Hello All and thanks for the welcome!
I actually just made another rather long-winded post
https://goscf.com/t/2438(my style, lol) that details somewhat what I am dealing with. In reaching for the link I see that member mkfarm has already begun to answer some of my questions, Thanks!
To further clarify (if I can), the collection is the whole world. Apparently my father was continually adding to and ramping up his input sources. To make sense, it's evident his ambition far outstripped his capacity to manage it as a "collection". He obtained the from what I can ascertain so far, through many "usual suspect" large mailing/stamp-club houses such as Mystic, Kenmore etc. on down to small time individual mail-order sellers. Also auctions, and local stamp-dealers...packets from many, many different sources. What I am certain of is he did not use the internet, or his computer for that matter...tried for years to get him up and running but he never got past solitaire on his machine...*sigh.
Anyway as mentioned in my other post, the guts of it (the stamps) in volume are about 12 bankers boxes brimmed with bulk/bagged semi-sorted stamps.
As mentioned, he had shipments coming in daily from many sources that far outpaced his ability to deal with it. What is observable in the lot is a clear succession of adjustments made (size of packages/detail/degree of organization) and a progressive easing of the level/depth of sorting he did to more generalized effort...as the volume increased. So there is several levels, or layers to the way this is packaged and labeled, points where he abandoned the smaller packs/labels/organizing systems for larger, and then again. So there is allot going on with it as he tried to keep up. In the end I believe it was all he could do to "process" them by sorting in much more general and bulk terms. The volume is...well it's really something. Nonetheless, it is all at least partially sorted, mostly in bulk/labeled bags. Not the best, or proper way to store or care for them however they are in decent shape.
Off the top of my head, the level to which the majority of them are sorted & labeled is as follows. US- mint/old-mint/used/cto//sm defs/specials-multi-oversized.
WORLD- (same breakdowns and naming conventions, add a few extra like stamps-on-stamps, holograms etc.)
TOPICALS- (same/same, and many bags sorted down to topic specifics such as birds, fish, auto, space, butterflies, etc.)
COUNTRIES- Lot of sorted bags by country in bulk, some separation of mint/used
ROYALS- yep, lotta them too :)
ON PAPER- there is a very small amount on paper, save for nearly a full bankers-box of modern domestic cut (obvious) from his own mail. God bless him, he couldn't throw anything away to save his life.
As mentioned, given the stages he 'grew' this whole thing, there are various sized of ziplock bags, from small 1/2 sandwich bags up to giant freezer bags.
ALSO, I believe as part of his sorting method/equipment, he employed the use of these cookie-jar-like (store bought) red wide throat screw-top jugs, the kind you buy pretzel type snacks in at Smart n Final etc. There are approx 30 of these jugs full (his process frozen in time). These have same style labeling, maybe a bit more generalized. I think he would pre-sort with these, at least earlier on, likely gave way later that this is as far as things got sorted and when full where deposited into large freezer bags...to deal with later... :(
Ironically, terribly...it's not evident he bought (much) in huge bulk sort your brains out manner. Rather it seemed he bought in small lots of packeted stamps...that he took out of the envelopes/sleeves and introduced into this more generalized sorting Juggernaut.
Mind you there was more to this than just 'stamps', much more...but in clearing his apartment we threw away approx 2 bankers boxes of dealer/seller envelopes and sleeves, yes he saved every one of them. I saved some...approx 2-3 kilos, but with them all marked...no way in hell getting them re-united...better to start over if that is the direction to go.
Anyway there you go, with where I'm at.
Pictures...as you may know can't do this justice (in bulk) but for the curious, I will attempt a few tonight to upload, as I have a good lot of it unpacked at moment. Stamps where tucked into every conceivable nook and all we could do to get in boxes and keep it together. I've spent the past couple days un-boxing everything and organizing into like-matter and back into boxes.
Result so far is approx one solid bankers-box FULL, in each of the Categories detailed above, with the jars making up another 3-4 boxes. 2-3 boxes of FDC's, mostly contemporary, but a few albums of older US, 10 boxes of albums (only about 1/2 dozen filled), scotts, books, other catalogs/supplies.
Ok...back to it...
Cheers and Regards All,
Fishead
Posted 09/13/2008 6:10 pm
Fishead
