Let's Talk About Machins

Hello

Why I collect Machins?

Early years (the fun):
I start my collection with a country accumulation, then drive to specifically country, Ecuador, Chile, Spain, Canada, USA, Israel, Indonesia, India; I almost obtain my stamps with trades, more or less 2-3 years trading I accumulate many duplicates, so cut for want list, and my collection growth up.

Med years (the stuck):
So on my next step, I become a advance collector!?! I don�t know, but all my trades stopped. I sent my want list and receive 1 or two stamps for my collection in months! Not more fun, and I drop.

Last year (new beginning):
Was surfing on the net and found a forum with many threads about basic stamps, easy to find, very cheap and nice colors! Then I found the Machin the most extensive basic stamps and all kind of fun.
I start my trades again, trade all my commemorative for Machins, you know all people are very happy with the trades :) they receive many commemorative in exchange for all that "boring" little stamps.

Now the I have endless fun:
I collect one of each color and one of each face value, more or less 400+ different Machins, in this year and a half I accumulate thousands of Machins and do not complete my "level 1" collection yet. But I�m not stuck, start more collections, postmarks, CDS, or trying to find all variation on one stamps, etc, etc.

Fernando Moscoso
Ecuador

Novato, I love your enthusiasm for my country's most familiar stamp. If you are still looking for machins in bulk, let me know and I will look some out for you. (Edit, oops - you have to have 50 posts first..!)

Maybe its the familiarity of them, but although I have a pretty page of basic colours and denominations, I haven't yet found the enthusiasm that you obviously have for the subject.

I think your post shows the development of many collectors from the worldwide to the specific. I am still on stage one!

Hi Fernando,
Get posting some info on your collection so you can reach the magic 50 posts in no time and receive even more machins.
I'll include the link I sent you for everyone to use.
Please follow the link to a great page with free 'Basic' machin printable album pages and ones to buy for the intermediate and advanced collector.

http://www.adminware.ca/machin/m_album.htm

I think this is one topic I shall just

I, too, try to collect Machins. I got the Machin handbook on CD. After looking through it, I highly doubt that there is any such thing as a complete Machin collection. There are literally thousands.

Hi novato

The next step from the basics are the varieties of fluorescent bands / perfs / litho and photo. The SG specialist GB catalogues are quite decent at explaining it all, and somewhere I have an Excel file which sorts all the different Machin varieties (up to about 6 years ago) by face value (so you can see all the 2d ones at the same time - makes it much easier identifying a particular stamp). I don't think I can send it to you until we both reach 50 posts - but I'll be happy to do so as soon as I can. And I'd look forward to swapping my surplus machins for your Latin American thematics . . . Hasto pronto, chico!

I have been collecting Machins for 20+ years. Here is my collection



Maybe I should auction it off as a SCF donation lot.

BeeSee

Did that booklet pair of large queens get a cancel ??
Can't quite see from the pic.

Londonbus1....planning bid maybe

BeeSee, I love the way you have them laid out and in a Turtle box...lol

Donna

Hello

Thank you, but the big "50" are, far, far away. Maybe on next year, who knows.

I use the Robin Harris site, almost all days, easy to understand and he had many Machin list to follow. I don´t need magnifier, UV lamp or the CD Catalog. I only try to complete the level 1.

Anyway look for the bands are easy too in many Machins, put on light and move back forward. But not now for me. Better try the cut/elliptical/imperforated Machins to make a side collection.

Forgot talk about, I collect used Machins, can´t afford a mint collection.

Do you want start to collect Machins? Get the Robin Harris Album, and try the 400+ different first.


Fernando Moscoso
Ecuador

Novato, if you go to Arthur Ryan and Co. website, you will see that many of the Machins are higher priced used than mint. I have bought from Arthur Ryan and am very pleased with their service. I see that you are in Ecuador. I am in the US and have no problem with the transatlantic transaction. You do have to have a credit card, though. They will not accept checks outside the UK.

Their site is www.gbstamps.co.uk

Yes LB, there is a light cancel across the top of both stamps, just hard to see because of the colour.




Donna, most of my loose on piece stuff are stored in Turtle Boxes

That's a guy who really likes his turtles.

I will admit that Machin head definitives hold a certain fascination for me. I have not gone head-over-heels for them . . . yet.

Bee, I see that you are using the only sensible method for organizing a Machin collection...sorting by date of acquisition.

Me too.


[edit...forgot the ]

That is exactly the way it is CD - but I do not know how that commemorative snuck in.

Hello



No, I don´t had a credit card, and don´t use paypal. Cash is at normal way to pay for me, sometimes money orders too.

But, the best way for me is trade stamps. And I try to buy a kiloware each two/three months.




Yeah! I use that method with my 2nd/1st Machin on paper stamps. The other are in a envelopment with classified on color and face value.

Fernando Moscoso
Ecuador