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Hello to everyone & thanks to all of you for your gracious replies in my first post. I thought I would post a general introduction here, as well as in my response to some of you earlier in another section.
After years of collecting Soviet and German WWII military combat awards, where I really honed my skills in establishing authenticity and in dealing only with world-class dealers concerning very high-end specimens, I have returned to the world of philately, where I first started collecting as a boy. I learned a fair amount about forums and the use of forums in the areas mentioned above (Soviet Military Awards Forum and the German Combat Awards Forum) where experts and enthusiasts exchange information and share knowledge in detecting forgeries and reproductions, and in obtaining information concerning respectable dealers. Those two areas mentioned above are rife with forgeries and reproductions, due to the value of authentic period items. Up to 90% of the German and Soviet-era WWII combat medals and Orders seen on display at various shows and conventions in the US (and in foreign shows) are fake or non-period pieces, and most of the smaller dealers don't even know it, as they have been trading with, and developing their own expertise on, each other and the reproduction copies - they even think the reproductions are real! Anyway, I digress...
I am happy to have found this forum and hope it is as rewarding as the other forums that I mentioned.
I have finished my US Commemorative collection (only pre-1930's) and the airmails and regular postal issues as far as I had an interest Minus a few inverts...). Outside of the commemorative, I only collect mint issues of specific fascination or interest to me. At the moment, my focus is on collecting 1909-1930 red 2-cent commemorative full sheets, and on completing my collection of "BOB" (I don't like the term "BOB", as issues in some areas far exceed the beauty and engraving of regular and commemorative issues) stamps of specific beauty and engraving, such as the Parcel Posts (completed), ducks (completed), the newspaper (PR) and periodicals (real beauties and under-appreciated), and the documentary-revenue issues of 1860's to 1870's - there are some real beauties for bi-colored vignettes and engraved issues there as well...
I also have an interest in British Commonwealth North Borneo stamps (to 1930 or so only), again for engraving, vignette subjects, and color... they are quite interesting for imagery...
I am a "colorist" and multiple colors and engraving detail interest me very much, as well as the historical aspects of the Documentary-Revenues, where individuals often hand-cancelled stamps with their names, initials, and dates with great calligraphy.
I do attend a number of auctions on-line through the Stamp Auction Network for specific examples of specimens (from Siegel, Heritage, Spinks-Shreve, SHP, and others), as the material tends to have PSE or similar certification for quality and authenticity.
What I have learned from the military awards and philatelic communities is that quality & authenticity count very much; so, in the stamp world I try to obtain graded pieces when looking for high-end specimens. And although I collect out of interest, if future circumstances require it, I can always find a market for my high-end pieces. "Collect for interest, but collect quality at whatever level you collect" is my creed. I will pass up several less-expensive items that I would like to have in order to purchase just one quality piece. As an example, even 1940's commemoratives (which I do not collect)can command prices of 100$ each or more, if they have PSE Certifications of XF-Superb, Superb and Gem (grades 95, 98, and 100). I believe that this PSE grading and authentication system is revolutionizing the philatelic community and is making much clearer the picture concerning grade and quality for the average collectors, who have been victims of the irregularities of stamp quality & grading in the past by the myriad of dealers that have always been around. That is the main reason that I stopped collecting stamps in the early 60's - that and monetary issues as I entered the business and family-raising worlds.
Now, I can use knowledge gleaned from a world of experience to re-vitalize my stamp collecting and make use of forums such as this one.
Thank you all again for the kind reception.
Keith9
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Posted 07/13/2008 11:52 am
