Musings Of A Machin Kiloware Collector

Having just finished sorting half a pound of 40-year-old Machin kiloware on paper tonight, I'm musing about my project.

I collect Machins socked on the nose with circular date stamps. I've talked on several fora about the problems of collecting them. I've been trying to figure out how to display them. I think I've finally settled on a method: I'm using the AlbumEasy software package to lay out pages for my Machins with spaces for every possible town postmark, alphabetically sorted by postmark. I can do this in roughly 50 pages. I'm in the process of making the spreadsheet of ... um ... every possible town postmark. And, man, that's a lot of work.

There are pros and there are cons, but I've spent way too many hours thinking about this, and I think it's what I'm sticking with. I'm going to be printing the pages on probably 70# paper, and will make the album hingeless, but only adding the mounts to the spaces as I go (to save on money, mostly.) The album will be a bit sparse at first, but I can deal with that: it will give good incentive for me to work at it.

The problem at this point is that, depending on the kiloware, my yield of items fit for my collection is usually one or two per pound. I go through a lot of kiloware, and I have to find ways of disposing of it all. I have a number of ideas.

1. I only collect by town, but some people collect by calendar. Well-centered date stamps I'm setting aside, even if they're not the best town example I have.

2. I always set aside interesting pictorial or slogan cancels on the stamps (see, for instance, my avatar picture). Some I retain, but some I'm not interested in.

3. A friend told me that complete "Basic"-level pages of Machins, nicely hinged, sell very well: anywhere between $25 and $50 on ebay. I'm sorting my duplicates by denomination now to try to do this, and maybe it can subsidize or pay for my kiloware purchases.

4. I set aside full booklet panes used for mailing, nice coil pairs, clippings containing both decimal and pre-decimal stamps tied with a cancel, and so on. There's surely interest there.

5. Even with all of this, some denominations are vastly over-represented: namely, any stamp for basic letter rate that was in force for a long time. I wonder if there's any market for packets of, say, 100 5d blue Machins?

But none of that is quite satisfactory. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and just start putting together a specialist-level collection of Machins from kiloware. The problem, up to this point, has been that almost all Machin resources are distinctly geared towards the collector of mint issues. How the heck am I supposed to know, say, the gum type of a used stamp, or if anything was printed on the gum?! But that problem looks like it will be solved in the next couple of weeks: I just corresponded with Robin ("The Machin Nut" at the adminware.ca site) who offers PDFs of various levels of Machin albums, and he is finishing putting together a variant of the specialist pages comprising only the varieties detectable in used stamps! Hooray! The PDFs are far from free -- I'd be paying $60 Canadian for them -- but I think it's totally worth it, when I can scrape together the funds.

But as for the overflow of other stamps, and my ideas for selling them? They're too cheap to put on ebay (or probably even Delcampe), and putting them on my own site might not generate the traffic I want. Perhaps I could use a stamp board with a sales forum and have a standing page of all my interesting stamp examples and my packets of 100 and keep editing it?

Anyway, those are a bunch of things I've been thinking about. I would be most interested in your thoughts on the matter.

(I moved this over from the "Modern Worldwide" section.)

Hi mcgeesorg

I agree with you on Robin Harris' site. That is a very well done and organized one for Machins. In fact, if I was to make a Machn album, I think I would use his format.

He is also very well organized for the Canadian definitives as well, not to mention his US definitives also.

I appreciate the way he systematically lists everything and in order of denomination.

I too have a lot of Machins, mostly used but also with some MNH ones as well. The majority of mine were also bought through kiloware here and there. I sorted mine, first by the pre-decimel and then the new denominations, all by their lowest to highest face value. With each value I also break down the different types for straight edges, phosphors etc. They are now about 95% completely sorted and in separate envelopes waiting to be mounted in albums.

Good luck with your collection.

Chimo

Bujutsu

I would definitely start a used collection even if it is 'just' basic a basic level.
It is still quite difficult even before you look at the regionals.

This post highlights the limited numbers of some used machins - http://stamp-collector.co.uk/Machin...ic.php?t=752
24000 used off paper but not a single 25p salmon (rose) or even a mention of the 10p narrow value (SG886b). No wonder I'm finding it difficult.

Thanks, @AnthonyUK. I bought Deegam several years ago and ended up selling it when I decided to focus on booklets and postmarks. Then I bought it again (a later edition), but was frustrated with the lack of support for collectors of used Machins. Yes, Mr. Myall has started including a section for used collectors, but it's a rather small overture -- and, in any case, the more frustrating lack of support was on the album side of things. All the specialized albums were geared solely towards the mint collector.

This is why I'm so excited about Mr. Harris's pages for collectors of used Machins. And the pages, in general, are simply glorious. If readers haven't seen them, they can be found at http://www.adminware.ca/machin/m_album.htm -- check out the sample pages (and the whole set of "Basic" pages is free).

I've surely gone through a number of Machins comparable to yours, looking for postmarks. I started sorting through my boxes of picked-for-postmarks Machins this weekend, looking for varieties. I've sorted perhaps 2,000 on-paper, and soaked around 500. They're drying right now. The main draw for me, as I'm sure is the case for many others, is that a fascinating and complex collection can be assembled for very little money (and quite a bit of work!) I still have no idea what to do with hundreds and hundreds of indistinguishable stamps, such as some of the N.V.I. and the old 3d and 5d. Wallpaper a room, perhaps? :-D

The 24000 mentioned are not mine unfortunately but I do have a large amount of kiloware to sort - 15-20Kgs
I'm currently using the free basic pages as shown here - https://goscf.com/t/10785&whichpage=8#156560
I would be willing to buy specific pages for used items though when available.

Oh oh oh. I'm sorry. I misunderstood. Yes. Sorry.

Mr. Harris has said that he expect the pages ready as early as next week. I'm very excited. :)

I have been collecting Machins for some years and have found it difficult to get stamps from the last five years. Being a graphic artist, I enjoy making my own albums, and because I only collect used stamps, my album does not have gum varieties. I have arranged it chronologically beginning with OCP followed by FCP PCP ACP and three sections of elipticals, followed by regionals. High values are interspersed as issued. I have used the Adminware website and looked at their album and found it boring. My best source of information is the Connoisseur Catalog website. I would be happy to share my efforts in exchange for stamps or money. If you would like a sample, I can e-mail a PDF. I would also be happy to receive feedback to improve my album.

By the way I collect used stamps partly because I do not want to be bothered with mounts. Hinges work perfrctly well.

gasatory

Welcome GSATORY.

I too collect used Machins -- McGee is still around (I hope) but doesn't post as much as he should He helped me get started with Machins.

Be sure and post a hello over in the Introduction forum (if you haven't already).

KirkS

I'm still around — or more accurately, I'm around again. I'll chime in more.


And welcome, gsatory!

I knew if we said your name three times, you'd appear

I have a basic collection using the admin ware pages works great I only collect used so I hinge the stamps and put them in a three ring binder. Nice and easy I really enjoy the regionals.

I collect mint and used Machins but I prefer used.

I try to get a commercial date stamp for the period when the stamp was valid. Kiloware is great for this

With something like the inland second class rate, the centre phosphor band stamps are all very common and easy to obtain. The varieties (side bands) that are from the everyday books bought at ordinary post offices I include. The varieties that are only from the prestige books or miniature sheets I exclude as I don't consider these as primarily issued for postal purposes. I have them mint anyway.

For the low value value make up values I try to get them used with the stamp they were intended to be used with.

My biggest surprise in the quest for elusive Machin types was an ebay purchase of about 1/4 lb. of older stuff. When The package was unsealed, the strong aroma of cat spray filled my stamp cave. This was my only purchase ever from this particular individual. I ended up going through this material in the garage.

I use vario stock pages for my Machins, with little note snippets where necessary. Used are preferred, especially now with the self-adhesive varieties.

I've (fortunately!) never encountered cat spray. Kilos infected with mildew, however, are inexcusably common.

Indeed. There's a fair bit of comment about preserving stamps properly, but I suspect that I'm more at risk from purchases of old books, stamps, cigarette cards and postcards than they are from me! I'm not remotely fastidious, but I do wonder in what dank attic or garage some of this stuff has been dumped in.

Now that is dedication, still going through the stamps that had been sprayed by a cat!