant I could build the monster collection I wanted to have as a kid! I have so much of this stuff I could bathe in it! My USA 1940 to 1980 collection is a lot of fun. I have collected single mint stamps, large blocks and plate blocks and a first day cover for nearly every stamp! And I have fun doing it. I have collected all of the artwork I found attractive as a kid. Yipee! The little kid deep inside me rejoices!
And in the end I don't care what it's worth... because I'll be DEAD!
6 Members
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re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
Like Bob, there is not much else i spend on...so please..let me have my passion, i know the room is messy but !
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
"Fun. At least, I think it's fun. What's not fun is waiting for a US $225 purchase from Delcampe which should have arrived from Finland weeks ago! "
For what it's worth Finnish Post is very reliable, but delivery times abroad can vary hugely (from few days up to 4-5 weeks). It somehow relates to how international mail is routed, customs etc. and there's absolutely no way to predict how long it will truly take (the official delivery time for most countries is 7-14 days)... I've got lots of first hand experience on this.
If it was sent with tracking, then you could use Finnish Post website to see where its stuck.
-k-
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04:19:20am
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re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
It has to be a Beach Boys track.....Fun Fun Fun!
Login to Like
this post
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
"I was actually pleased when I turned back to the hobby two years ago to find that the market had tanked and nearly every US stamp after 1940 was worth face value or less!
"
This is true if you are buying stamps in multiples but you do not find many for profit selling individual items like single 4¢ stamp for less than 4¢.
Login to Like
this post
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
Further to my Finland debacle: I wrote to the seller this morning to tell him that the stamp I bought had never arrived. Within three minutes, he had given me a full refund, with a note that said it's the second time in recent months that a registered shipment had vanished. He suspects a thief somewhere within Finland Post. What a sad world we have created.
Bob
Login to Like
this post
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
Hi Bob,
While I cannot speak to the rest of the world, I can tell you that registered mail theft was a problem from its official inception in the US on July 1, 1855. Frankly, even the informal and unofficial register mail systems in Philadelphia (1845) and New Orleans (1851 to 1855) also suffered from mail theft. The whole reason that the USPO moved toward formalizing the registered mail system in 1855 was due to the rise of mail theft. So mail theft is most certainly not a new problem.
I guess it can be debated whether or not humans have gotten more or less greedy and inconsiderate over the decades. My personal opinion is that we have always been like this but I might be wrong.
Don
Login to Like
this post
re: Do you collect for "fun" or "money"?
To be read using your version of HBO announcer's voice: And now, the Algerian stamp which I ordered from a dealer in Finland on February 21, the same stamp that hadn't arrived this morning, the same stamp that the dealer gave me a full refund for because he assumed, like me, that it was lost, the same stamp arrived in this afternoon's mail! Maybe things aren't as bad as I thought in the world's attempts to deliver mail. Although, with due deference to Tom's post, I remember when we could expect mail not to be stolen, a time when everyone had mailboxes that weren't locked. Anyway...
Here's the stamp:
Now I need to learn more about the stamp. I do know that it's the first issue of the newly independent Algerian state, following the end of the war between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front, from 1954 to 1962. Wikipedia describes the war thus:
"An important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by guerrilla warfare, maquis fighting, and the use of torture by both sides. The conflict also became a civil war between the different communities and within the communities. The war took place mainly on the territory of Algeria, with repercussions in metropolitan France."
The Algerian War is of interest to me because it immediately preceded the Vietnam War, at least that part of the Vietnam War that the United States became embroiled in, and was very similar to the Vietnam War in terms of its goals, its order of battle, and its inevitable outcomes. Helicopters played a vital role in Algeria, as they came to play in Vietnam. The Algerian War, like the Vietnam War, was for the most part an asymmetric war, pitting earthbound Algerian guerrillas fighting for freedom and armed with obsolescent weapons against professional French soldiers operating with little incentive to fight and armed with modern weapons. And both wars resulted in deep political divisions in the imperial/colonial powers — France and the United States.
Finally, there's the "French connection" in the Vietnam War. French soldiers who were fighting communists in the First Indochina War, which ended with the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, were sent from Vietnam to Algeria to continue supporting French colonialism. The American Navy's hospital ship, U.S.S. Haven, was used to transport surviving French soldiers from Vietnam to Algeria.
Bob
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