What Do The Serious Collectors Buy/Collect ?

I also consider myself a very serious collector and my holiday plans are a testament to that. However, I do like to tell jokes, make fun of and have a laugh with my hobby. It is after all a Hobby....something to be enjoyed.
I am not in it for the money, I have very little of value and most likely never will have. I just enjoy my time at my desk 100%.
I collect Cinderellas and Flags and bits of other stuff...but I am deadly serious.

Londonbus1.....and not

I would echo those who decrie the self adhesive stamps based on the fragility of the paper and difficulty in releasing them from covers intact, not torn, and without remnant. I do not collect recent foreign stamps unless unusually beautiful or from a country that for an American has a certain mystique or emotional pull to it, like Vietnam. For the US, I don't buy stamps anymore, generally send everything that I do postally by meter, and if I had to use stamps, would probably cut into my post 1940 US unused singles, since they are worth nothing other than the postage. I will soak off high value US stamps from letters or packages or if they have a sock on the nose cancel, are attractive, or I do not have an example. I would place them in a Heritage album, which is the only album I have for recent US stamps. I define a high value US stamp as those used on priority or express mailings. In this regard I appreciate dealers and expertizers such as Bill Weiss who use high denomination postage on such mailings. Unfortunately, often the post office goes out of their way to deface the stamps prior to receipt by pen cancels, etc. Unfortunately, whether high value or not, nothing compares to the old engraved stamps. The last high value US stamp that came close to that in my opinion was the 1995 Washington and Jackson $5 (Scott 2592).

I am a worldwide collector and I initially set 2001 as my cutoff. I am now expanding it through 2010. There are some really nice looking stamps being issued now. With the Royal Wedding, the Olympics every two years and of course all the wildlife. With the new printing methods available stamps are looking really nice and colorful. I do hate the self-adhesives. I agree with an earlier post that the old engraved stamps are some of the best ever made. Beside I gotta get some Beatle stamps.

Nice Londonbus1.

I believe this is the only Beatles stamp I have. Of course its from that conservative stamp issuing country St. Vincent.

Quote; "Define "serious collector"? Is it the one that spent a boatload of money on his/her collection? Or the ones that spend 90% of their waking time searching and organizing? Or the one that look at the collection mostly from the standpoint of Return-on-investment"?


Aisaev, yes - spot on. Looking back three decades at collector/friends your definition fits perfectly with an addition, accumulated knowledge.

When they(serious collectors) sold/pasted on their collection(s) it was evident their time and money was spent wisely. Yes, some made mistakes yesterday, only to learn a lesson today and buy wisely tomorrow. That imo defines the 'Serious Collector' and what he/she will buy/collect, NEVER shooting themselves in the foot to 'Advise' others what they should buy/collect.

Just as long as noone runs away with the idea that spending a boatload of money on one's collection and being a serious collector are mutually exclusive. Or that expecting a decent return on one's investment doesn't make one a serious collector. Ask that very serious collector of 'Roos, Arthur Gray. And in my own, much more humble way, I've spent a boatload of cash on my collection, I expect my heirs and successors in law will make a tidy return on my investment, and I certainly claim to be a serious collector (I've added four items to Gibbons' listing of my chosen country).

On the other hand, anyone who throws a boatload of cash at slabbed common US commemoratives which have been given some silly grading, certainly isn't a serious, or even a collector at all. But as the old saying goes, 'A fool and his money ...'

I focused on US when I became serious, but quickly got fed up with the expense of modern issues. Now I've focused on US definitives and have no year cut off. I've made my own pages, which organize these issues by design and series rather than the awful date approach that Scott uses. I also love the old US souvenir sheets, so I collect those as well. I quickly realized that mini-sheets messed up my definition, and now I only look for sheets with interesting selvage.

I just started a new collection of world wide stamps in use by participants of (and during) WWI. I'm thrilled with this new expansion.

Oh if I only knew the different interpretations when I started this..LB my son is a Bob Dylan fan but he and his soul mate have tickets for McCartney...i guess its a once in a lifetime thing !!

The Italian colonies keep dragging me back in !

Following up on the comments made about being an educated collector - which I agree with and strive to be - I would submit that serious collectors/buyers acquire and collect philatelic literature - from general/commercial types to more specialized monographs, in addition to the stamps they purchase.

Just my two cents.

Yirmeyahu said:




It's one of the most comprehensive definition of "Serious" collectors/buyers!


Cheers

Agreed, if you collect a country on a serious basis you have to go beyond the usual worldwide catalogs...they barely touch the tip of the iceberg...i have a friend who is having a book published...an organization is printing it for him. He will not profit monetarily from it...i would love to have a copy..but at $130.00 for a soft cover copy....i will have to go without !!

What defines a serious collector?
I really don't a clue!

I have spent serious money on my collection, hundreds of $$ for a single stamp.
Does that make me a serious collector? I don't think so.

I have spent serious money on my collection, hundreds of $$ in the housing of my collection.
Does that make me a serious collector? I don't think so.

I have traveled hundreds of miles, across country in fact, just to go to a stamp show.
Does that make me a serious collector? I don't think so.

I have spent serious money on my collection, hundreds of $$ in the books concerning my collection.
Does that make me a serious collector? I don't think so.

I have spent many hours studying a single stamp and the varieties of that stamp.
Does that make me a serious collector? Yes, I think so.

I'm sure there are many reasons that define a serious collector and the reasons vary between collectors.

Art

artlaunier said:




If you buy these books not for the sake of their rarities or to have an array of important books for instance but to read/go through them (maybe in depth), why it does not make you a "Serious" collector?!

What's the definition of the word "Philatelist"?


Cheers