I've Been Here All Day

Earlier this afternoon, I was musing to myself that there aren't any good Forums for philately -- at least not as many as there are for other hobbies like photography, etc. Then, via the magic of Google, I found you.

I've been here reading for hours and after reading the rules for posting, I signed up as a new member.

Like a lot of people, I tried to collect stamps as a kid. But being in a rural area and having little disposable income, I wasn't very successful. So I put it away until a few years ago.

To cement my renewed commitment to the hobby, I purchased (gulp) a set of Schaubek Hingeless albums for the United States. I now have a solid collection of mint singles spanning 1930 to 2000. I drew the line there on new stamps -- they're so expensive, I'd rather invest that money in the older issues. For the pre-1930 and 19th Century, I changed my focus to used stamps and I've been trying to fill as many spaces as possible.

I also have a collection of United Nations singles (mostly NY, a few G and V). Generally, I find the U.N. topics interesting and I can often find them at prices that don't detract from my main goal of increasing my U.S. Classic holdings.

I'm not an expert on anything, but I'm excited to be here. I already have some questions and ideas for threads that I intend to post. I hope I'll be able to make a positive contribution to this community. And I hope this introduction isn't too lengthy :-)

KirkS

Hi KirkS..I have already welcomed you on another thread, but welcome
again.

You will find that this forum is made up of a blend on new collectors, intermediate collectors, and a few experts.

The blend makes this forum so successful, and there is always something to learn.

Any questions are always welcomed, and you will get an answer
99.9 % of the time.

There are no silly questions, only dumb answers, so please feel free to post any questions you may have.

Welcome to the Stamp Community forum, KirkS!



We're looking forward to seeing some pictures of your collection!

Hello Kirk....


Welcome to the club.

.....choosing not to buy new issues and buying more older issues is what I have chosen to do also. Almost all of my collection is used material including postal history covers.

Hi KirkS,

A big welcome to the SCF.

Great to have you here.

Steve

Welcome KirkS,have fun.

Kirk!As Nr says wise decision about the classics. I too had to
put up my collection for economic reasons (off and on, college,
marriage, divorce, etc.). As is, I'm probably the only pauper in the APS.
I must warn you, I haven't been called the Glenn Beck of SCF yet but
I'm working on it.
As Spock says: "Live long and prosper". (where's the smilie with the pointed ears?).

You couldn't find a better place to hang out than here!
I look forward to your future posts!
Gussyboy1

Hi Kirk, I am a cover person..do you collect U.N. on cover ??

Welcome to the forum, Kirk. Can't wait to see more of your collection and hear more about your interests. Glad you are back to stamp collecting.

Phil:

I don't collect covers. Once in a while I see one that piques my interest, but I try to resist the urge to add yet another thing :-)

Last week, I got a really good deal on a set of Canada albums, so I guess that will be my next foray. With my U.S. stamps, I drew the line at the year 2000 just because there were so many stamps. Looking through the Canada albums, I noticed a similar explosion in the number of new issues.

So before I do anything else, I need to read the Scott catalog, get an idea about prices, and make a few decisions about constraints on years, whether to collect mint, used, both, etc.

Kirk..i fool with modern Canada myself that trading partners send me...when you get your 50 posts here on the forum you will find many folks who can help you with Canada..i like both stamps and covers but when I go to a stamp show I am DRAWN to the cover boxes !!

Canada is my hot country right now. Though I still have not decided on a type of album yet.

MKfarm some Canadian albums are quite reasonable..i picked one up in Ottawa for a club member for around 35 bucks..i did get tired of carrying it around during the show but thats my problem !

Thanks for the info, Phil.

Currenly, the only Scott Catalogue I own is the 2007 U.S. Specialized. I've borrowed a copy of 2008 Volume 2 so I can read about Canada. I want to familiarize myself with the basics: major series, BOB, mint vs. used catalog prices, etc. Plus, I haven't even had time to thumb through the actual album pages. I hope to do some or all of that this weekend.

i have the 2008 scotts A to Z but my 1995 scott U.S. specialized could use a little updating..they seem a little more difficult to find used !!