Greetings From Gloomy Rainy Still Feels Like Winter Maine

good evening.....
having been a reader of this forum for a while and a member for a month, I just realized that I never said hello and never read the rules of the forum. Having been raised by a mother who soaked stamps off envelopes for HE Harris Stamp Co in Boston, I guess you could say I was surrounded by stamps since birth. Although , after her death, my father, unknowingly, gave her large collection away for a couple of hundred dollars, his discover of a cardboard box full of glassines, and misc little bag fulls and my receiving them, about 10 years ago...a spark of familiarity was renewed and after purchasing an additional 6 or 7 collection books, scotts as well as home made...I have been, for the past 5 years, been sorting and researching and scanning and editing and considering sell, or save. I am extremely encouraged, not by the possibility of potential buyers from this forum as much as the idea that philately is NOT a dying hobby, and that I have not been holding on to all this stuff for naught. To say that the specific differences that make one stamp a 5 or 7 or 8 or 9 or 20 is not only mind boggling, but extremely encouraging when I consider that , these stamps were not put aside , and assumed to be low value, but saved because they might be something............something that no one has ever seen.
I dont mean to come off as a lazy mooch, not willing to do my own homework and research...and I dont expect to walk in and pick everyones brain as if I were a naive novice, although I am exactly that. I guess, maybe I will post a few images and see what I have.
My only experience with a 2c Jackson with a Feb 1863 cancel, ended up, by APS Certification, to be a post office error. I now have a few more, so the grill issue is the specific learning experience, unlike the 5,9 etc. Anyways...sorry I get long winded, but am also capable of yes or no answers as needed.

Welcome from another forum newbie! :-)

hi, nichole, and thank you

Welcome to the group :)

builderr, welcome to SCF. The cumulative knowledge of this forum is outstanding. An important thing to understand about research is sometimes it is the long hours of going through mountains of materials and sometimes its just asking someone who has gone through mountains of materials. Always ask first the answer may be there.

Welcome to the forum builderr

welcome builderr. I hope you enjoy good conversation, interesting scans and thought provoking questions. You will find all of that here as well as some discussion about stamps (just kidding). This is THE stamp place and we are glad to have you with us. - Jeff (still raining here in Massachusetts too)

Welcome to the forum (one newbie to another I guess). Spring never showed up here in Mass as well; bring on the summer I suppose. You'll find the most knowledgeable folks here; philately is so much more fun!

Hello and welcome Builderr!




This was most fascinating to me. I would love to hear more details if you have the time. I have always wondered how the big companies did this.

Do you know if they still do this? I would love to get paid for soaking stamps!

Welcome to SCF from someone from the other gray, gloomy, still feels like winter, city of Portland!

Greetings from Oman. I wish I could trade you a few days of this 110 degree weather for a few days of rainy overcast cool weather!

Welcome builderr, glad to have you here, trees are just budding out up here in Nova Scotia. Nice time of year.

I, too, would love to here any stories you might remember about Harris.

still raining here is Massachusetts

Even a native has his limits. 110 doesn't sound fun, but 80 would be nice :)

http://www.kgw.com/news/It-rains-to...1671834.html

I wonder how big the "Vat" was to soak off the stamps--much bigger than my kitchen sink Im sure!

Welcome builderr

Glad you could join us.

Dianne