Money Or Pleasure

I collect for the pleasure and the history that I get out of the various stamps I pick up. For me, it's like owning my own museum. I don't have to sink alot of money into my collection to have something interesting.I also like the people and connections I make doing trades etc.

i don't know where I got my collector gene...my parents collected nothing and did not share my love of reading...of course my kids are not interested in my stamps...so I will have my fun and leave the headaches to them...as my father before me !!

By the way, does this "Money or Pleasure" sounds alittle like sex.
Just saying!

pleasure. I just want something interesting to pass on to my children. It's the thrill of the chase and getting the item that's the thrill for me! Value, if any, is largely inconsequential.

pleasure all the way. it's a hobby... a way for me to relax and get away from the stresses of work. if I worried about the value of my collection, my stress level would increase.

Again, pleasure all the way;
BUT--, pleasure and money for me are inextricably entwined as well. I am very pleased to pick up a "great" (my definition of "great" also varies greatly with time) stamp -- sometimes a pretty stamp, sometimes a stamp with a story, and sometimes a stamp that is scarce and highly valued by society in terms of $$$ obtained for a paltry sum. (Yes, the Scottish heritage comes out quite often).

Finally, there is the pleasure of giving them away to another appreciative person after the pleasure of finding them and learning more about them has worn off.
For example, my new find of Mali engraved stamps (see Collecting by Engraver) excited me, but now I'm already looking for a way to get rid of them and give someone else the pleasure of acquisition -- maybe by fitting them into a donation auction.

I also collect for pleasure, BUT I also keep a beady eye on the value of my collection. I sincerely hope it will be my heirs and successors who have the task of selling off my collection, but just in case ...

My view may be coloured by the fact that, 50 years ago as a naive schoolboy, I decided to collect the Indian States. This has - finally - turned out to be a very lucky choice. Over the last ten or twelve years, the catalogue value of my collection has doubled, and it's been gaining even more rapidly over recent years.

Pleasure. I wanted a hobby that I could do sat in front of the tv on an evening, plus I have always been interested in geography and history anyway. Mind you, I wouldnt exactly be unhappy if a stamp worth a few grand popped up :p

If their is no money there is no stamp collecting pleasure!

I list and love to help collectors that buy the stamps.

My wife controls, totally the money part.
We are having no trouble making a good income.

We would of lost our home some months back if we had not sold and kept selling.
Our youngest can still have music lessons etc.

But nobody touches my Aust KGV penny reds.
So where does all that I fit in?

Pleasure. I'm all about filling the holes in my album pages.

Dianne

KGV Collector,

Was it the pleasure that got you to get the stamp or the $$ you got for selling the stamp. The only question I have is did you buy the stamps initially to sell or to collect.

Don't get me wrong, if it comes down to it, the collection goes, with no regrets. And I know I won't make half of what I paid for some of my stamps. I just hope it never comes to that.

Art

Art,

Would it matter ? Have you had enjoyment from your stamps ? If you have, then that must be worth lots.
If I go to a concert that costs me $200 then I have spent loads. But if I have a great and unforgettable time, then I can say it was worth it. At the end of the day there is nothing left. $200 plus expenses gone, in one evening.
Stamps are years, maybe even a whole life of memories...so we have all had our money's worth, haven't we ?

I recently valued a collection during a visit to London. The valuations I gave to the wife of the the deceased collector were a bit on the low side. I did not want to build up her hopes in such a volatile market. I needn't have worried.
She told me her husband had many,many years of enjoyment out of his hobby and it was money well spent for the time he had with his stamps.
She was pleased with my dossier and has let me dispose of the collection. "Just get what you can, don't worry and don't be out of pocket" were the words she said to me.

The bottom line is, when we are gone and there is no one to carry on the good work, our collections will go. But we have had them and enjoyed them....and that is the most important thing.

Londonbus1

Well said Londonbus1 !

Londonbus tells it like it is...and a man who TRULY enjoys his hobby...If my wife wants a philatelic item she buys it..but I am CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP ..i always try to get the very best buy possible...i have the potential to spend much more than I do and build a beautiful collection..but I am TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT !!

Oh No! according to my self analysis its money over pleasure...i can't let myself go !!