Collection Of Commemoratives?

May a Collection of Commemoratives actually include stamps which are less than mint? Or canceled.

US began issue of same in 1893, and I'm thinking it is gonna be REALLY expensive and nearly impossible to try to complete the collection thru 1935 with something other than canceled... and even that may be outta my league.

Thoughts? suggestions?

My thoughts are, its your collection you can put in it whatever you like and are happy with!

"Collect what you like, when you like, how you like"

Russell Bennett
Editor: Gibbons Stamp Monthly 1957

A commemorative stamp will always be a commemorative whether it's mint or cancelled. Its condition doesn't change a thing.




Butch

I am going for a used set, myself. There is no shame in it. :o)

At this point I am seriously having to decide how far back I want my plate block collection to go.

I nomrally just collect used since I can get more for my money. If I find a mint in a collection or cheap I will take the used stamp out of my album and replace it with the mint one.

If you are going for a complete collection of commemoratives through 1935, there are going to be a few to deal with.

The dollar values of the Columbians and Trans-Mississippi's are going to set you back a few dollars. Other than those, the only other pricey one is the White Plains Souvenir sheet from the 1920's (Scott 630?).

This is not to mean that there are not a couple of others which might cost a little--The Perf 10 10 cent Panama Pacific comes to mind, as well as a few others. But nothing too impossible. In my case, I am missing the eight mentioned above--the 5 dollar face value Columbians, the 2 dollar value Trans-Mississippis and the White Plains sheet.

I think that building up a collection with used stamps is a much more affordable way to gain exposure to a lot of different kinds of stamps and add variety to a collection. Once you get a ways down the path, maybe figure out which stamps really sing to you and decide if having them in mint condition will add to that. There are a few stamps in my collection where I like the used just as much as the mint, even if the $ value is orders of magnitude different. Ten really cool (used) stamps can be more fun that one really cool (mint).

I prefer used stamps over mint stamps:

-- you never have to worry about gum condition or regummed stamps
-- it's usually cheaper than the mint stamps
-- you can get oodles and oodles of them without paying an arm and a leg
-- you can collect them as a kid and never spend a cent
-- it served it's primary purpose, rather than just printed and sitting there (just being "green" )
-- a journal of its travel is marked directly on the stamp (it's been to places to I can only dream about)
-- I don't have to use mounts, but I can just hinge, 811 tape, or staple it in without having to worry about how it might affect the gum



Hey, somebody stole my line! He just paraphrased me and got it in print before I did.

I'm a little strange, I guess. My five volumes of Germany and Berlin are all used. I've spent significantly more on some of the used as compared to mint. I like the German used because they produce very sharp and interesting postal cancellations which add character to the stamp in the album.

My US collection in MNH until I get to those issues I would never be able to find or afford in that condition. Then, as I go farther back I slip into used for the same reasons.

My Israel and Pitcairn Islands are strictly MNH and the Israel must have full tabs.

There's nothing magic about it - it's just the way I like to do it.

Then you have chosen the best way!

k