Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Having recently visited Stamps Unlimited of Georgia, I remembered how nice it was to sit at a counter and browse through books of stamps. ( I'm specifically recalling Ray Bouknight's stamp shop in Columbia, SC... such a nice old guy, I loved going to his place when I was in college. Long gone now. ) There are no stamp shops where I live in Chattanooga... there is a dealer with a storefront, but he made it clear to me that he only serviced wealthy collectors and didn't carry any "average" stamps.
But I do travel a bit, and I wonder if anyone has compiled any kind of directory of remaining stamp shops still in existence? It'd be great to visit a counter and pull a few stamps while I'm on the road, but the few that are left are difficult to find.
Some kind of directory with stamp shops listed by city would be great to have, both for collectors and dealers.
I did manage to visit Champion in NYC when I was traveling, but that's all I've managed to uncover. Anyone else had better luck?
Best
BG
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BG
If you ever get to NJ, you can visit with me, but be prepared to spend a week or more going through my stock,
Richaard
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08:40:04pm
The last great stamp store I have found is;
Treasure Coast Stamps
133 North 2nd Street
Fort Pierce, Florida
( A bit north of Miami on the East Coast)
Ralph has a large eBay business also, so the store is only open Thursday to Saturday, in the afternoons. He has a fantastic selection of stamps.
I wish I lived closer and could stop in more often.
Charlie
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Collectors Corner in Lowell, Michigan is another.
Roger (the owner and a former postmaster) deals in stamps, coins, gold, silver and watches.
He's a very helpful gent and if you're there and don't find anything of interest, you might just get into a game of cribbage with him....or a boardgame of parchesi...or Sorry...or chess!
It's a good place to chat and pass the time, with pleasant surroundings in a century old storefront.
I've spent many an hour there! ( and even lost a cribbage game or two!)
Randy
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A MUST-VISIT FOR STAMPORAMA MEMBERS WHEN IN VANCOUVER, BC, IS "F.v.H. STAMPS" ON CORDOVA STREET. FRANK von HAUSEN'S SHOP IS UNABASHEDLY STOLEN - LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL - FROM A CHARLES DICKEN'S NOVEL - PHILATELIA FROM WALL TO WALL AND FLOOR TO RAFTERS; ALL JAM-PACKED INTO A SUBTERRANEAN ROOM THAT OOZES AN UNIQUE ANTIQUARIAN STAMP-SHOP ATMOSPHERE. HIS FIRE-INSURANCE UNDERWRITER WOULD HAVE CARDIAC ARREST IF IT EVER INSPECTED THE PROPERTY.
FRANK von HAUSEN IS AN HONOURABLE, HELPFUL AND PERSONABLE STAMP DEALER WHO MUST HAVE A PHENOMENAL MEMORY FOR WHAT SEEM TO BE A VISUALLY DISORGANIZED OPERATION, AS HE CAN IMMEDIATELY LAY HIS HANDS ON WHATEVER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR . ALTHOUGH HE HAS AN ON-LINE WEEKLY AUCTION SITE, I WOULD HEARTILY RECOMMEND A VISIT TO "F.v.H. STAMPS" FOR A SEEING-IS BELIEVING EXPERIENCE (BRING YOUR CAMERA). FAIL TO UNDERSTAND WHY VANCOUVER TOURISM DOESN'T PROMOTE HIM, OR THE CITY DECLARE HIS SHOP AN HERITAGE PROPERTY.
I VISIT VANCOUVER SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR AND, ALTHOUGH MORE STAMPS AND SUPPLIES ARE THE LAST THING I NEED, AM IRRESISTIBLY DRAWN TO THIS PLACE EVERY TIME I'M IN TOWN.
JOHN DERRY
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I'd have to agree with the previous poster about Frank von Hausen's stamp shop. My husband and I had a fortnight touring around British Columbia and Alberta in May 2000. We spent a delightful couple of hours on a wet Saturday afternoon sitting in Frank's shop, chatting about stamps while he worked his way through my Canadian wantlist (organised by SG cat. numbers). He did a great job matching the stamps with his Unitrade cat., and nothing was too much trouble for him. I've still got his business card tucked away with my Canadian stamps.
If anyone comes to Melbourne you really should visit Max Stern's shop in Port Phillip Arcade (234 Flinders Street, opposite Flinders Street Station). His shop has expanded over the years, and now takes up half of one side of the arcade. When we were kids my brother and I used to save up our pocket money to visit his shop in the school holidays.
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Hunt & Co. in Austin, TX is worth a visit.
Although Brian Hunt (who's an old friend from when I lived in Austin) has become heavily "internet involved," he still keeps shop hours on Tuesdays-- or you can visit the shop by appointment.
Brian and wife Lori are good people-- they have had the store for 23 years.
~Peter
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I have been to the store in Ft. Pierce about 3-4 years ago. My wife and I were just passing through, taking a break off of I-95, and probably looking for food -- don't remember the details anymore. In any event, we are walking around downtown and all of a sudden I am standing in front of a STAMP STORE! And it was OPEN! I had NO time to check it out in every respect. We had 5-6 hours of driving behind us and 2 1/2 yet ahead of us. I bought a few covers -- I remember there was not too much with respect to covers available at the time -- but it was an all around pleasant experience. Never managed to get back.
My addition to the list is Packard's Stamp and Rock Shop in Midlothian, Va. (basically Richmond). I have been there many times. It is the oddest combination of a store for rocks, fossils from all over the world as well as jewelry supplies (beading) and stamps. It is a second generation stamp store. In business since 1936! Dave Packard runs the store. His brother Jim is often around, too. And last time I was there in May of this year Ms. Packard, the founder of the company, was still sitting in a corner clipping and sorting stamps in her mid-90s. -- This is an old-fashioned shop. There is no internet presence and the store is open every day (maybe not Sunday).
Arno
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I agree with John and Jill about Franks Shop (FvH Stamps)
Love going in there browsing, its more cluttered than my stamp room.
He is also very helpful and been a big help to me the last 20+ years.
I think its the only stamp shop I have been in where you can look and touch everything from albums,kiloware,auction lots,catalogs,It,s not hid behind big counters and quite often you have to make your way thru stacked albums and boxes full of stamps taking up floor space.
He has also been a big help identyfying weird stamps and cancels for me.
He also got me very good prices for some of my husbands collections I took to him and he is very honest.
Lee
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05:58:27pm
Hi Folks:
Having recently visited Stamps Unlimited of Georgia, I remembered how nice it was to sit at a counter and browse through books of stamps. ( I'm specifically recalling Ray Bouknight's stamp shop in Columbia, SC... such a nice old guy, I loved going to his place when I was in college. Long gone now. ) There are no stamp shops where I live in Chattanooga... there is a dealer with a storefront, but he made it clear to me that he only serviced wealthy collectors and didn't carry any "average" stamps.
But I do travel a bit, and I wonder if anyone has compiled any kind of directory of remaining stamp shops still in existence? It'd be great to visit a counter and pull a few stamps while I'm on the road, but the few that are left are difficult to find.
Some kind of directory with stamp shops listed by city would be great to have, both for collectors and dealers.
I did manage to visit Champion in NYC when I was traveling, but that's all I've managed to uncover. Anyone else had better luck?
Best
BG
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re: Stamp shops -- which ones do you know and like?
BG
If you ever get to NJ, you can visit with me, but be prepared to spend a week or more going through my stock,
Richaard
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
08 Dec 2011
08:40:04pm
re: Stamp shops -- which ones do you know and like?
The last great stamp store I have found is;
Treasure Coast Stamps
133 North 2nd Street
Fort Pierce, Florida
( A bit north of Miami on the East Coast)
Ralph has a large eBay business also, so the store is only open Thursday to Saturday, in the afternoons. He has a fantastic selection of stamps.
I wish I lived closer and could stop in more often.
Charlie
Login to Like
this post
re: Stamp shops -- which ones do you know and like?
Collectors Corner in Lowell, Michigan is another.
Roger (the owner and a former postmaster) deals in stamps, coins, gold, silver and watches.
He's a very helpful gent and if you're there and don't find anything of interest, you might just get into a game of cribbage with him....or a boardgame of parchesi...or Sorry...or chess!
It's a good place to chat and pass the time, with pleasant surroundings in a century old storefront.
I've spent many an hour there! ( and even lost a cribbage game or two!)
Randy
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The past is a foreign country, they do things different there.
10 Dec 2011
04:31:54pm
re: Stamp shops -- which ones do you know and like?
A MUST-VISIT FOR STAMPORAMA MEMBERS WHEN IN VANCOUVER, BC, IS "F.v.H. STAMPS" ON CORDOVA STREET. FRANK von HAUSEN'S SHOP IS UNABASHEDLY STOLEN - LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL - FROM A CHARLES DICKEN'S NOVEL - PHILATELIA FROM WALL TO WALL AND FLOOR TO RAFTERS; ALL JAM-PACKED INTO A SUBTERRANEAN ROOM THAT OOZES AN UNIQUE ANTIQUARIAN STAMP-SHOP ATMOSPHERE. HIS FIRE-INSURANCE UNDERWRITER WOULD HAVE CARDIAC ARREST IF IT EVER INSPECTED THE PROPERTY.
FRANK von HAUSEN IS AN HONOURABLE, HELPFUL AND PERSONABLE STAMP DEALER WHO MUST HAVE A PHENOMENAL MEMORY FOR WHAT SEEM TO BE A VISUALLY DISORGANIZED OPERATION, AS HE CAN IMMEDIATELY LAY HIS HANDS ON WHATEVER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR . ALTHOUGH HE HAS AN ON-LINE WEEKLY AUCTION SITE, I WOULD HEARTILY RECOMMEND A VISIT TO "F.v.H. STAMPS" FOR A SEEING-IS BELIEVING EXPERIENCE (BRING YOUR CAMERA). FAIL TO UNDERSTAND WHY VANCOUVER TOURISM DOESN'T PROMOTE HIM, OR THE CITY DECLARE HIS SHOP AN HERITAGE PROPERTY.
I VISIT VANCOUVER SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR AND, ALTHOUGH MORE STAMPS AND SUPPLIES ARE THE LAST THING I NEED, AM IRRESISTIBLY DRAWN TO THIS PLACE EVERY TIME I'M IN TOWN.
JOHN DERRY
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06:48:22am
re: Stamp shops -- which ones do you know and like?
I'd have to agree with the previous poster about Frank von Hausen's stamp shop. My husband and I had a fortnight touring around British Columbia and Alberta in May 2000. We spent a delightful couple of hours on a wet Saturday afternoon sitting in Frank's shop, chatting about stamps while he worked his way through my Canadian wantlist (organised by SG cat. numbers). He did a great job matching the stamps with his Unitrade cat., and nothing was too much trouble for him. I've still got his business card tucked away with my Canadian stamps.
If anyone comes to Melbourne you really should visit Max Stern's shop in Port Phillip Arcade (234 Flinders Street, opposite Flinders Street Station). His shop has expanded over the years, and now takes up half of one side of the arcade. When we were kids my brother and I used to save up our pocket money to visit his shop in the school holidays.
Login to Like
this post
re: Stamp shops -- which ones do you know and like?
Hunt & Co. in Austin, TX is worth a visit.
Although Brian Hunt (who's an old friend from when I lived in Austin) has become heavily "internet involved," he still keeps shop hours on Tuesdays-- or you can visit the shop by appointment.
Brian and wife Lori are good people-- they have had the store for 23 years.
~Peter
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Stamp shops -- which ones do you know and like?
I have been to the store in Ft. Pierce about 3-4 years ago. My wife and I were just passing through, taking a break off of I-95, and probably looking for food -- don't remember the details anymore. In any event, we are walking around downtown and all of a sudden I am standing in front of a STAMP STORE! And it was OPEN! I had NO time to check it out in every respect. We had 5-6 hours of driving behind us and 2 1/2 yet ahead of us. I bought a few covers -- I remember there was not too much with respect to covers available at the time -- but it was an all around pleasant experience. Never managed to get back.
My addition to the list is Packard's Stamp and Rock Shop in Midlothian, Va. (basically Richmond). I have been there many times. It is the oddest combination of a store for rocks, fossils from all over the world as well as jewelry supplies (beading) and stamps. It is a second generation stamp store. In business since 1936! Dave Packard runs the store. His brother Jim is often around, too. And last time I was there in May of this year Ms. Packard, the founder of the company, was still sitting in a corner clipping and sorting stamps in her mid-90s. -- This is an old-fashioned shop. There is no internet presence and the store is open every day (maybe not Sunday).
Arno
Login to Like
this post
re: Stamp shops -- which ones do you know and like?
I agree with John and Jill about Franks Shop (FvH Stamps)
Love going in there browsing, its more cluttered than my stamp room.
He is also very helpful and been a big help to me the last 20+ years.
I think its the only stamp shop I have been in where you can look and touch everything from albums,kiloware,auction lots,catalogs,It,s not hid behind big counters and quite often you have to make your way thru stacked albums and boxes full of stamps taking up floor space.
He has also been a big help identyfying weird stamps and cancels for me.
He also got me very good prices for some of my husbands collections I took to him and he is very honest.
Lee
Login to Like
this post