How Long Have You Collected Stamps And How Many Do You Have?

I just started collecting again a few weeks ago. Sadly almost all of my collection from the 80's has been lost over the years. So far I've picked up around 2000 mostly US canceled from cheap ebay lots. I still have some US MNH and WW lots coming as well as a new Mystic Heirloom set, so I should stay busy for a while.

I started collecting in 1959 (as a very young child). I still have my first album: a Majestic Worldwide, which holds 8,000 stamps (not full). Since then I have bought a Minkus Worldwide album (now 2 volumes). And then I bought a 2 volume Harris Worldwide (now 2 volumes of US & 4 volumes of WW).
In this motley crew of albums I have spread out about 4,500 US (mostly MNH) and probably another 10-11,000 worldwide (mostly used).
I have empty spots for at least 150,000 more stamps. I guess stamp collectors never say "Well, now that's done"!
I love the search, sorting, placing, looking up information about countries & places. I love the history behind every little stamp.
I am in awe of all of you who have tens of thousands of stamps (no I envy you & lust for your collections).
I enjoy my hobby!

I started in 1974, when I was 7

I have roughly 30,000 stamps from 250+ stamp issuing territories, and at least 29,500 are used.

In 1997, I was given a collection of 25,000 different stamps which due to time and life, I am still organizing, plus I keep buying/trading stuff.

I was told by somebody in a stamp club a few years ago, that nobody in the stamp collecting world has 30,000 different stamps, it's a hoard, not a collection! So it's nice to read that there are others who have significantly larger collections than I do.

CYRENAICA-------"told by somebody" that nobody has a worldwide collection over 30,000 stamps----really !!--

Since the early 1950's - now mostly U.S. and covers; with some special world-wide. I had a pretty extensive world-wide which after getting out of the Air Force, I sold to pay for college. That was a fairly good recup on my investment.

Over 50 years and have no clue how many I have. I started my collection when I was quite young and then inherited my father's collection which was built upon his aunt's collection. A large percentage of it has never been mounted but is stored in numerous stock books, sales cards, glassines, etc. I have some in a box where they've probably been for a hundred years or more.

My collection has been a father / son collection probably back into the early thirty's. When I came along into my fathers life I started probably in the early sixties, but for me it didn't really get rolling until the mid seventies. My father and I shared the load for many years until his death ten years ago. Now it's just me. I would not have a clue as to the number of stamps he and I accumulated over the years but I do know it's allot higher than I can count. I like to mount them into country albums as close as possible in Scott number order. I also like to keep a card file listing each stamp or sheet by Scott number, listing date of purchase, amount paid, location and where purchased. That system was started by my father and I continue it today. It has proven invaluable when checking to see if a particular item is in the collection and where it is located. I also use to try to hold down the duplicate purchases.