At What Date Does Your Stamp Collection End?

I'm curious if other collectors have a cut-off date where their collection ends. I'm not a big fan of contemporary U.S. stamps that are essentially clip art rather than the beautifully engraved stamps from earlier times. I've seen other posts here about the quality of modern stamps and how some collectors are as dissatisfied with them as I am. Personally, I'd rather spend $200+ on a single classic stamp than buy the new issues for any given year. Building a collection (for me at least) isn't about having hundreds of pages filled with stamps that I don't really appreciate. That said, I'm interested if others feel the same way and have created cut-off dates for their collections.

My U.S. collection is broken into 4 areas, each with a different end date. Currently, commemoratives run from 1893 to 1989, definitives end at 1985 (although my plan is to eventually get all to the current date), back of book to 2000, and plate number coils to the current date.

Your thoughts?

For my GB collection, the introduction of decimal currency in 1970 is a convneient cut-off. For Commonwealth, independence or 1970, with decimal currency introduction for Australia and NZ. I collect France and the DOMs to the present day, but don't make much effort for recent stuff. French Colonies to independence. Other stuff to WWII. That's more than enough!

My collection generally stops at 1944 for Europe and USA, and 1952 for British Commonwealth. Big historical milestones make bookending my collection easy. My reasons are similar to yours, in addition to there be a few post-war decades where the aesthetic just seems awful to me. If I get around to French Colonies, I'd do to independence like GH. Might one start and take Russia/USSR to 1991, we'll see.
Honestly, I was expecting from your title and first few sentences that you'd be about the same or even more restrictive in your dating; from my perspective, you don't really have a "stope date" at all.

It depends on the area.

Stamps reflect the era when they were in use. I am not too keen on Royal Mail issuing long stamp set after long stamp set with rock bands. Some people will be extremely happy with those stamps. For me, a reason to stop collecting those stamps is the terrible service from Tallents House and having to pay customs clearance charges that run up to 70%of face value and, probably, at some time the amount of money involved to keep up with 10 stamps issued every three to four weeks when no one uses stamps anymore, not the designs.

Every generation has complained about the designs and printing techniques. The non-philatelic equivalent is reminiscing about the good old times but forgetting people died young, had no time nor money to spend on philately, and had very few civil liberties.

My grandfather was the stamp collector in the family and he died in 1964. He bought new issues up to the day he died. The collection sat for about 12 years at which point it was given to me. As was already said, and I agree, I would rather spend the money I would spend on new issues on one or two classics. So, my cutoff date for my US collection is in 1964 (Scott # 1247, specifically). In the decades since I started collecting, though, have found areas in which to concentrate. I have an interest in the 1847 and 1851 issues, so most of my efforts go there. For giggles, I have a decent Christmas Seal collection, and that goes up to the present. My WW collection goes up to 1976, since that is as far as my Big Blues go. I also collect, specifically, Lebanon to the present day.

So, to sum up, I collect to 1964-ish. Hey, I am a collector. I set boundaries, but because I am a collector, and I get 'pretty' things waved in front of me that are outside my boundaries, I break my own rules occasionally. I just can't help myself.

It depends on which collection I'm working on. For my worldwide collection, I set no limits. I'll happily add a stamp issued yesterday if it falls into my hands. For Commonwealth, most countries to 1970 with a select few (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand) to more recent times. Same with the Nordic countries and the Netherlands. My Austria and Hungary country collections stop at 2008 just because that's where my Scott Austria album ends and I have no interest in bringing it to a more recent cutoff.

I view stamps as not only how a people see themselves, but also a reflection of how they wish to be seen. The good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly. Believing in truth; believing in fairy tales. I want my collections to be a reflection of that.

Dale

Actually, looking at Mooter's comments, the ex-French colonial material I do collect is from Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. All have produced stamps with a genuine relationship to the countries concerned, not endless airships/bicentennial/Charles and Di etc junk.

For my GB used, the fact that I no longer live in the UK and the introduction of self-destructing stamps has put the kibbosh. The most modern parts of my collection are pretty complete inc booklets, mini sheets, etc., until around 2005 or a bit later.

For my town/state precancels, they aren't made anymore, so that is that (late 1980s, or so).

For USA used, when they started making them with gum that won't soak off - not sure of the date, but around 2010 or so. I dabbled in getting my local USPS to cancel them on their backing, but the backing makes them thick and heavy, and it wasn't the same, so I gave up.

I stop my US collection at 1940, just before the Famous Americans.

USA 1993, plus a few newer issues to complete definitive sets
Israel 1988
Germany 1974
Bergedorf 1867

The country collections are closed between 2000 and 2020, due to the appearance of the point code. Now I only look for the holes and the series that attract me, wherever they are from.
Of course, extinct colonies and countries have their own closing date.

For Australia, 1988 (bicentenary), but I do have a few miniature sheets up to 2015 (Gallipoli centenary).

For New South Wales, I have a couple of 1913 items, but I try to avoid them if I can.

USA was up to 1985. Then 3 or 4 years ago I went to 2012 due to a purchase at face value that included binders, mounts and stamps.

Non USA to 1965. But there are several exceptions that go to 1970s.

I don't have a firm cutoff date for anything. In short, I stop when I run out of stamps to put on pages. I do however print pages so that I do NOT have binders full of empty pages. Generally, I print all pages up to whatever date I have a good amount of stamps. After that, I print only the pages needed to mount the few later stamps on.

Of course since I collect mainly definitives, officials, and dues, my perspective is somewhat different since the only form of "completion" I aspire to is that sets be complete. Generally I collect BC until about 1990 though I do have a few sets I really like from later.

Europe I generally stop around 1980, again with a couple of exceptions notably Yugoslavia and any Nordic countries who continued issuing old designs past 1980- e,g, Denmark.

Asia is typically to about 1980, the exceptions being Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, the latter of which continued issuing really cool definitives picturing King Rama up until fairly recently. Most of my French Africa collections run as far as the engraved definitives issued immediately after independence, c. mid-1960s. Same for British Africa.

I suppose one of the benefits of collecting mainly definitives is that I automatically avoid all the mass-produced wallpaper. Stamps that typically find genuine usage in these kinds of countries are definitives, but of course I certainly would not collect anything not of local interest or from a territory with virtually no native population (except perhaps FSAT hahahaha).

I'm focusing on 1840-1950 worldwide. This helps me to focus, and the likelihood for completion to some degree increases. I tend to go off on a lot of side project tangents, and so I am severely cutting back on those...

John