I'm Interested In Collecting Meat Stamps, Looking For Opinions On How To Approach This

I never considered topical collecting until I saw this stamp


I'm a butcher by trade, so this stamp really appeals to me. Also, topical collecting seems practical to me because, being a butcher, I don't have thousands of dollars to buy all the rare and expensive stamps that are usually required when you choose to fill in a country's entire album.

So, I think collecting meat is for me, My question for you all is, if you were in my shoes, how would you approach this? Would you focus on food stamps and collect food with meat in it? Would you focus on collecting animals that are commonly used butchered? Would you do something completely different?

Thanks!

Love the idea, and love those Exporta Stamps. I say do both :)

Welcome Dgwhite, There are surely a large number of stamps etc. which could fit into a special topical such as you are aiming for. Here's one of the nicest US examples: 1967

I can only imagine the possibilities. Here is a German poster stamp I believe.

dgwhite87 -

Sounds like a great topic. I suggest some black Vario pages and a 3-ring binder to start. Put that Mexico stamp on page one, first row, because that is how great collections start, on an inspiration.

Put anything you want in that binder. There are no rules, except if you like the item, in it goes. Stamps, revenues, covers, postcards, ephemera, it all goes in.

Our hobby is tied to the history of the world, so I personally think you should tell the story of meat production. As an example, scanned below is a picture postcard from my collection showing how they used to make bacon. It has a Swift perfin stamp and Chicago Stockyards Station cancel, and was only a dollar at a postcard show. The hunt for stuff is part of the fun. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

Have fun, always smile,
Linus

P.S. Trust me, they don't make bacon like this anymore...

aww man, both of those stamps are gorgeous!

Thanks for sharing those pictures! I'm super pumped now. There's SO MUCH out there that this is a pursuit that I can enjoy for a long time, also, most of these seem relatively cheap so I can entertain myself with $10 a week pretty easily.

Linus, that cover is gorgeous. I have a local stamp show coming up in April, I will definitely be thumbing through the dollar bin now!

Also, I'll use vario pages. Do I need to invest in a philatelic binder or will an all purpose binder work just as well?

I just use regular Walmart one inch black or white binders for my topics. Large binders get hard to turn the pages when full, but you can do whatever you like, just make your system expandable.

Man, I see you are from Cedar Rapids. You need to go to the postcard show in Iowa City at the Johnson County Fairgrounds this spring. I try to go every year. Lots of great stuff at low prices. That is where I bought that bacon postcard a few years back.

My Dad was a cattle buyer for the Wilson Packing plant in Cedar Rapids back in the 50s and 60s. He used to buy cattle in the Marshalltown area.

Linus

I Googled "postcard shows" and Jim Mehrer's Show Calendar was the first item up. I snipped the info below from it about the upcoming postcard show in Iowa City. You will find lots of good stuff at this small town show.


Apr 24-25, 2020. Iowa City, IA. 14th Annual Iowa City Postcard, Stamp & Paper Show. Johnson County 4-H Fairgrounds - Building C, 4261 Oak Crest Hill Road SE (Route 218, Exit 89 toward airport, 1/4 mile on left), Iowa City. Fri: 12 AM-6 PM. Sat: 9 AM-3 PM. Eastern Iowa's Premier Postcard-Stamp-Paper Show. 12 dealers and over 60 tables of goodies including POSTCARDS, Postal History, Worldwide and USA STAMPS, COINS, and PAPER goods as well as small Collectibles of all kinds. FREE admission. LOTS of FREE parking. New, modern well-lighted building. Easy in, easy out one-level building.

The Creolin label is a sticker advertising for a disinfectant recommended for farmers with animal/poultry stables (Stall). Creolin (might also be spelled with a K) has been around for over 100 years. Stickers like these might be fun in a topical if you don't want to limit it to philatelic items. Btw, the Heidschnucke is a breed of sheep prized for lamb and mutton.

Cover with Counter Produced Meter Stamp
Australia 2006
Australian Beef Expo

U.S Postmark Kentucky.


New Zealand " The Mutton Run"

Your approach? Please yourself first. There are so many tangents and sub-topics. Like the recent topical discussions on the sun, squirrels and rate/mice you will be amazed at the variety of material available that gets posted in just a few days. Sit back and enjoy the show!

You guys are great. Thanks for all the inspiring photos.
Also, I appreciate the post card show tip. April is coming up, I'll make sure I attend!

Meat is a pretty broad topic. Consider limiting yourself to beef or pork or maybe sausage.

Here are some Nicaragua cattle inspection stamps. Nicaragua also has slaughtering tax stamps: they are overprinted "Destace" on other revenues.