New US Error Stamp Discovered..

My latest Linn's stamp news has the info..

http://editions.amospublishing.com/...agenum=1&f=0

above is link.

I don't have access to Linn's online. What issue has the error and what's the error?
I never heard back from Linn's about the Flags of Our Nation perf. oddity/error that I found.
Will

Link

brother K,


send me that coil tied like a turkey :)

Sorry, Spock1k, I pilfered the scan from Linn's, and I no longer actively collect US. In fact, I sold all my major errors over a decade ago. I only have a few imperf, misperf, and color missing errors left, but alas, my scanner...

Kim,
Any particular reason why you don't collect US stamps?

As I have been going through my older stuff, I am feeling overwhelmed by all the WW stamps I accumulated.. Most of them are of the 5cent variety but some a bit more.. anyway.. I was just thinking to myself the other night, I didn't think I wanted to collect every country.

It's not fun to collect US stamps anymore, and not worth the expense. The main problem is with the definitives. Too many printers, too many reissues... and I end up having to order from Kansas City with their pre-packaged stamps. Since I used to like collecting PBs and PNCs, I end up with tons of extra postage because of their minimum block size and minimum coil length requirements.

At first, all those printers/varieties were fun. Later, it just became a not-as-meaningful money drain. Also, US stamps now lack "innovation" -- if all they can brag about is microprinting, YAWN. In comparison, other countries issue stamps with disappearing ink, glow-in-the-dark stamps, curvy stamps, smell-stamps...

However, the main reason is that I have gone back to my earliest childhood joy of collecting used worldwide. Even more impossible than modern US, but at this point in my collecting experience, far more fulfilling.

To each his/her own. Collect what you want, the way you want!

k

I hope I did not discourage anyone from collecting recent US. I know many collectors who still collect recent US and enjoy it immensely. I simply decided to move on to a different aspect of collecting.

Kim... Many of the long time US collectors, in my club, have stopped collecting US, but up to a certain point... The old timers, being on limited fixed incomes, just cant afford all the new issues that are coming out.

I have been asked to be President of the club, when our meetings resume in Sept.

One of my first goals will be to introduce the US collectors to in-expensive Topical areas, such as Europa, Trains, and Space Etc.

This has been a growing problem that has ended up pushing out collectors, starting with the predominance of the oversized PBs of the 1970s, followed by the floating PBs of the 1980s, then the numerous priority/express mail multi-dollar stamps of the late 1980s-1990's, the high-dollar S/S's of the 1990's-2000's, the overkill of first class plate number coil varieties of the 1990's-2000's...

There is only so much money USPS can milk out of most of us.

I agree, the only solution for those on limited budgets is to limit collecting of recent US stamps to specific issue types, switch to another area such as topicals, or focus on collecting the largely plentiful used stamps (this is the route I took).

Best wishes on giving your club members wise advice, Bobgggg. I'm sure you'll do a good job and give them plenty of good ideas!

Europa retail prices have taken a fall off the cliff, so this is a good time to get into Europa. Some of the high end items have fallen 33%-50% in the past couple of years. Wholesale prices have also dropped significantly, so the bubble burst is real.

khj,

I'll agree with you on the "milking of USPS". What really is the kick in the butt is when we no longer have Saturday delivery, but the stamp prices will stay the same and there's talk of it going up again. No wonder U.S. stamp collectors are taking the hit.

In all fairness, US first class postage rate is actually below most of the industrialized nations, especially when you consider the size of the US. The problem is, as you point out, we are getting less even though we are paying more.

The real killer for me was the flurry of high denomination stamps. When you start issuing $2.90-$16.25 stamps on a regular basis, then what is the average collector of mint US stamps supposed to do. And if you collect PBs...!

You clamp your jaw tight and fork over the 20 dollar bill to buy the high denominations. If you wait until they are no longer available from the PO, you are going to pay a hefty premium to get them from a dealer.

Or not collect them at all. I have despaired of ever getting the 1990's and 2000's except on a very piece-meal basis. And the SS's are in another category. Unless there is an SS at a bargain on ebay, I don't get those. I want the 10 item set of the decades of the 1900's, but since there are 10 of them, I am looking at quite an outlay for those 10.

k,

my us collection o fmoderns is complete till 2008 from 2009 post retirement it has been difficult. sigh

Unfortuantely this phenomenem has happened in a lot of hobbies - sports cards, coins, etc.

But then on the other hand, I'm guessing if a group of people got together in 1930, they were probably talking about how such and such was runing the stamp collecting hobby!