How Not To Collect Postmarks!

Apparently this so-called "album" was done many, many years ago, but today it would be considered sacrilege to most in the philatelic community. Just think of how much time and effort was put into carefully cutting out all of these postmarks only to "paste" them into an album like this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1800S-COLLE...em19df0099e8

Fortunately no one would ever think of doing such a thing today! (I hope!)

That simply makes me cringe!

You gotta admit, it's an interesting slice of philatelic history. I like how they cut out some of the cancels with TOTAL disregard for the stamps. Darn things just got in the way!

There are a few of these in my recycle bin right now.

Actually, they're cool looking.

As a postmark collector (PMCC #6333) as well as a stamp collector, I want to emphasize that this is NOT how postmarks are currently collected!

Collecting postmarks has evolved much like that of collecting stamped envelopes. In the early years, it WAS acceptable to collect postmarks in this manner. It was much like cutting around the die of early stamped envelopes.

By the mid-20th century, a minimum cut size of 2 X 4 inches was considered acceptable. (The cut square era for stamped envelopes)

Postmark collecting has evolved into more of an interest in postal history as well as the actual postmark. While 2 X 4 cuts are still acceptable, the trend is toward collecting entire covers.

It's unfortunate that much postal history was lost by collecting only the CDS. Early collections of this type, however, are still collectable because for some small, early and short-lived post offices, it is the only way the postmark can be found.

If you want more information, check us out at http://www.postmarks.org

Dan

Obviously no one does that today, nor for a long time, I suppose. But that's pretty interesting. I had no idea folks once did that.

It is cringeworthy in a way, but isn't it better that they were preserved than not? There might be some helpful reference examples in there.
(Always looking on the bright side!)

I picked up two pages of these for a few pennies (to be "rescued" and mounted properly one day). Some of the postmarks are quite rare and if on cover might be worth around 30 pounds each. As it is... only worth the pennies I paid but they are all very local to me so of great interest. A mixture of dismay at seeing the cut-outs and occasionally a "wow" when looking at something like the boxed CORNHILL, FORDYCE, ROTHIEMAY marks (all tiny villages around me) or the straight line ABERCHERDER (done before they decided how to spell it) alongside the later boxed ABERCHIRDER.

ouch! It is however sort of quaint.

Makes me feel sad that the stamp and cover were tossed.

How hard would it be to just keep the entire cover?

I wonder what barbaric things are we doing today that 100 years from now collectors will cringe about....hinges being put on the back of stamps, surely?

still kind of cool to see it in a wierd shrunken head sort of way..