Stamp And Postcard Question

I don't know why Bobby gets this grief, but I loved that killer coin image he posted to put it to rest, once & for all. Sorta.

I do whole cards at 200 dpi. I do postmark-cds-stamp corners at 600 dpi. I use the SCF Free Image Optimizer to get those images down under 100K, and use the sharpening algorithm (set at 40).

Wazdematta? Can't see the lug nuts on the landing wheels?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

PS: sellers beware than the scans can look better than the IRL item.

When the images are cropped to a small area and optimized to 100k, they are perfectly fine. When dealing with large or many subjects, 100k max file size is a tad limiting. Cheers to you to.

Or you can simply use a free hosting site like Photobucket, scan items at 1200 dpi nd not worry about size limits.

stallzer, I agree that imaging hosting sites are the solution.

I was going to argue that increasing the max file size wouldn't increase the cost of running this site by too much, then I did some research. There are roughly:

321,000 individual posts on stampcommunity.org
1,600,000 individual posts on coincommunity.org

1 image per 2 posts on average doesn't seem far fetched. So both combined using the max file size would total nearly 100 GB of files. Then add in backups and whatnot for an even larger disk space size.

The average user count per day of both sites is probably 2000. If they each view 20 posts that have 10 replies, then the bandwidth per day could be up to 20 GB. That's nearly 600 GB per month.

By using a cost calculator on the web host for this site, it could cost up to $60.00 per month depending on a few factors, but probably isn't too far off.

Using these roughly estimated numbers, increasing the max file size to 500k would increase site hosting nearly 5 times. That's $300.00 per month.

This number isn't that pricey for a site with our activity with many image posts. However, I can't find how this site is monetized at all. Unless I'm not seeing them, there's no affiliate links or other methods of making money from the users.

Therefore, 100k max file size makes sense to keep operating costs down. 3rd party image hosts require more effort, but are necessary since this site isn't making it's owner a profit. I might be wrong on that, but it seems to be the case.

Also, after realizing that this site generates no profit, I graciously thank the owner.

Re: Postcards and Stamps,

The idea that every postcard and every stamp is worth a million bucks is, of course, what keeps us all going. But, then again, where is the money?

The mney is in what people feel about something. How you made them feel, how the stamp or topic or background idea made them feel.

After all, this ain't Star Wars guys. This is better.

If a cancel or a town name or a type of address or writing or stamp combo or picture on the reverse or secret hidden spy languages or microdots or sexy pics of mountains and vig boats are what makes you feel really good, then that's what it is.

As for selling these ideas, it's how you feel also about that idea. Your passion, your feeling, your own sizing up of wwhy you use you own apportunities to access.

I like it, I like it a lot.

Puzzler, thanks for putting this thread back closer to the topic at hand. I feel the same way as you do.

We don't know if the stamp bug has bitten NJPHIL3. Even if he/she doesn't enjoy the hobby, I personally don't have any problems with people wanting to get fair evaluations of what they have. I am not an expertiser by any means, but it's apparent that the intrinsic or monetary value of any piece depends on its rarity. From my perspective, every single stamp/cover/postcard that I acquire holds a value. It may not even be worth trying to sell, but I now own a piece of history. All of the aspects of each piece have an emotional value to me. It's now mine, I can look at it any time that I want. Each piece has clues to it's history in how it was handled. The minutia can be overwhelming, but is fascinating for me.

The motives behind any post isn't evident. For example, I speak of value much more often in my posts than how I enjoy the collection that I do have.

"Value" means many different things from all perspectives: wealthy, poor, passionate, indifferent, a living, and everything in between.

Every single person involved in stamp collecting has their own perspective. I believe that all perspectives should be encouraged.

Well stated...

Rarity is only determinant if demand is equal. If every collector were trying to fill every hole in an identical stamp album then, yes, rarity would rule.

But rarity is also contingent on definition. If you ask how many times the 'W' of Wazzagiggle, Arkansas puts a sailor's cap on FDR's head in the 6c definitive, it is rare, but it is hardly valuable, because so few collectors would hold that one stamp separate from the hundreds of millions printed.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

One man's tad is another man's ... pole?

While I am certain that every decent, right-minded, G-d-fearing SCFer views the site on the garage-sized monitor in his home media center, we have a basic choice:

- accommodate people who have merely desk-sized monitors, laptops, etc, or

- accommodate people who want to scan whole pages from their albums into a single image ... and still have people counting the perfs.

I suspect that allowing massive images would just make folks, including me, lazy about optimizing.

Meanwhile, here's a 4*6" image, scanned at only 200 dpi, reduced to 67k, sharpened at 40. I see bricks!

Cheers,

/s/ikeyPikey

PS: I've got lots of these; lemme know if you want one.

Rarity depends on many things. Detailing each factor would consume a large discussion on its own. Supply vs. demand is not just a simple two dimensional chart that is taught in a freshman level economics course. At its most basic definition, rarity is low number of existence of one type versus a much larger number of existence of another type.

Your sailor's cap example points out another variable. Demand is not necessarily dictated by statistics. The concept of rarity can somewhat be universally defined by a type that is usually worth more monetarily than another type. The Scott catalog highlights this difference between two subtypes of a group by aggregating sales data. It "simplifies" the valuation of a subtype that most can agree upon.

Things like shade of color can vary significantly over the time of production. Many varieties of perforation counts and combinations have occurred. Observable differences in die types can be categorized into recognizable types. No one thing other than what is usually paid for a certain type can best classify something as "rare."

Many things capitalize on the concept of rarity to provoke a pleasurable emotional response. The one thing that utilizes this the most is video games. It used to be television commercials where a supposed "collector's" item was advertised to the masses. That business model lightened the wallets of many who couldn't detect the irony of someone telling them the high value of something that could be mass produced.

Sales of video games capitalize on this concept handsomely. For a set price, you can obtain any number of rare outcomes based on your luck and the amount of time that you play. Well designed games continually evoke pleasurable emotions. Unfortunately, many game developers have taken this a step further and require frequent spending to provide the same emotionally inducing events. Regardless, a buyer of a video game will get many emotional rewards during play, but in the end will have nothing tangible or worth real money except in very rare circumstances.

I've compared stamp collecting to lottery scratch-off tickets in my previous posts. During every stage of learning to value stamps, an emotion of excitement of finding a rarity can occur. It's very emotionally rewarding until you learn some more and realize that your stamp isn't a rarity. For me it's a lot of fun, but for the majority of people today it is discouraging. Anyone can buy a video game that produces the same rush of emotions without paying too much money for fakes or misrepresented stamps. Regardless, finding a stamp that is well centered and well preserved can provoke a pleasurable emotion even if its monetary value isn't significant to you. Similar to scratch-off tickets, sometime you actually find a stamp that is worth a significant amount of money.

The single most aspect of stamp collecting that I could see drawing new people to it would be that after gaining experience, you do end up with a tangible item that is worth a monetary value. Video gaming can produce monetary value, but is much much more rare to achieve. It's nearly impossible to predict how to do so and has a much lower probability than working as an employee. Stamp collecting is the real life equivalent of a video game set on "expert mode", but has actual monetary reward. It is difficult and intimidating to begin. However, it can be seen as a "game" that one can continue to play for their entire lifetime and at the end of it they can either cash out or can pass it on to anyone they desire. As time goes on, stamps generally increase in price. Inflation usually negates that increase, but often times a well put together collection is a good monetary investment. You may not profit from your collecting, but you will usually end up with something worth a significant amount of money as well as all of the emotions you experienced during your collecting.

Okay, I'm definitely rambling now and am way off topic. I should conclude this post.

"Rarity" is a loaded term with many variable affecting its definition. In general, things like Scott catalog values are the easiest way to determine rarity of two subtypes of a stamp.

Unfortunately my monitor is only single car garage-sized. Are you sure those are bricks? They could be pavers or the rare rectangular type of cobblestones.

"I suspect that allowing massive images would just make folks, including me, lazy about optimizing." I agree. If web hosting costs weren't so affected by image size, then it wouldn't matter. It isn't user friendly to require using a 3rd party image host, but is necessary considering how it affects the cost.

If the site's owner(s) are reading this, I would appreciate your opinion on my presumptions of hosting costs .

-edited to remove ramblings and the stick from an uncomfortable orifice.

I'll throw this out there...

I'll buy any of them that are postmarked from Tenafly, NJ

ikeyPikey, thank you for alerting me to the fact that those image-enhancing features at the bottom of the Free Image Optimizer actually have a function. I've used it to reduce the size of images but never thought to do anything else, while at the same time wondering how others were able to post such large, clear images. Duh.

Well said.

For most folks, working one extra day per week thru Kelly Girl will produce more cash, more quickly, more steadily; and you might even get to meet a few chicks.

Much of the money that people made dealing in stamps in the past was by arbitrage; for example, Herman Herst Jr's forays to Europe with hard currency.

Much of the money being made today, in all collectibles, seems to come from networking with the folks who handle estate liquidations; also a form of arbitrage (moving things from one market to another).

We all see folks crisscrossing stamp shows, buying things for which a dealer does not have a customer, and taking them 'round to dealers who might have (or who they already know has) a customer for them. Few of these guys look like they are having a lot of fun, or making a lot of money.

Yes, you can still create value by picking a topic & assembling related items. But the market for colonial-era Kenyan postage due covers 30 years from now may not be what you are hoping it will be.

Better to 1) add-up all of the hours you are spending on researching & shopping & organizing & re-organizing your treasures, and 2) see what your other forms of entertainment are costing you per hour (eg, a round of golf), and 3) try to keep your cash/hour stamp spending at a suitable rate. That way, your asset accumulation will be expense'd-out, and any of that money that you ever see again (are you really going to sell? ever?) will be gravy.

But let's not appeal to people's dreams of avarice.

Hour for hour, they'd be better-off adding an MBA.

In fact, let's turn that around:

Q/ Would you be better-off today (tangible-asset-wise) if you'd spent the hours (that you spent) earning your professional degree towards learning more about stamps?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey