Greetings From Beaverton, Oregon!

Hi everyone!

My name is Lynn. I stumbled upon this forum about 20 minutes ago while doing a search for a particular stamp I just received in the mail. (I'll leave my question about the stamp for the appropriate category)

What convinced me that signing up was the right thing to do was one of the rules I just read about using IM speak on the forum, and breaking posts up into actual paragraphs. I would like to hug the person who made that rule. THANK YOU!!

I am going to lay this out on the table... I am a newbie to stamp collecting, and do not collect really valuable stamps. See, I started collecting stamps when I was 13. I kept it up through high school, but had to give it up after I got married. My ex didn't appreciate the hobby. So, 25 years and 2 husbands later, I found someone who is as crazy about model trains as I was about stamps, so I'm collecting again! Yeah, the past 10 years I kept saying "I'm going to start my stamp collection again..." but never had time. Now I DO have time since I can no longer work.

The only thing that I insist on with my collection is that all stamps must be used. Some people like new, but not me. I want to know that my stamp actually went somewhere. Someone used it.

Wow... I do tend to go on and on! Sorry about that!

Glad to be here and glad to learn about all of you here!

Have a great evening!

Lynn

Bundespostal, a big welcome to SCF, you have a refreshing attitude about stamps.

Bundespostal, you are going to get along famously with many of our members as they love used stamps as well. I want to welcome you and let you know that I am excited about your joining our forum. I hope that the days ahead let you scan some images of your stamps and show them to us. Welcome aboard! - Jeff

Lynn

Glad you could join us. Ask away, there is always someone here that can answer those questions. Always happy to have another non-IM speak person around.

WOW! Thank you so much for making me feel very welcomed!

I will love scanning and sharing the stamps that I think are really cool, like the one I got in the mail yesterday... Not too rare, but it's the oldest one I have... An Australian "Victoria Two Pence" stamp from the 1860s! It's my only 19th century stamp, and I'm very excited! It's used, but never hinged, which makes me even happier!

It was kind of funny yesterday, I got this stamp in the mail, and my husband got a N Scale box car in the mail, and we were both really excited... and when we did the "Look at this, isn't it cool?" thing, we both had to laugh because to me, it was just a box car and to him it was just a stamp. hahahaha But, we give that to each other. We both understand the excitement of collecting.

I can put photos on facebook and add comments like, "Check out this stamp! It's from Canada/Australia/Japan/Groovefunkistan, etc..." and I swear I can hear the internet crickets because of the deafening silence. Now I have a place to show my excitement!

Disclaimer: Groovefunkistan is not real. Any similarities between Groovefunkistan and any other funkistan is purely coincidental. Professional stamp collector on a closed course. Please do not attempt. See store for details. Groovefunkistan residents add 3% sales tax. Void where prohibited.

Welcome Lynn..i also much prefer the postally used..but not exclusively !!

Lynn! It sure sounds like you are haveing a blast now that you and your mate share similar interests in collecting! I'm very happy for you and I must admit that I admire your excitement! We LOVE pictures and can't wait to see your stamps! Again and enjoy your stay! -Jay

I'll add another to you Lynn!

Our membership here spans the globe, so when I say you and I are neighbors because I live in Seattle, the distance is relatively small.

I got a giggle out of hearing about you and your dear hubby comparing your recent treasures. Maybe you could find some trains on stamps for him. There is a thread for trains on stamps here:
https://goscf.com/t/2055

~~ Mary-Jane ~~

Hello Bundespostal Lynn, welcome!

I have boxes of N-scale train stuff unopened for years here. Got into stamps again after a long time away and that has kept me busy.

I do like a good train on a stamp though. Or a good stamp on a train!

Tell hubby he could probably use some cinderella stamps (non-postal issued) as posters or signs on his layout(s). He had better have named part of his layout after you! lol (Lynn's Diner or something)

Love your thinking on used stamps. But used stamps are not usually referred to as unhinged as all you have to do is soak them (most stamps) in water and the hinge remnants and hinge glue come right off. But some do like to buy them unhinged I suppose. Harder to hide defects when all the hinge remnants are gone.

Anyway, welcome, have fun.
Doug

Welcome Lynn

You have certainly found the right place here. There are many of us here with similar stories to yours. I also collect for fun and prefer used stamps. But will take mint in a pinch to fill a hole in my album.

Hope you have fun with us.

Dianne

Wow! You all can not imagine how welcomed I feel! To Doug, not only does my husband use my name on the train layout, I have an entire town, Lynnville! We actually are working on it together, as I have a love for classic advertising as well, so I'm in charge of creating all the billboards and advertising on the buildings. I am working on the layout with him, and we even have decided to model a fictitious railroad called Midwest and Pacific. I'm from the mid-west, Kansas City, Mo, and he's from Portland, Oregon, where we currently live, so Midwest and Pacific it is! (called the Mid-Pac for short).

That's neat. Thanks for the details.

I tried to find the Zazzle stamps that a guy made with good drawings of a different rail car on each stamp but Zazzle is all complicated with selling everything now. hard to find things for me. I had the idea of making Canada personal stamps with a train car on each stamp, copying the Great Britain ones, or others.

Welcome to SCF, Lynn! It's nice to find another local collector online (I'm in Portland).

Have you paid a visit to the Oregon Stamp Society in NE Portland, yet?

Brian

I had no idea there was a stamp society in the Portland area! I am going to have to check it out. Is it close to the MAX? if not, I'll drive, but not at the moment, it's like pea soup outside!

Isn't it always?

Here's a link to our website. There is a West side affiliate that meets in Tigard, but i've never attended. The closest MAX gets to OSS is Interstate & Killingsworth. From there, it's a 2+ mile trek to the club. There is a busline that goes from Interstate to 33rd ave via Killingsworth. From there it's 4 blocks to the clubhouse. Cheers!

Brian

http://www.oregonstampsociety.org/