Philatelist Vs Stamp Collector

Do you consider yourself a Philatelist or a Stamp Collector? I myself am a stamp collector. I could care less about the history of a stamp. I do like knowing why a stamp was issued but the info in the Scott Catalogue is usually sufficient. If a stamp were issued to commemorate an individual it would be nice to know what that individual did to warrant the recognition other than being a public figure, but I will not do a lot of research to find out. I don't care about the stamps publishing numbers, the history of the stamp's development etc. I just collect stamps because I like the art or to help complete my collection.

I am a philatelist.

I research the printings and uses of the stamp. I am also a marco-philatelist, as I also collect postmarks.

David

Yes I'm also a Philatelist too I think the books I read would also give me away LOL,They are the.A.C.S.C.King George the VI,Encyclopedia of U.S.Stamps also the Encyclopedia of Plate Variations,Precancel books and the 3 books of the U.S. Stamps of the 19th century and that's just to name a few LOL,so from collector to Philatelist it's "one small step for man,one giant leap for the philatelist".

I've been reading the 2010 Unitrade Catalogue -- trying to learn about BNA stamps -- not sure what that makes me...

...but it makes me happy

I think there are varying degrees between stamp collector and philatelist. I think I am somewhere between the 2. OF course, it also depends on the day and the subject. Most countries have some stamps that require more identification details besides the image on its face, that small detail can easily turn a stamp collector into a philatelist.

I collect stamps. I am interested in the following:

* identifying the stamp by catalog number (which sometimes requires knowing the paper, watermark, differentiating identifiers in the design, etc.)
* knowing the condition (mint NH, used, CTO, etc.)
* knowing the difference between really common stamps and higher value stamps

But mostly I have been interested in the art and information
* what country? where is the country located? general history (especially dead countries)?
* what stamps did they release? what do they look like? are they collectable? are there lot's of high catalog stamps or mostly afforable?
* people, places, events on stamps related to country

I have enjoyed organizing my album strategy (by region, country, time period), creating pages and buying pages, and creating incremental pages with flag, coat of arms, history, watermark pictures, etc.

I like researching information so that I better understand the stories portaited on the stamps.

I also enjoy buying a group of stamps and putting them into my albums (which is a bit of a hole filler completest mentality but also lottery ticket mentality hoping to find high catalog value stamps in a buy). I would like to have a good mix of common and more rare stamps and not fully predictable collection of the usually suspects with all the common holes.

Actually I'm more of a Timbromaniac.

But seriously, definitely a philatelist. I love the study of stamps, how they were printed, printing techniques, who made the paper and how, who did the engraving and what medium they used, etc etc. I only collect classic issues for this reason, I have no interest in modern stamps and modern techniques. It's far more interesting to me finding out that for a certain issue they ran out of the correctly watermarked paper and had to borrow some from another state and so a certain amount of a printing has a different watermark etc. That to me is fascinating.

Balf

Ok, going by your criteria..i am a Philatelist..but a confused one... I love both covers and stamps..like a split personality !!

can one be a combination of both?

I am an advanced stamp collector as well as an fledgling philatelist.

If you look in the dictionary, a philatelist is basically
'one who collects and studies stamps' and it doesn't say to
what degree (and a degree is not necessary to call oneself
a philatelist).

Also, if you check the word philately, you will see that it
derives from Greek words meaning free from tax. In that case,
philately can't possibly exist!

I am a stamp collector, or maybe even an accumulator. I don't specialise and have no interest in perfs, watermarks, paper types etc. As long as I have one example of a type of stamp I am happy. My collection could be full of valuable stamps, but I will never know.
I have great respect for those people with the time and patience to do real philately.

Steve

I wasn't sure what I was until I read every one's posts. I'm pretty certain I'm a budding Philatelist. I'm trying to learn about perfs, paper type, colors, printing type, and watermarks etc. So I can better identify stamps as I place them in my albums.

I am finding Germany a little challenging but I'm getting better as I go along. I'll post a few pages later (If I don't get too distracted.

Dianne

Do you consider yourself a Philatelist or a Stamp Collector? Good subject, I guess sometimes I've been a collector and sometimes a philatelist.
As I have said before I no one to leave my collection to, and since I am 84 years old with health problems I have been selling all my collections. The only thing I have left is an album (6 volumes) basically of my own design. "STAMPS OF WORLD WAR II"
Not only have I looked at stamp history, but I have added a page for each Country involved in any way in WWII stating their position and involvement during that period.
I've probably gone further than a purist Philatelist would like, and I really don't know what to do with 6 volume set.




EXAMPLE:

A Stamp collector is a Philatelist, they just don't know it yet!

Does it matter if your a Philatelist or a Stamp Collector. Because either way your a little obsessive, a little compulsive, and definitely out of your mind. After all we find joy in accumulating little scraps of paper that were meant to go in the trash after use!

Of all The thing I have lost in my life I miss my mind the most!
(I think I left it in one of my albums with my other set of tongs)