Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
As folks who follow my silly ramblings know, I refuse to comply with the norms of collecting and have set my own standard of free range albums. Why just stamps? I also love covers and the odd collateral material one comes across in 60 some years of living on the planet! So get a drink and sit back, here's some pages from my album....
The Columbian Issue... I've been working on these since I think they are downright gorgeous! My favorite is the 50 cent value with the sleeping dog. Some of these are nice examples, where I'd eventually like to replace a few. All are mint except for my $2 value, which is the latest acquisition. I did buy it because it was affordable and the vignette was very visible. The certificate hanging out of the bottom pouch is for this stamp. I still need the higher values and these will wait a bit. I am thinking of adding at least one proof, to illustrate the type, but also because they can often had more affordable than actual stamps.
Now into the fun stuff I've collected surrounding the Columbian Exposition! Top pocket is a regular mail cover, but from Columbus, Ohio. I thought that was a great tie in, and worthy of being in my main collection. The bottom pocket is an actual admission ticket to the Expo! Note the quality of these, produced as nice as contemporary currency by the American Bank Note Company. There are several different designs. As I see these cheap, I may grab them. I think this is as cool as it gets!
Anyway, there is a series of beautiful postcards that were issued for the Columbian Exposition. When I saw these for sale affordably (think cheap!) I grabbed them. I didn't pay the marked prices, probably around $2 each. Note that the cool aspect of these is that they were printed right on US postal stationary.
One of the things that really interests me about the Worlds Fair, was the structures built to support them. These were considered temporary structures but many of them still exist to this day. For instance the main hall of the Columbian Expo still stands today!
Here's two more, I own four at this time. I'd buy more when I come across them. I don't know how many cards there are in the series.
And an aside about temporary structures... in my long career in Facility Management I cannot tell you how many times I've been told "it's only temporary" to find that some awful cheaply built eyesore existed for many years. My standard response became, "The Eiffel Tower Was A Temporary Structure!" and yet it is still there a century later. I think people kinda got the idea. And that brings us to the end of my Columbian Expo pages!
The next set of commemoratives was the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. These didn't appear until 1898, with a gap of five years after the Columbians. Collectors were probably still trying to save up for those high values! This series has nine values, and I only own them up to the ten cent stamp. My one and five cent stamps are used, and I do like my regular usage cover for the then current two cent first class rate.
Next up is the Pan-American Exposition issue. This set was more responsibly limited to five values with the highest one being ten cents. I do have all of these, although I don't have a mint two cent stamp. That is supplemented with a poorly cut square of the official Pan American Expo cancel that I found in a lot I purchased. It will be eventually replaced, but holds the place for now.
I also found an exposition label, which appears to be part of a series. I think this is cool. It would be even cooler on cover. My bottom item is a pre expo advertising postmark, to give you two types of cancel for the event. There is one more I have my eye out for, which is illustrated in Scott's Specialized Catalog... it's plain, just "PAN-AMERICAN STATION" between straight killer bars.
The last page I'll share today is the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In this series, I don't own the three cent value, and my higher values are used. I do like the expo advertising cancel in the above cover, it is in poor condition but I did like the Baldwin Piano advertisement. There is also an expo cancel like the one listed for the Pan-American Expo.
I hope you enjoyed viewing these pages and seeing what items can be collected alongside your stamps. It adds another dimension to collecting for me!
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I have a question.. look at my Columbian set, first photo in my previous post. I am looking to complete the set. I have mint singles up to $1 and my $2 value is a nicely cancelled used stamp.
Moving forward, people are paying multiple of hundreds of dollars for the $3, $4 and $5 values that are heavily cancelled. That’s a pity since the engraving of the central portraits is so beautiful. As with my $2 stamp, I’d want nicely cancelled examples, or mint stamps.
Then add proofs into the mix. Somehow these sell for a fraction of the real stamps. That defies my logic since proofs were struck from the same dies, in the same period and most likely in lesser quantities.
So the big question.., should I buy nice proofs to fill in the series? Should I continue the high values with nicely used examples, or hold out for mint stamps? What would you do?
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Proof collecting is greatly underappreciated and underpriced in my opinion. Proofs are works of art and make stamps look pale in comparison. I cannot encourage you enough to consider adding proofs to your scope of collecting.
Also be aware/wary of the dollar Columbian reperfs, they abound. Consider only certified stamps.
Lastly keep in mind that these Columbians were greatly disliked at the time by collectors. They sold very poorly and many collectors and the philatelic press pushed back against the post office for this 'money grab' and for 'issuing stamps solely for making money on collectors'.
Don
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Thank you Don! My $2 stamp is used with certificate. I have my eye on a $4 proof. I will see if I can grab it. And I will take your advise on the certs!
I hope you are well and safe during these trying times!
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For the Columbians I opted for used stamps (all with certs) with faults until I can do better:
but for State Department Officials, proofs seem to be the only reasonable alternative:
O68 and O71 are the real thing (with certs), O69P and O70P are proofs. They are VERY nice placeholders!
Proofs and stamps with faults are both good placeholders, in my opinion.
Lars
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Tom, thanks for bringing your initial post back to life. I always enjoy seeing such posts, but had missed this one back in April!
Tom
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Adding to my original post about the Columbian Exposition issues...
I just came across a very nice and informative article about the series of postcards.
https://postcardhistory.net/2021/08/charles-w-goldsmiths-official-columbian-exposition-postal-cards/
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My two pages of Columbians. I make my own pages (AlbumEasy) and print on 30lb bond paper and use a 60lb stiffener. All archival (lignin free also). I put these in heavyweight archival sheet protectors and then in 3 ring binders of various sorts. I have not found a binder or binderbox that I think is perfect - yet. On these I am using clear top mounts but I have other collections I use black top mounts and some where like Tom, I just use two pocket sheet protectors or even stock books.
Columbian page #1
A crop of just the stamp area:
Columbian page #2
A crop of the top part of page #2
I use replicas that I make myself (all the ones with black border are replicas) rather than stamps with faults. Just my preference.
I also tend to perfer used stamps rather than MNH and not just because they are far less expensive. Although that is a consideration. I like to find ones with light cancels or interesting cancels. The $1 above I think is a nice stamp, even though it has a pretty heavy cancel. I am undecided whether to try to get the $2-$5 stamps. If I do, it will be as used.
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Tom,
Excellent article - thanks for the link to it!
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Nice pages. Was the border from Album Easy?
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The border on my image above was not a default AlbumEasy border. I made up my own. Happy to share. Send me an email and I will send you two files and the directions to add to AlbumEasy.
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I was watching the "Philatelic Items I thought I Would Never Possess! thread and the part where members were showing their Columbians and next few commemorative sets. I didn't want to bomb that thread with mine, so I made it a separate thread.
As folks who follow my silly ramblings know, I refuse to comply with the norms of collecting and have set my own standard of free range albums. Why just stamps? I also love covers and the odd collateral material one comes across in 60 some years of living on the planet! So get a drink and sit back, here's some pages from my album....
The Columbian Issue... I've been working on these since I think they are downright gorgeous! My favorite is the 50 cent value with the sleeping dog. Some of these are nice examples, where I'd eventually like to replace a few. All are mint except for my $2 value, which is the latest acquisition. I did buy it because it was affordable and the vignette was very visible. The certificate hanging out of the bottom pouch is for this stamp. I still need the higher values and these will wait a bit. I am thinking of adding at least one proof, to illustrate the type, but also because they can often had more affordable than actual stamps.
Now into the fun stuff I've collected surrounding the Columbian Exposition! Top pocket is a regular mail cover, but from Columbus, Ohio. I thought that was a great tie in, and worthy of being in my main collection. The bottom pocket is an actual admission ticket to the Expo! Note the quality of these, produced as nice as contemporary currency by the American Bank Note Company. There are several different designs. As I see these cheap, I may grab them. I think this is as cool as it gets!
Anyway, there is a series of beautiful postcards that were issued for the Columbian Exposition. When I saw these for sale affordably (think cheap!) I grabbed them. I didn't pay the marked prices, probably around $2 each. Note that the cool aspect of these is that they were printed right on US postal stationary.
One of the things that really interests me about the Worlds Fair, was the structures built to support them. These were considered temporary structures but many of them still exist to this day. For instance the main hall of the Columbian Expo still stands today!
Here's two more, I own four at this time. I'd buy more when I come across them. I don't know how many cards there are in the series.
And an aside about temporary structures... in my long career in Facility Management I cannot tell you how many times I've been told "it's only temporary" to find that some awful cheaply built eyesore existed for many years. My standard response became, "The Eiffel Tower Was A Temporary Structure!" and yet it is still there a century later. I think people kinda got the idea. And that brings us to the end of my Columbian Expo pages!
The next set of commemoratives was the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. These didn't appear until 1898, with a gap of five years after the Columbians. Collectors were probably still trying to save up for those high values! This series has nine values, and I only own them up to the ten cent stamp. My one and five cent stamps are used, and I do like my regular usage cover for the then current two cent first class rate.
Next up is the Pan-American Exposition issue. This set was more responsibly limited to five values with the highest one being ten cents. I do have all of these, although I don't have a mint two cent stamp. That is supplemented with a poorly cut square of the official Pan American Expo cancel that I found in a lot I purchased. It will be eventually replaced, but holds the place for now.
I also found an exposition label, which appears to be part of a series. I think this is cool. It would be even cooler on cover. My bottom item is a pre expo advertising postmark, to give you two types of cancel for the event. There is one more I have my eye out for, which is illustrated in Scott's Specialized Catalog... it's plain, just "PAN-AMERICAN STATION" between straight killer bars.
The last page I'll share today is the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In this series, I don't own the three cent value, and my higher values are used. I do like the expo advertising cancel in the above cover, it is in poor condition but I did like the Baldwin Piano advertisement. There is also an expo cancel like the one listed for the Pan-American Expo.
I hope you enjoyed viewing these pages and seeing what items can be collected alongside your stamps. It adds another dimension to collecting for me!
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
I have a question.. look at my Columbian set, first photo in my previous post. I am looking to complete the set. I have mint singles up to $1 and my $2 value is a nicely cancelled used stamp.
Moving forward, people are paying multiple of hundreds of dollars for the $3, $4 and $5 values that are heavily cancelled. That’s a pity since the engraving of the central portraits is so beautiful. As with my $2 stamp, I’d want nicely cancelled examples, or mint stamps.
Then add proofs into the mix. Somehow these sell for a fraction of the real stamps. That defies my logic since proofs were struck from the same dies, in the same period and most likely in lesser quantities.
So the big question.., should I buy nice proofs to fill in the series? Should I continue the high values with nicely used examples, or hold out for mint stamps? What would you do?
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this post
re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
Proof collecting is greatly underappreciated and underpriced in my opinion. Proofs are works of art and make stamps look pale in comparison. I cannot encourage you enough to consider adding proofs to your scope of collecting.
Also be aware/wary of the dollar Columbian reperfs, they abound. Consider only certified stamps.
Lastly keep in mind that these Columbians were greatly disliked at the time by collectors. They sold very poorly and many collectors and the philatelic press pushed back against the post office for this 'money grab' and for 'issuing stamps solely for making money on collectors'.
Don
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
Thank you Don! My $2 stamp is used with certificate. I have my eye on a $4 proof. I will see if I can grab it. And I will take your advise on the certs!
I hope you are well and safe during these trying times!
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
For the Columbians I opted for used stamps (all with certs) with faults until I can do better:
but for State Department Officials, proofs seem to be the only reasonable alternative:
O68 and O71 are the real thing (with certs), O69P and O70P are proofs. They are VERY nice placeholders!
Proofs and stamps with faults are both good placeholders, in my opinion.
Lars
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
Tom, thanks for bringing your initial post back to life. I always enjoy seeing such posts, but had missed this one back in April!
Tom
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
Adding to my original post about the Columbian Exposition issues...
I just came across a very nice and informative article about the series of postcards.
https://postcardhistory.net/2021/08/charles-w-goldsmiths-official-columbian-exposition-postal-cards/
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
My two pages of Columbians. I make my own pages (AlbumEasy) and print on 30lb bond paper and use a 60lb stiffener. All archival (lignin free also). I put these in heavyweight archival sheet protectors and then in 3 ring binders of various sorts. I have not found a binder or binderbox that I think is perfect - yet. On these I am using clear top mounts but I have other collections I use black top mounts and some where like Tom, I just use two pocket sheet protectors or even stock books.
Columbian page #1
A crop of just the stamp area:
Columbian page #2
A crop of the top part of page #2
I use replicas that I make myself (all the ones with black border are replicas) rather than stamps with faults. Just my preference.
I also tend to perfer used stamps rather than MNH and not just because they are far less expensive. Although that is a consideration. I like to find ones with light cancels or interesting cancels. The $1 above I think is a nice stamp, even though it has a pretty heavy cancel. I am undecided whether to try to get the $2-$5 stamps. If I do, it will be as used.
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
Tom,
Excellent article - thanks for the link to it!
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
Nice pages. Was the border from Album Easy?
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re: Columbians And The Next Few Exhibitions
The border on my image above was not a default AlbumEasy border. I made up my own. Happy to share. Send me an email and I will send you two files and the directions to add to AlbumEasy.
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