I am a new member who has only recently developed a renewed interest in stamp collecting.
Had been an occasional collector (with essentially zero funding!) when a lad, and then after school and marriage continued to collect with my wife, but again, alas, funds were tight at that time.
After a career in marketing/management, when I did not have time even though I did have the money, I finally retired at 67 a few years back and recently pulled out my Scott National album and found I still had the 'bug'.
In recent weeks I've been trying to get up-to-speed on what's available (e.g. - what does one use rather than carbon tetrachloride for watermark detection?) and also discovering the world of benefits to collectors that one might derive from the internet. As you all undoubtedly already know, there are a multitude of sites and info to wade through, (a Google search on 'Stamp Collecting' returns 1,670,000 hits!) seeking that elusive answer to the question du jour!
As mentioned, I collect only USA issues and do have a reasonable basic collection but there are still many empty spots waiting to be filled. The auctions on ebay are truly quite interesting - as of this point, I certainly cannot figure the pricing policies of many vendors, but it does appear there are good opportunities for one who is willing to wait and bid carefully.
Looking forward to interacting with others on this forum.
Welcome to the site and welcome back to collecting! There are many posts on this forum which can provide many answers to any questions you have. Search the archived posts and if you still have questions you can always ask your questions here as well. Glad you still have the bug and happy retirement.
Thanks for the welcome and good wishes for retirement - it's interesting, since I've been retired I cannot imagine how I found time for work! Perhaps I have too many irons in the fire.
One of the things I am coming to grips with, is the initial urge to buy all kinds of things, not the least, a replacement for my venerable Scott National album. I've had it for perhaps 40+ years and it has suffered indignities of many moves, (including one to Europe for a four year expat stint). Alas, I am guilty of perhaps not handling it with the care it deserved.
At any rate, I am trying to figure out should I go to a new system/album or just go with new binders. I must admit, there is a strong urge to go with one of the hingeless systems, as I would guess it is neat and likely less expensive over the long run than buying Scott mounts.
Of course, that is only the proverbial 'tip of the iceberg' - I must start developing a want list to fill the empty spaces, as well as replace some of the stamps I currently have that are of lesser quality. As well, I am testing various 'demos' of stamp programs to determine which works best for me.
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Stamp Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Stamp Community Family - All rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Stamp Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Privacy Policy / Terms of UseAdvertise Here
Posted 06/06/2015 10:56 am
