What Do The Serious Collectors Buy/Collect ?

You can buy books or catalogs over the years for simple identification purposes and spend big bucks doing so, I don't think so. What is the price of a new set of Scotts and then purchasing a set every five-ten years?

But, to use the books and catalogs in a study of a stamp I agree.

Art

That's what I meant


Cheers

I'm a "serious" collector. Yet my interests are a foot deep and a mile wide! I collect the world classical era 1840-1940. The good news is one cannot spend a lot of $ on one country, yet the number of stamps usually available is often large. I expect I should have eventually about 35,000 stamps prior to 1940; that's a lot of stamps! I'm never bored as there are almost always some stamps to be picked up. And the classical era almost always has great looking stamps, or stamps that provide tangible evidence of a historical event. I think the shallow and cheap route to collecting has it's advantages. ;-)

Jim Jackson

I collect Ecuador for 35 years, I love classics, I stopped to buy modern issues on 2003 when a dealer, colleague from the local club was pointed as adviser of the Postal Ecuadorian System, were made more than hundred of issues in short quantities, in different papers, errors, etc. I was so upset, when the things come back normally on 2008 I start to buy again until now, but the collections have a hole, and now I am buying those issues at incredible expensive prices for 3 complete collections which I would like to give to my kids in the future.
So think seriously about to stop buy modern stamps at cost price.

Actually, I don't consider myself a serious collector. I've collecting postal items for forty years (I'm 52) just for the fun of it, I suppose I've spent a lot of money on it, but for me is just like the money spent on a beer: just for the fun of it... I don't ask for nothing else. Life is far too short to take it too seriously.

But as for my collecting interests, I do collect Scandinavia up to 1960, UK up to 1960, Germany, Denmark, 1990/1992 Estonia Postal History (USSR split period); and anything on paper that relates to the city of Barcelona: Postal history, stamps, cinderella, revenue stamps, commemorative postmarks (I've written two leaflets on them), books...

Lesser interests are used Baltics, Victorian issues; Catalonia postmarks, stamps and cinderellas...

I like also books very much, but my library is not big in that subject. But when some years ago in a second hand bookshop in Oxford I run into a 1913 copy of "The Boy's Book of Stamp Collecting", my eyes flashed and I've in front of me while I'm typing this message.

Who said that we collectors are just materialistic people? On the opposite I believe that we're the last of the romantics!

I collect for the fun of it. For the beauty and the history. I've always considered my stamp albums as small art and history museums without leaving your house.
I may not learn a lot about who designed the stamp and their history, and who printed the stamp etc, but I learn a lot about the subject of the stamp, and the history behind the events / people / topics depicted on it.
I just don't have the time right now to go more into detail. And I may never have that interest out of laziness and procrastination. But I certainly like reading some things on the forum here that go into that detail, such as the Engravings.

I still collect modern issues for some countries. Fortunately, except for the Netherlands, Canada and Portugal, most of the Scandinavian countries I collect are still quite modest with their issue plans.

We have to be careful about the definition of serious because serious isn't just knowledge of the stamp.... that's what a Philatelist is. You can be serious about your collection but never become a philatelist (a 'researcher' of stamps).
If you care for your stamps and enjoy what you're do, you may be having fun but you're 'serious' about it, determined.

AndrewF31 said:





I agree with you, but to a certain extent ...

A philatelist is the one of a class interested in "every" facet of the productions, postmarks, issues and use of postage stamps.

That does not necessarily apply to a "typical" collector. But as I said it before, collector must have at least "basic" info./knowledge about what s/he is collecting.

And you have said it as well:




The "history" part ...

If a collector does own a RARE postage stamp & has NO "basic" knowledge about it (just, something like, it's a USA stamp & it's rare). But he collects such stamps for investment/fun purpose, would you consider him a "serious" collector?


Cheers

When I started stamp collecting in 1952(!) I joined the thinking of the majority of new collectors in that I needed to have every stamp that was issued or will be issued. In the 1970's, I modified that to just US, and actually sold my worldwide collection (that was a big mistake).
Now I realize that stamp collecting is for MY enjoyment, not anyone elses, so I now concentrate on worldwide sets that I like. This is why I now am making my own pages or use Vario. If I used a commercial worldwide album, it would be 99% empty! Since I am also deep into genealogy, I enjoy researching covers as to who sent it and to whom sent. I also love to read the various topics and see the images that everyone in stampcommunity shares - that is what makes each of us unique and makes this site such an enjoyable one.

Wow ! this thread soldiers on ! A lot of good information being offered...with all due respect to my disciplined friends who can focus on one or two areas and have absolutely no interest in anything else...i have in an interest in almost anything philatelic..yes even classic U.S. which I have always feared...i like stamps, covers very much and now finaly Cinderellas !

I didn't read all five pages here, but I think others agree with me here:
A serious collector buys/collects/sorts/organizes whatever he/she enjoys.

I used to buy classic US, but then I became interested in bulls-eye cancels, US fancy cancels, barred numeral cancels of Victoria, Australia, slogan cancels of the US and cut squares of non-US stationery. So now I'm a SERIOUS collector of where a stamp has been and what's been stamped on it.

I used to think a serious collector was someone who collects for investment purposes and is concerned with filling their album pages. If that works for anyone, that's great.

I don't own any album pages because I'm not concerned with having one of each stamp. So maybe some would think I'm a frivolous collector. I'm having a lot of fun in the process.

~~Mary-Jane~~

No No..i wouldnt consider an investor a serious COLLECTOR..he has no FEELING for the stamps..they are only a commodity !!

If I knew then what I know now I would not have any album pages either...a dealer once told me "i pay for the stamps not the album" better to spend the money on a stamp !!