Nice Link For Our American Friends.

Hi guys...You probably all have this link I found, if not enjoy...Robert
http://www.theswedishtiger.com/ID.html

That's a great resource, unfortunately lots of people who come here looking for stamp identifications won't use it, it's just too hard. I can't tell you how many show up with a picture, I Google the words that are very clearly on the stamp and come up with an ID immediately. If they can't use Google, they won't use that site.

It's really unfortunate how lazy a lot of people are.

Nope,

They just come on here and...

Every 1c 1851 is a Type 1.

Every 3c 1851 is an Orange Brown or a Claret.

Every 3c 1861 is a Pigeon Blood Pink.

Every 24c 1861 is a Blackish Violet

etc etc etc

Cephus, billw2, I have to somewhat disagree with you. It is at least somewhat annoying based on the perspective of an experienced collector, but is understandable from those that are not experienced. We don't know if the original poster is a 10 year old kid or an 80 year old person who started collecting as a 10 year old in another collecting topic.. We don't know if the poster is a very experienced collector that is branching out to new collecting topics. We just don't know their perspective.

Learning the details of any aspect of stamp collecting is not easy. There are many pitfalls and many subtleties that take a considerable amount of time and practice to learn.

Yes, some posts may be frustrating. However, this forum is a great tool for learning. I prefer to encourage such "obvious" posts because it provides information that educates anyone who may find it by either frequenting this forum or the many search results from Google.

When I started stamp collecting again after a long hiatus due to a flood ruining my collection, this particular forum frequently appeared in my searches in my attempts to learn more. That is why I am a "newbie" collector here myself.

Regardless of someone who is interested in the hobby or who just cares enough to profit from a rare stamp, I believe that we should encourage all who wander here. Stamp collecting is difficult for a beginner. This particular forum doesn't have "stickies" or other resources that are highlighted. To a new member to this forum, many of the basics are more accessible on other sites. Even on other sites, the basics are not concisely described. Stamp collecting basics are rarely found that make it understandable by most. Getting "into" this hobby is difficult from the perspective of a "newbie" and is often met with discouraging posts.

Regardless, do we encourage the discovery of new rare pieces and/or new members to the hobby? Or do we present the image of exclusivity to the hobby?

If a post is annoying to you, then don't pay it attention. If you have something to contribute, even if it is basic information, then please do.

I do understand the desire to vent about the frustrations of dealing with new/inexperienced member posts. However, I believe that we should all try to encourage newcomers to the hobby as well as encouraging experienced collectors to areas outside of their understanding.

We're all human. We all have difficulty understanding the perspective of those that post here. Regardless of any particular post here on this forum, we can contribute to the understanding of this hobby and we can encourage new collectors to help keep this hobby alive.

Posting about your personal frustrations is perfectly valid. However, please understand how your posts on such an important forum that represents the hobby can be discouraging.

wert, http://www.theswedishtiger.com/ is a great resource as well as http://1847usa.com/ and many others. Using these sites and understanding the information contained on each is not always easy to understand. That's why posts on this forum are so valuable. It directs any who seek information to useful sites and also how to understand them. It also provides a forum for further understanding of any of the many intricacies of stamp collecting.

I write this reply only for the purpose of furthering education and understanding. For venting purposes, I would recommend https://goscf.com/f/35

We shouldn't and don't want to make philately an exclusive club, but we also shouldn't make ourselves a public resource for people who have no interest in collecting stamps, they just want to make a mint dumping stamps that they found in the attic. The majority of people we see coming here are not interested in picking up the hobby, they just want to cash in and they want us to do all of the work for them. I object to that. If people want to point others in the right direction, I think that's great. However, as billw2 correctly points out, most new people come here with expectations of riches and when they find out they have nothing of value, something that they could easily have found out with a five minute Google search, they never come back. We're not collectors to them, we're a free stamp encyclopedia for the lazy.

Stamp collecting might be difficult for the beginner but these aren't beginning collectors, these are speculators who want to dump the stamps for bags of cash. It is insulting to have them demand for us to do their work for them. They bypass the links that are already provided across this site, it's much easier to tell others to study their stamps and give them prices. Why are we wasting our time on those that clearly have no interest whatsoever in collecting stamps?

YMMV.

YES of course! The Swedish Tiger site. I use it frequently! here is another very useful site I'm sure most of you know about "the 1847 site"

http://1847usa.com/

http://www.postalhistory.com/

http://www.stamp-collecting-world.c...cstamps.html

Can't forget Arago now can we?
http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1...&tid=2035125

U.S. Machine Cancel Finder -- Years Before 1920(one of my all time favorite sires for I.D.-ing cancellations)
http://swansongrp.com/machtest.html

and the US postal Bulletin
http://www.uspostalbulletins.com/

American stamp printing and some history too
http://www.americanstamphistory.com...ing-methods/

Well you get the idea...I don't mind helping out newbies as long as they're serious about it and no other agenda (like that last guy who would list a 20¢ stamp for 40 thousand dollars)...lol
http://www.americanstamphistory.com...ing-methods/

Hey Cephus, good points.




I'm torn on this one. Surely the majority won't ever join the hobby. Could our negative responses affect others' opinion of philatelists? I think so. Could our positive responses pull a small few into the fold?

Finding a balance isn't easy. Personally choosing to ignore those types of posters is easy. If someone wants to help, why stop them?

I don't see any benefit to responding to them negatively.

Cephus.....you are so correct...I spend time on the coin side of the forum and probably 25% of the people that sign on request not so much information, but "" is it of any value??""...."" how muchh should I ask for it??"".....then they disappear...forever.....I remember following this one guy to 3 different sites....asking the same question about the same coin...I see it happening just as much on this side.
Robert

Not to mention that being polite is simply the right thing to do (or, alternately, no response at all). Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to catalog grandpa's collection for them, but I don't mind offering a gentle point in the right direction.

There's a difference between being polite and being a doormat. I've told a couple of people who have come on with common stamps where they can go to find the information they seek, suggesting they go to the library and check out a Scott guide, but they have no interest in that, they're far too self-important to actually do any work for themselves, they want free answers and good news and when told their stamps are not valuable, they either get mad or they leave and go elsewhere to ask the same questions until they get an answer they like or they run out of sites, whichever comes first.

Now I'm not suggesting that we ever be mean or rude to these people, but telling them how to help themselves so they're not dependent on the hard work of others is important too. It isn't our job to tell others what their stamps are worth, in fact, we should only help them to find the stamps in a physical or online resource so that they can learn about their stamps. Of course, we'll get lost of mad people because they don't want to learn about stamps, they just want to sell them to the highest bidder.

But what if someone really only wants an approx. value and has no intention whatsoever of continuing to collect? If they go to a stamp store, the owner is not going to tell them to go a library or online to figure out what they have. In this digital age, we have become the equivalent of shop owners in corner stores giving advice. Sharing knowledge is the backbone of forums of this type. If you know what it is, I see no problem in giving a quick answer.

On the other hand, if someone really does want to learn, then the sites listed above are of immense value.

And if someone does have a problem doing this, they should keep it to themselves. Or, to continue the analogy, if you don't like being a doormat, don't open the door. The visitors under consideration are not going to stick around, especially when they learn how common or even worthless the stamps are that they ask about. There is no need to be rude about it. As for suggesting where they can go for information on the stamps they ask about vs. just telling them what they are worth (or not worth), what is wrong with doing both? In most cases, it would seem, they won't like hearing either. But how can you not be sure that one in [insert number here] might, on doing further research on their own, become interested in the hobby?

It is curious, isn't it, the way this thread turned so quickly away from the OP's intent?

You are correct blcjr, but on the other hand, do you not consider it rude for someone to sign up just to use the knowledge on this forum for financial gains..??

Then disappear like a thief in the night...Let me ask you, is that rude..??

Of course it's rude. We've got a bizarre society today where everyone expects things on a silver platter, they don't want to have to work for it themselves or be responsible for their own actions, they just want everything free and fast or they get upset. It's one thing to help out fellow collectors who have honest questions they can't find the answers to themselves, it's quite another to "help" an endless stream of speculators who don't care about stamps at all, they just want to make money quick.