Linn's To Return To Printed Issues

as reported today on Wayne Youngblood's 'Substack.'


"More News and Views from Wayne

Linn's Stamp News is Returning to Print!
"Print has always been about more than ink on paper. It's about connection." -- Jay Bigalke, CEO and president of Scottstamp LLC"

That was incomplete information. Print only or print and e-versions?

Well, let me be the first to say I'm all for that.

I've (somewhat reluctantly) been subscribing to the cheaper online edition of "Linn's" but not enjoying it anywhere near as much as I enjoyed reading the paper edition. Humans seem wired to prefer reading paper, not digitized material -- or at least I am. Reading online operates my brain differently because of the screen nonsense compared to actual pages. So I'd be happy to keep subscribing to a paper edition. Heck, if they brought back "Stamps" magazine or "MeKeel's," or almost any of the other old-style stamp publications, I'd subscribe to them, too. I suppose my main reason for being in the APS is to get its monthly journal. And to support stamp collecting.

As for the cost, my cable TV subscription that provides me 95% garbage we still seem to need even at $150 a month. That's a ridiculous $1800 a year. So why should I complain about a fraction of that for a stamp publication in which I read nearly every article?

You're welcome for the material I did report. This information can easily be found on Wayne's Substack or even the Linn's website, and although I'm not comfortable copying too much from Wayne's copyrighted work, for those unwilling to do their own homework, paraphrased:

Digital will remain and in fact will be expanded.

See, your problem is the assumption all of us care enough to bother.

As to what you mentioned you did miss some of the substance. Remember FAIR USE which includes news with comments such as so and so just reported blah blah blah.

Your problem is that you cared enough to complain about the lack of details.

Sorry, I did not complain, just stated a missing fact.

For transparency, I have been a Linn's subscriber since the 1970s and write for them occasionally, even in the current digital only form. But given the current quality of the e-versions, I do not find them worth the trouble to find the password to read them more than once every few months when I take a rather brief period of time to read them all, at least read the parts which may be of interest. Information I have shared several times and ways with the folks of the new LLC.

This is kind of funny, isn't it?

You criticize someone who posted some worthwhile information about Linn's by insisting you expect more information as though they were your servant. You didn't bother to thank them.

Then you announce you don't care enough to bother looking something up yourself -- or whatever you were trying to say. Plus something about Fair Use that seemed a bit off the subject.

And then, apparently going for the trifecta, you end with a clear description of how little you like Linn's these days -- which would make most people wonder why you felt it necessary to even get into this awkward discussion in the first place?

I'd like think most people would apologize for these things. Years ago, I dropped out of a couple of stamp clubs when this sort of thing happened to me. I decided it was much more pleasant to be a lone collector than to deal with cranky old men full of insults. At first I wanted to make a joke out of this thread, but instead I'll say if anything kills stamp collecting faster than cranky old men who treat other collectors rudely and do not know how to apologize, I can't think of what it would be.