At What Date Does Your Stamp Collection End?

Parcelpostguy - I've seen these albums - that one looks like it's in very good condition for the age! Would have bid higher than $69..Wonder if it has same formatting as the Browns - space for every stamp etc.

See: https://www.ebay.com/itm/404288024255 and remember if it does not show, tick the "completed" listing on the left side down a bit.

Scroll down to "Item Description from seller" and wait for a bit, then in that sections, scroll through the pictures. Most every page is shown.

You can search by item number: eBay item number:404288024255, but again nothing will return at first, go to the left scroll down, tick "complete" or "sold" and it should appear.

Those early 19th albums, like this one, have spaces for postal stationary, telegraph, registration, revenues etc.

One day I'll start a Scott Brown album thread - curious who else out there only collects in these...

I bought Scott Internationals volumes 1-6 early and decided that was far enough as the world starting generating more & more 'wallpaper". So 1968 is the general limit for my worldwide collection. There are selected exceptions, headlined by USA through (get this) $0.25 issues..

I'm going all the way. why would the stamps of recent be any different to the older ones. eventually they will become older

correct me if I am wrong ??

There are reasons to limit:
1. some preferred older designs. Many were engraved.
2. In the 80s there was a flood of Princess Diana and Disney stamps. Smaller countries were issuing only for collectors.
3. If one is more interested in completeness, then limiting the scope helps

There is no right or wrong way to collect - just personal preferences.

John

Perhaps equally true would be a twist ....
"At what date does you stamp collection begin?"

For many topicals, the first stamp may be from well into the 20th century. Princess Diana being a good example.

Euro-zone countries stop with the original currency except for Cyprus which I continue to collect. The rest of Europe stops at 1990. Post independence Africa stops at 1975. Australia and New Zealand stop at 2000. I considered bringing my GB collection up to date with the new King Charles III issue until I realized that 30 years have passed since 1993 where my collection stops... doesn't seem to be worth the time or money tying to collect the endless 8 -10 stamp issues spewed out by Royal Mail by what looks like collector -orientated material, most of which hardly sees general circulation.

Like many, my cutoff date depends on the collection. My Harris WW collection goes to 2000, my mint US collection goes to 2000, my Big Blue goes to 1959, and my country albums (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Mexico, plus a few smaller countries) go to whatever date the original album went to when I bought them. My US commemoratives start with the Columbians and I don't collect US classics.

My United States collection as such only goes to the end of 2005, but I have numerous issues featuring topics of interest after that date. None of my topical collections (including the completely amorphous "Random Stuff That I Like") have any cut-off date. My most recent topical item is the Charles M. Schulz pane from last year (United States, Scott #5726–35).

My "One Unused 19th-Century Postal Card from Everywhere" collection was designed with a built-in cut-off date, or really two cut-off dates. For entities that issued postal cards before 1 January 1900, I don't allow cards that were issued in 1900 or later. For entities that didn't issue postal cards until 1 January 1900 or later, I only allow cards issued in 1900. If I buy a postal card from 1901 or later, it's not part of this specific collection.



My J.R.R. Tolkien topical collection doesn't begin until 1992, when Great Britain issued the "Tolkien: The Centenary" Prestige Booklet (BK157).

I have a CWS Old Grory US stamp album. I picked it up on ebay cheap less than $20. It was new unopened and wrapped. The album ends in 2004. I have thought about buying a new upto date album as the CWS Old Glory come in two volumes. I have been thinking of making two collections one mint unused and one used. Do any of you do this? Can anyone tell the the pros and cons of trying to do this.

I like to hear if you plan on expanding your collection to present issues. If you would take on the expense?

We all know all to well a collection can be costly to assemble.

Con: costs more. Pro (and con): you have twice the stamps you would otherwise. I don't see a point in it, other than it makes for a mildly interesting challenge.


Nope. I don't have any interest in chasing my tail for dozens of new issues every year. I like collecting in a "finite universe," where each addition brings me closer to completion (whether or not I ever actually do is another matter).

I usually keep both. In a quadrille album, I'll mount the page of mint, followed by the used. In the odd printed album, if the pages are thick, I'll mount the used on the back of the previous page, so both groups are facing one another.

I started out doing both. I liked it because I had the best of both worlds - I was able to get an example of a pristine stamp, showing all details clearly. My used collection showed stamps having gone through their intended purpose. On the downside, I guess, you are doubling the size of your potential collection, with the understanding that whether you would otherwise collect either mint or used, and you would never be able to complete the collection either way.

50 years later, I have narrowed my collecting interests. My main interest is USA imperf era stamps (first 2 issues), yet I still collect mint and used. There is a lot more that goes into deciding what I will buy, but basically I am happy with both/either mint and used.