How To Collect Is Up To The Individual

We have a couple of elder gents in our club who come to go through the 5 cent boxes..we have a 3 or 4 guys that will take a country and see it through to completion....most of us fit somewhere in between..some are happy with a dollar meal at McDonalds, others demand a ribeye steak..to build a decent collection yes you have to think enough about the hobby to spend a few bucks when you have it available...read the philatelic journals..if there are no brick and mortar stamp club in your area...sign up and join a society that will send you a newsletter and keep you current on what you collect...you will meet others with interests similar to your own !

I usually fall somewhere inbetween. There are ebbs and flows to our collecting habits. As of late I have or will be going a bit overboard for my particular topical fixation, I may not have this chance again for another 50 years if I'm still kicking. I am pretty sure I'm a lifer.

Some only collect postally used, others MNH, someone else will collect both. It is this that makes everyone's collection unique to them. No 2 are alike. This is the genius of our hobby: the hobby of kings, queens, presidents, and us normal folk.

what about us Abnormal Folk, They Are Amongst Us.
DJD

DJD,
Normal folk was to be italisized for tongue in cheek. I am definitely with the group of abnormal's! LOL

Building a collection can be like a creating a work of art or a musical composition. You decide the overall design and what goes into it and the arrangement of the items.

Though I love all stamps I'm starting to realise that I am going to have to pick a country or two to focus on at at time. I'm not saying that I'm going to dump all the other countries; I'll just set them aside for awhile. Last year I was buying lots on ebay to build up my collection. I have enough trading partners now to keep the flow of stamps going and tons of spares to trade with.

There are enough people who I trust on this forum that I will start to buy stamps missing from some of my earlier American and Canadian collection. Oh how I've grown thanks to this forum.

Dianne

Let me know what your are looking for in USA. I will trade for Canada any day.

The diversity of stamp collecting is the foundation of the hobby. NO ONE gets to tell you how or what to collect. If you only want to collect red stamps depicting spider monkeys hanging in trees thats your choice! It would be an insane choice, of course, but why not?

MKFARM:

Reverse for me... I need USA 1976-1995!

What do you want from Canada?

David

MK

I'll send you a bunch of canada I just finished sorting them and have tons of spares I'll let you know what I need a little later. I found some cute farm animal stamps that I set asside for Katelyn and I wanted to send them.

David did I send you Americans yet I have tons of spares. I can send more if you wish.

Dianne

David Giles...i thought you were only collecting the Americana ? I can send you U.S. from that era !

Diane TRUST ME !! Someone has to believe in me..the low self esteem is killing me !!

Diane has hit close to home here. I can't really concentrate on just one country, issue or topic for very long periods without burn out so I really jump around. But, then, I probably have far too many collecting interests for one lifetime. And, unfortunately, I just keep coming up with new ideas for "collections".

Correct, Phil. But I expanded the collection: the Americanas and 1976 to 1995... the last year I lived in the United States (Land of the Free; Home of the Brave; Arsenal of Democracy). This includes the Great Americans, Transportation coils, and all the commems. I am especially looking for the marginal markings and multiples... all used, of course!

David

Hi David, will add packet of commems to the envelope 111

As I go through the various forums I see the occasional hand wringing about what to collect, the uncertainty being created by those who always seem to think they know better than everyone else what is and is not. Folks, it's a hobby, not a test to see who can follow inane rules. Hobbies are to be enjoyed, which means, as always, creating a collection that you enjoy. A collection that bears the imprint of your personality, not someone elses. If you can't do that just forget it because you'll never enjoy it. ...npfw...