Which US Reference Stamps Should I Have In My Collection.

I have a $100 credit from Mystic Stamps and want to use the money to buy as many reference stamps as I can. I want to use them to aid in identifying stamps. What do you fine folks think I should definitely have for that purpose?

I don't understand what you mean by "reference stamps."

Stamps that would aid in identifying other stamps. For instance different types of paper. I was thinking along the line of say 357 on bluish gray paper, is there a cheaper stamp on this paper that would be good to have to help Id 357. Or another example could be stamps you keep as color references.

Hi Kegsgym--
Good question, and it sounds like you like the classics.
I don't know how much material you'll find in that time period for $100, but here are some suggestions:

Since you like the Washington-Franklins:
-- consider a low cost flat plate, rotary press, and offset 2c to help you with the different printing types. I'd suggest 331, 499, 526
-- If you like the coils, a flat plate and rotary coil. I'd suggest 390 for the flat plate and 492 for the coil.
-- A type III and a type II 2c. 487,488.

If you want to go older, it would cost you more, and you'd be better off buying one on ebay than from Mystic, where you'd pay a high price, but you might consider a faulty 64b, so you can find out what rose pink vs. rose looks like.

You mentioned the blue papers....you can find hinged copies on ebay for $50 or less. And you can search your entire life and never find one in a pile of 2c red or 1c green W-F's.....trust me, I bought a box of 10,000 of them or more, 20 years ago (still got 'em), and found a couple of 500's, but not a blue paper.

On the older stamps also, you might buy a #88 and #94, so you have an "E" grill and an "F" grill-- both are reasonable cost.

Then, you can also go with an "orange brown" #10 or #10A vs. any other 3c 1851 #11 or #11A. On the perforated stamps of that same issue, the #26 is very affordable, and if you then understand the types, you might be able to find a cheap #25, 25A, 26A by browsing through material at shows.

I've bought a few stamps for my reference also-- I have 2 pink #64's, both with certs, neither are perfect, but I know what pink looks like. I've bought a couple of the tough grills, a "C" grill #83 and a "D" grill #85, neither perfect, but it helps to understand "points up" and "points down" when you see the "C" grill vs. all of the others.

Hope this helps......I think that if you're looking for this type of advice, you might also consider going to the "Experts Forum" on Virtual Stamp Club, where they truly have some of the experts in US Philately, and they can definitely point you in the right direction.

Bottom line is that the best thing that anyone can SPEND with the classics is time and research. The more you know and learn, the more you'll enjoy. And it's not about filling holes.....it's about understanding the subject matter and all of the countless variations in printing, paper and color.......then the covers and history.

Good Luck! Ray

a blue paper is a good suggestion

If it were me I would try to trade the credit with somebody for cash (assuming you could find anyone to trade it with). That way if you wanted the more high end examples you could buy them somewhere much cheaper. If the coupon is non transferable, I can't really advise you on what to buy. I doubt however that you would be able to spend $100 on stamps in the Washington-Franklin era just to identify different printing methods, etc. (although with Mystic's prices...) I really suppose the decision is up to you.

Just my personal opinion on what I would do.

You won't get much from Mystic for $100...
They sell their stuff for OVER catalog value!
Stamps never sell for catalog value, much less over catalog value.

100% FALSE.

It depends on the stamp, its condition, its usage, its cancel, etc., etc., etc.

I've paid $100 for stamps that catalog $1... and been told by others I got them too cheap. There are postal history usages that sell for orders of magnitude above the catalog values.

Once you really start specializing, the less the catalog value matters (in many cases). If you're a "fill in the spots" collector, then that advice GENERALLY holds true, but even then there are stamps out there that are far more scarce than the catalog values indicate, either because they are in areas that don't draw much buzz or attention, or because the populations are so low that the catalog value hasn't been updated in decades.

That said, if you're buying from Mystic, by definition you're getting skinned.

Thanks for the replies, just to clear it up a little bit I purchased albums from Mystic. After the albums arrived they realized there were some problems with the printing and issued me a credit for 100 dollars to use on anything. So I am trying to use the money to add to stamps to have as references. I know a lot of their prices are high from reading the boards but the customer service is excellent.

kegsgym, Use the money for Mystic Mounts to put your Mint Stamps in. Everything else Mystic sells is 20% higher than anyone else.