Buying Souvenir Cover "Collections"

Does anyone else have strong opinions on this subject? If they do, I would love to hear them. Otherwise, it will just be added to my growing list of guilty secrets.

I think anyone who is a collector as well as many non-collectors know what I am referring to as a prepared Cover Collection. These are the topical stamps attached to prepared covers, sometimes FDC postmarks, and following some sort of popular theme. Franklin Mint and various Nature Conservancy groups come to mind immediately as copious producers of these things.

For various reasons, these seldom live up to the advertised hype, largely because the companies tend to stress "Investment" value, which is basic hogwash, and the fact that they often provide covers which use one common value from a set rather than supplying the full set to the purchaser.

As such, I have always thought that they were a waste of money and energy but it was recently pointed out to me that there is an upside. These collections are often very nicely presented with illustration and text and do, sometimes, have the ability to fascinate people who generally have little or no interest in stamp collecting.

Because I have purchased several bulk lots recently, some of this type of commercial presentation has fallen into my hands. Some was sold on (Fifty U.S.A. State flags on FDC covers), some was given to kids who seemed interested in what was being displayed (Stamps reproduced in metal and displayed on cancelled covers), and some were warehoused until I can figure out just what to do with them (not quite full sets of U.S. 1980 Olympic Issues on FDC by Franklin Mint). I imagine that someone put out some serious cash for these at some point and, for them, I feel a bit sorry. But for the second or third generation of owners they just might have merit.

For myself, I kept about a dozen pages produced by a French firm, which display a wonderful sense of design and historical interest. A sampling of these are shown below and I would most likely spend actual money to add to ones found earlier. Now there, I have admitted it and, as I said in the introduction, I would really like to know if there are others that can be taken in by (bad choice of words?!?!) these productions.

Hi backroads, I am guilty of the same sometimes. I have seen some interesting commemorative and first day covers particularly the USA and if they are low price I will buy them. I never pay more than two dollars maximum.
Here is one I bought earlier this week. Sometimes you never know what stamp is going to turn up on a cover. Here in Australia there seems to be quite a few persons who collect stamps on covers and the Australian Stamp Monthly Magazine has a column every month re stamps on envelopes.
Regards
Horamakhet

Here is an album that came with a collection I purchased. Rather nicely done but definatly hype was put into initial sales. This one is labeled with persons name in gold lettering on the album cover and each internal cover is addressed to same with a half page write up on topic and nicely designed covers. Ironically this is an american issue sent to Canada so I would guess it is a bit more unique based on that . I'll do the rest of the pics soon as it will be for sale. Covers include xmas 1975 with 2 non denomination stamps, 50 state flags with delaware stamp, 50th anniversary of commercial aviation, telephone centenial, chemistry, bi-centennial ben franklin, 76 olympic games, july 4th 4 stamp issue, nurse clara Maass, adolph S Ochs, xmas 76, Washingtons victory at Princeton.
Odd thing is there is no room for additional covers or pages which one would think once they had you hooked they would keep sending material at outrageous fees.

I've been guilty of being taken by such offers from the Postal Commemorative Society, The Franklin Mint (in another hobby life of commemorative plates), etc. However, I knew in the back of my mind they were overpriced, but just didn't care at the time. Most of the time the covers, information, and binders are very well presented and good quality. I tend to stay away from those types of offers now though.

Guilty as charged. Reminds me of that song in the movie Dewey Cox.

I bought an album exactly like Nitro's except mine was the 1987 American Wildlife First Day Covers.

Yeah I overpaid. I like nature and the covers are well presented. I knew what I was getting and didn't sign up for some approval nightmare.

It was a nice addition.

Problem is if they boasted rarity or return on investment with the covers it makes no sense to have them personalized. I have quite a bit of stuff from the named collector on the album but short of finding another same named individual, the set is really hard to promote or sell and removing the covers seems a shame.

I think it's the advertising that I resent more than the items themselves.

It's getting caught by that "return on investment" or even "investment" cachet that is given to all these things which is hard on the uninitiated. I'll be the first to admit that some are very, very attractive and if you buy them knowing that you are really overpaying then more power to you.

In another collecting phase I bought silver "stuff" thinking it was a good deal. Now, thirty years later, with silver at $35.00 instead of $7.00, I might, just might recoup my money on melt value but the flag reproductions still are beautiful.

Nope: I wouldn't be caught dead in a ditch with any of this sort of stuff

Ahh! I do so love to see goodness, virtue and willpower all in a package to admire and emulate.

They kind of remind me of the Beany Baby craze. They became so expensive, and some thought they were an investment. My kids just liked to play with them, we even had one store owner tell them not to handle the toys!
Something mass produced is neither collectible (in the investment sense) nor rare. Also like those Disney videos going back into the vault. GET YOURS NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!

I have tons of that stuff.
Most of it I could really care less.
However, just for giggles, I used a large cover binder and filled
it with a topic of prepared covers. I had a full set of 50 state
flag FDCs and a complete set of 'birds/flowers' FDCs, along with
many individual state related prepared covers/FDCs. So I did 3 pages
or so for each state, and started out with the flag and bird/flower FDCs.
Then I filled the remaining pages with prepared cover/FDCs about
the states. I have many of the early FDCs and such, like Iowa, Tennessee,
etc... I filed them with their respective state pages. It is a really
nice presentation IMO. I also have multiples of the same stamps, with
different cachet maker examples. Same topic, all laid out nice and neat.

I would trade all my various prepared covers off this topic for covers
that relate to state anniversaries, flags, state symbols, etc...

So yeah, that's my guilty pleasure with prepared cover.

Let me reward you, Backroads, with a quotation from the diary of the English writer, Evelyn Waugh from March 1964, on Sir Winston's son:

'Randolph Churchill went into hospital...to have a lung removed. It was announced that the trouble was not 'malignant.' Seeing Ed Stanley in White's, on my way to Rome, I remarked that it was a typical triumph of modern science to find the only part of Randolph that was not malignant and remove it.'