An Interesting Observation

After reading these posts, I'm showing my collection to nobody.




-IBFS

What's value got to do with it?

How many times have you been warned to stick with Never Mounted?

It must be part of human nature and the "quest for treasure" as people ask me the same kind of question when I tell them I also work as a field archaeologist. "What's the most valuable thing you've ever found?" Bit of pieces of creamware, salt-glazed stoneware and flakes of chert and quartzite don't sound that impressive to the lay person who only knows about archaeology through National Geographic specials.

Gotta add a couple things...........
My first wife lasted from 1964 to 1986. My second wife came into the picture in late 1999. There will be no more than two...........

Stamp collecting is a HOBBY. It is a pleasurable and informative pastime for those of us so inclined. If someone does this for the money, then they are investors and/or businessmen/women.

I also collect Lionel trains (postwar)and graded coins. Again, these pastimes are hobbies - nothing more, nothing less.

My response would be:
"The largest investment has been in time and energy to research understand and carefully assemble this collection. The value is primarily in the knowledge and pleasure gained and, trust me, those who also collect this area would be quite impressed by what or how this is pieced together. For example, notice this..... "
Then go unto something that interests and piqué curiosity and might even bring a new member into the club. Money as a valuation is an incomplete equation so not focusing on it keeps the observers on track. I have seen some really interesting and thought out very high value collections that were assembled on very nominal budgets. That is value.

jogil
I rarely had a bad experience buying from a stamp dealer either on the internet or brick and mortar. As they say you learn from experience. My economics teacher once said "You can fool the same person more than one time but you cannot fool everybody every time" Like here in the community the information spread very fast. I think a bad dealer never make a base of good costumer. He won't survive in the long run. It's like that in every business. Daniel

I recently took two binders to the local museum to see if they were interested in my collection when I pass. The binders were 1974-1977 and 2012.

The curator, perhaps late 50s, had the 1974-1977 binder and recognized some stamps, but mentioned time after time, how well documented each page was. His appreciation centred on the details (stamp description, printer, format such as a 50 stamp pane, the number issued, the existance of varieties [colour, paper, perforations, constant errors and infrequent/one-off errors. etc), then the stamps themselves as a secondary item.

The archivist, perhaps late 20s, had the 2012 binder and her appreciation was the detail as well and she never mentioned the stamps.

The earlier binder, created when the stamps were issued, had general information, whereas the 2013 binder had all of that plus a 1 to 3 paragraph story relating to the reason for issuing, or to the design of, the stamp.

Other than a couple of other collectors and close family members, no-one has ever seen my collection which I've developed over the past 55 years.

I was absolutely amazed by their interest and not for the reason I expected, which was the actual stamps mounted in the binders. They saw my work as a research project worthy of museum status that they did not have to elaborate on to display. No questions were ever asked as to values, valuation, or cost.

For the first time, it may me feel immensely proud of the thousands of hours put into my collection really just for my own enjoyment.

The curator and the archivist were absolutely interested and hope that I live a long time as the collection will only become bigger and better.