Exceptions To Completion Of A Country

As I approach my goal of completing France up to some point in the 1980s, I look at the remaining blank spaces in my album and wonder if I really need those stamps to effectively complete the country.

Several were not actually issued but somehow made their way into the catalogs. Several are just overprints for special events, mostly philatelic congresses. I can pass on the souvenir sheets. The Prussian Blue 1c Type Sage should really be a variation or error, not a regular issue. I can better spend that $1000+ on other stamps.

The topic for this thread, then, is where you all draw the line on completion.

It's your choice. Do what makes you comfortable.

I agree with Zipper. You're done when you say so.

You just have to be comfortable enough with your own definition to not let the opinion of someone else get to you.

"I have x, complete."

'Congratulations...I gave upon on finding a few of the inverted watermarks, so mine is not quite complete.'

"Well, I don't bother with those."

'Oh, so you have x, face different, complete. That's nice, too.'

With Personal stamps Canada Picture Postage) or My stamps, when they are always making more, there never is an end. You just kwwp buying pages and they keep filling up. Amazing.

I draw the line if there are only a few, of whatever, in existence. Example - Spain 2r blue color of error from 1851 - I think less than 5 exist. Other than that type of situation, I leave the door open. You never know what you might run into.

Unless one has the budget of a Bill Gross, completion at the 98-99 % level is completion.

Otherwise.....

I should clarify: I am clear that I collect that which interests me, and that anyone else's notions of what I ought to collect are irrelevant. Here, I am simply curious as to how others draw the line.

It's never complete. There's always something to add or enhance.
(And this is coming from the mouth of a worldwide collector. As if I didn't have enough to collect already, LOL)

I realize that a lot of items are way beyond my humble stamp budget. But like they say in the movies 'I believe in miracles'. So maybe there's another British Guiana 1c magenta waiting just for me to discover it ;)

Greaden,

Great question. I've often wondered this myself.

in my particular case, I strangely decided this when I was 12 before I collected one stamp. I simply decided to only collect a country that no longer makes stamps : Newfoundland which became part of Canada in 1949. Sort of stupid, and limited and sometimes I look over at Canada or other countries and get intrigued. but knowing the line has already been drawn and the supply is limited and defined, is my thing. sort of like studying a dead language like sanskrit I suppose. I believe that there are a few other countries like this (including the other provinces, maybe some others in asia or island nations like Cook Islands?)

I think there are two stages of stamp acquisition. The first stage is Search and Discover. You scour dealer stock, online auctions, etc, etc, looking for specific stamps to fill holes. You can be pretty successful. There comes a time when Search and Discover doesn't yield much any more. Then comes Watchfulness and Waiting. You keep an eye on the markets hoping that something will come along, and occasionally it does.

I agree!

Greaden

Let's assume that you would be able to fill the remaining blank spaces in your album. What would you do with your collection once you have achieved your goal?

The Cook Islands are alive and well, but there are over 40 Indian States which are all dead countries. Some of them, you could complete mint and/or used after one raid on a well-stocked dealer; others you'll never complete, even just mint or used.

Years ago, I decided to focus particularly on one Indian State, Barwani. It issued stamps between about 1917 (don't believe what the catalogues tell you) and 1947. At first, I was content to range across the whole State. These days, I'm losing interest in its later period, from 1932, when it decided to have its stamps printed 'properly' in Bombay. Too much like mere plugging holes.

Even within that very limited scope I've left myself - 31 numbers in Gibbons - there's sufficient challenge that I doubt I'll ever complete my collection. I have examples of some issues on cover, but plenty that I don't. Then there are booklets: all, or perhaps almost all, these stamps were issued in booklets; so far I have one.

Maybe this sounds like knowing more and more about less and less. So what? It's my collection

I think you can actually finish a country if that country no longer produces stamps.

I myself mainly collect Central Asia/Mongolia/Russia/Turkey/Azerbaijan/Afghanistan/Pakistan/India and Iran but since Central Asia has been independent since 1991 its been pretty easy collecting the 5 stan countries.

Afghanistan is another matter. The abundance of cinderellas, fakes and the inability, for myself at least, to acquire newer stamps means that either this is area is getting hot or that its becoming irrelevant.

I think this is an important point of collecting any country from any area especially when values soar through the roof like China.

I mean look at the values for China today and in the past month or so and compare it to the values for a non-hot country such as, say Ethiopia or Ecuador, and see how easier it is to collect it.