Poll - Do You Think Cut-Outs/Cut-Squares Are Collectible?

I personally don't find postal stationary collectible. But that's just me.

I don't believe I have ever cut a piece of postal stationary...but I have cut squares of 19th century Guatemala in back of my book that someone else cut !

Yes, they are collectibles and a lot of people do collect them.
I don't, but because I don't doesn't mean they aren't correctable.

Art

I think just the ease of fitting cut squares in albums is why so many full stationary pcs were destroyed. Its nice to have full ones but I also don't mind the older cut ones.

While, I'll never cut an item to make a cut square unless the rest of the cover is damaged beyond repair I will say they are collectible. There are older Scott albums just for U.S. stamped envelope cut squares. Also there are some examples of U.S. postal stationery that are not known as entires or extremely rare so a cut square is the only way to go.

I agree with nitrolures. It's pretty much the same reason people clip stamps and soak them off. You can fit hundreds, thousands into an stamp album. I collect cut squares, mostly because I've accumulated them over time by buying small lot's and collections.........and there are spaces for them in my Scott album. I also leave postal stationary entires intact when I get them and add them into the album in an appropriate spot. In the end, there are no right or wrong ways to collect. Also, in this day and age when everyone is questioning weather the hobby will survive, it's important to encourage others to collect what they like and how they like. Just sayin'...

In the most basic sense, anything postally used in the mailstream is collectible, whether postal stationery cut squares/cut outs, or meters, or even the postage labels that are becoming more prevalent today.

However, as to cut squares and cutouts one must remember that they were perfectly acceptable ways to collect postal stationery back in the early days of stamp collecting and, in fact, stamp albums actually encouraged you to collect them in that way. Fast forward to today and most of us will retain the entire covers because we know better.

Remember, even hinges on mint stamps were acceptable until the stamp collecting community found better ways to store and collect this material through the use of stamp mounts and Vario-type pages.

Some years ago a friend gave me a considerable quantity of envelope cut squares that included the entire postmark, and I do get much enjoyment out of seeking the various machine and hand cancels types, city/state locations, slogans, etc., that were used during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Would I intentionally damage complete covers to obtain that sort of collectible today? Of course, not. But such was the mindset back in the day that these cut squares were created and one must consider them part of the hobby.

At $4 each and up to $40 each, yep, I collect them,
and sell them, I'd be rather silly not to at that price.
Dispense with any elitism, and consider what good folks will
pay money for, we all have varying interests.
If you really need to get rid of them, send them my way, I'll pay postage.

I believe I mentioned this to a collector in a chat not too long ago.

If I am not mistaken, this is an area that is collected more in the US (cut squares I mean, not stationery in general). I have an old Scott National album for the U.S. and it has a section for these.

In Canada, the vast majority of us collect these in 'entire', with exceptions of course. Personally, I am not in favour of cut-outs because I cannot tell if the cut-out came from a #8 or a #10 stationery. My opinion of course <G>. The catalogues here (Canada) list them as entires only.

Chimo

Bujutsu

I do not collect them, but I do collect postal stationery and use them to fill holes for issues I do not yet have entires for. After that I have no use for them, personally, and stash them away in the hope I will find somebody who wants them/ I can unload them onto.

Also keep in mind that the current US "Forever" Purple Martin Postal Stationery Envelopes are available in a total of 12 varieties, even though the Scott catalog only recognizes two varieties (because of a slight change in the image size).

Otherwise, the envelopes are available in #6-3/4", #6-3/4" Window, #9, #9 Window, #10 and #10 Window envelopes and within each size and type of envelope you can also choose water activated gum (WAG) on the flap or self-stick (PSA) varieties. Some were printed in astonishingly low quantities, too, particularly the WAG varieties.

I know so many people with so many different specialties that all fall under the category of "stamp collecting". They know so much more about their special area of interest than I do, and I am not going to tell them they are doing anything incorrectly and I love to hear their stories and see their collections. I have seen some fascinating cut square collections. Most collectors that I know in this area do save complete covers now, but I think all of them started with cut squares. I myself collected stamps for 20 years before I started saving complete covers and cut and soaked many items that I would never consider disturbing today. I still see value in cut squares and loose stamps and I still enjoy them. I think one of the wonderful things about this hobby is how many different roads you can travel down and all lead to discovery, history, great people and stories and another road to go down if you choose.

Well, for what my 2c is worth, anything is collectible.
I don't collect them myself, though I have a few cut squares I've accumulated. Couldn't sell them, and I can't seem to throw them away.
I would agree with many here that it seems criminal (my word) to cut up a perfectly good cover. And I suppose there are so many variations with some issues, especially some of the earlier US examples, that collecting them can be a challenge and enjoyable.

-edited for poor word picking of.

Well then, this thread took off pretty well !

Hi

Yes if someone else did the cutting. As philb I have one or two from Colombia. However, I prefer the entire cover, mint or used.

Jerry B