What Do The Serious Collectors Buy/Collect ?

I guess I'd qualify as a serious collector.
When I started up again, just a year ago, I sold most of my childhood 'world' collection to concentrate on Canada and US. My cut off date is 1960. It's arbitrary (the year I was born ) but I wanted to focus, and figured that time period would do it. Of course in the last year I've strayed and expanded my 'collecting focus'
But when I look to buy, I usually have something in mind, or a hole to fill.
And of course it has to be fun!

James, there it is...i think most collectors are able to determine if they are serious collectors or not...they might be serious if they attend auctions and stamp shows..belong to a stamp club, read philatelic journals and magazines...own a set of stamp catalogs...it can not be too difficult !

My cutoff is 1993, it's entirely arbitrary, it was the last page in my albums when I decided enough was enough. As far as being "serious", that word has no meaning to me. I collect what I like, I don't collect what I don't like and I couldn't care less if anyone likes it. I'm not doing it to show off, I'm doing it because I enjoy it and that's all that matters to me.

mine stop 1980.... I try and collect USA Ireland and Austrian stamps but if I buy a old album and hthere other stamsp will place them in my books,,,

This year has me focusing on 1901-1960ish MNH US, Canada, and Germany. Surprisingly, Germany is proving to be the most challenging of the three in terms of expense and availability, with the late 1940s/early 1950s (FRD, DDR, & Berlin) being far more expensive than any of the Western countries.

Phil, I was just reading again you original premise for this thread, the future of collecting and the validity of modern issues. I was at an auction today (no luck) and was speaking to another collector who, when, I told him my collecting parameters, said, quite adamantly that modern stamps were where it's at. He's convinced that more people (bosses especially) were security conscious and shredding mail, making modern used postage harder to come by. A little paranoid conspiracy theory-ish I thought.
But he was telling me that his Canadian collection is almost complete (just the high end pieces missing) so now he focuses on errors, misprints etc. Buys a kiloware and searches for that holy grail.
I guess my long winded point is, he's collecting what interests him. Collecting,it seems, is an obsession based practice - it has become for me anyway. If he enjoys it, and he seemed VERY serious, than that's all that counts. And as long as some of us have that interest, it will survive.

'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' - Margaret Wolfe Hungerford 1878

'Everything is beautiful, in it's own way . . .' - Ray Stevens 1970's

'I enjoy appreciating beauty.' - Puzzler 2011

I collect British Commonwealth postage dues. Australia stopped issuing in 1961, New Zealand in 1951 so there are many dead areas to collect. I also obtain modern material where I can but I'm not inclined to spend a lot of money on that sort of material.

A couple of people have asked about the definition of a serious collector. I would regard that as someone who identifies what they want to achieve and do so within a budget. Just because you can spend $10,000 a year, doesn't mean you are serious. Just because you only spend $5 a month doesn't mean you can't be serious about your collecting. To me it is goal setting that creates the difference.

I just want to make a small comment after going through this interesting topic comprising different own perspective replies which are totally understandable & most appreciative ...

Apart from what was said, "Serious" Stamp Collecting is ALL about knowledge.

Whether you are collecting classic or modern issues, whether collecting worldwide or certain countrie(s)/issue(s)/printing method ...etc & regardless its "rarity" or "availability", if I don't have the "basic", then there is NO value of collecting!

I might collect "very common" stamps & have general knowledge or specializing in them, & other who collects "very rare" stamps but has no idea about them (maybe for investment wise) ... In such a case who would be considered a "Serious" stamp collector??

The Beauty of Stamps Collecting is Knowledge (not necessarily the details, but at least general info.), then it comes the "look" of postage stamps that you are interesting in.

For instance, I might be interested in a certain postage stamp or an issue but can't afford it, however, I have gathered all info. about it & still trying other resources to build up my knowledge further, where, someone in the return is owning this very postage stamp or issue but has no idea about it or has a "very" little info. (like, it's a US stamp issued in 1900 & it's "very rare") ... Who would be considered a "Serious" stamp collector??


Cheers

I consider myself a very serious collector. I never tell jokes about stamps!

My collections of individual countries usually cut off at the point I no longer enjoy looking at the stamps. This usually coincides with that country's phasing out of intaglio engraved stamps. Each country varies, for example, Chile had some pretty ugly stamps in the 1960's and then their designs got better for a while.

However, I will collect any definitive issues, the more variegated the better. In my Canada and US pages, beginning at about 1980, I have deleted spaces for commemorative stamps. I don't have enough interest in something that was printed without paper, color, perf, watermark, etc variations.

Machins are a great example. There is a lifetime's worth of collecting in just one series.

Agreed with @DCottrell. Machins are what keep me interested in the modern era.

Hi

I collect Colombia, all material including new issues. This collection is like a photo album for my wife. However, new issues are getting very expensive.

I stopped Ecuador new issues this year. I will purchase stamps to complete up to 2011.

Venezuela I stopped collecting in general but have started to specialize in Escuelas.

Collecting Latin America stamps, especially the countries listed above, is difficult to say the least in my local area. A few reasons are:

1. A lot of classic stamps that I need are too expensive, since I have retired.

2. At the local stamp shows, dealers have almost nothing Latin (mostly common material). Even my dealer friend gets very little material in my collecting arena.

3. Since ebay changed policy about personal checks, a lot of dealers that once accepted a personal check do not do so any more. It is my "etched in stone" policy not to use credit cards on-line or to trust PayPal. Therefore, the reason for personal checks.

4. I will not buy classic stamps unless I can see them first-hand. I am not an expert by any means but in most cases I can identify the fakes.

Jerry B

I personally don't buy many new issues if at all short of a few odds and ends in a mixed lot for postage. I mentioned it before and got pretty well shot down but with the modern issues at least commems the production numbers are dropping more and more so just from a rarity stand point I believe there are some potential values to be had. Most are shell shocked from the late 60's 70's material that is so abundant and devalued that anything modern scares them away. I think there are great opportunities in some modern material but as said many times you have to like it to really collect it.

I wholeheartedly agree. If we are truly serious and passionate about your collection, we try to learn everything we can about our stamps, cancellations, and even the subject matter depicted on the stamps.

How boring it would be to just collect and know nothing about our collections!

Rileysan said:




Amen to that!

Cheers