Someone Elses Collection

On the internet people are selling beautiful almost complete collections...who would really rather buy one ..even though it might cost less..rather than build your own?...i know people with fantastic collections..i could be a bit envious..but I do not want their collection..its a personal thing !

Each person would have there own style. For me the favorite part is building it one stamp at a time. Sometimes it is the thrill of the challenge to get some of the more expensive ones in either kilos or friendly trades.

Neither way is wrong but the joy of knowing that I built it trumps all other things for me.

I agree. I want to put my own twist to my collection. I might not have them in the right order but I have them how I like them.

Now for me I agree with you guys. It's my collection I'll do it my way. BUT if I had a family member or a close friend that was getting rid of their collection because a need arose where they needed money or say they passed away. I would help out where I could and purchase it or what ever, but it would have a special place in my collection and in my heart and would probably be looked at as a tribute to them. Now as for going and buying Joe Cool's collection off the street. That's a different story.

I've bought collections in the past. I tear them down and add to my own collection. The commoner stamps go the the local Youth Stamp Club. If it's in a binder, and I need one, I'll keep it; if there are some pages I can use, I keep them also (why buy supplements?). If I can't use any part of the album, that also goes to the Youth Club, either intact, or in pieces.

I agree with all.

If I had the chance to buy a collection for a great price I probably would so that I could augment my own. But Then again I have turned into a bit of a collecting fanatic.

Dianne

I also buy collections fairly regularly, rather, 'folder lots', which are no more than pieces of collections. My object is to get the harder to find lower value stamps as well as some featured stamps in the description that I have been searching for some time. The remainder is used for charity or trade fodder.

Hey there if you have some of that "trade Fodder" I would be up to helping you unload some of it! I just started a ww used and am having trouble getting to that critical mass of having anything to trade...and not many people want my US overstock

Peg, get your 50 posts..then I dont think you will have any shortage of trading fodder...i have the plastic sweaterboxes ready to be depleted ! But you will find traders for U.S. also..they are around here....

I wouldn't buy a collection to call my own because that wouldn't be any fun and I don't think they would have mounted stamps to my standards anyway. I would, however, buy one to break it up and put the ones I need in my albums.

On the other hand, I guess I am a little different than most--here I am at "fifty something" (snicker) starting my collecting obsession and think about the years I have left and all those millions of stamps out there--I wouldn't mind at all buying someone's partial collections and adding it to mine.
"So many stamps and so little time"

Gussyboy1

Gussy nothing wrong with buying a Partial collection and filling in..they can be a good bargain...rotten luck about your catalog..the post office is usually pretty dependable...i hope if they do catch somebody stealing that they really put the boots to em !! If I may I remember some years back..a lot of APS circuit boxes were disappearing..unusual...but they eventually traced it to a main distribution center...and I believe caught the person..he had to have been knowledgble about stamp collecting to know to look for those packages....

I would buy collections... but only, if I DIDN'T know what's inside

I went to a "Tauschtag" (don't know the English word - organized "meeting" of collectors from your area...) once, there you could buy stockbooks that only said the rough area of stamps contained (so you can buy a book "Germany", or "Austria"... and that's all you know, when you buy it). I bought a 32 pages stockbook with Bohemia & Moravia stamps for 4,- €... that's like 3,- US-$. The stockbook alone is worth more and I got a collection of stamps "for free", I was able to fill some gaps in my collection with

They also had big boxes full with stockbooks for sale. Maybe I'll buy one of these next time
I like this kind of "stamp lottery".

Phil:

I'd like to get one page of any U.S. Air Mail... that came from FDR's collection! Don't tell Big Jose!

David

David Giles I am not saying if I had the chance I would not come up with a box truck and cart Big Rideau Mikes collection away...i can see them at the border opening the back of the truck and saying pull over to the office please....

David Giles...you mean FDR the actor..the socialist..my neighbor ?