New Collector Advice/Direction

I collected stamps as a kid and enjoyed it. I put the hobby on hold when I was 12, that was 30 years ago. About a month ago I was at an estate sale and picked up a small stamp collection for very cheap. The stamps were from the 1940's and I thought I was getting a hidden treasure at a great price. In researching the value of the stamps, I realize that they probably are not worth much, but the treasure was rediscovering something I loved.

When I shared my situation with a couple of local dealers - they kept on insisting that I pick a country to collect or pick a theme to collect. I am sure that is good advice once a collector has been collecting for a while.

For now I am thinking of buying the two volume Harris World Wide Album, and starting there. I have bought a couple of more small older collections from ebay and a mixed packet from the local dealers.

What advice do you have for someone starting out? Sorry for the novel.

Welcome to the forum dwsand

First, remember it is just a hobby and that you collect the way to want to and the way that gives you the most pleasure & Satisfaction.

The only advice I might put forward to you is, think twice about WW because it is so vast and there is no way to complete it. If you want a smattering of WW, then maybe pick a topic or theme. That way you can still have a WW representable collection.

The idea you mentioned about picking a country, or even a small group of countries is good. That way, you can specialize more and concentrate your efforts on a more specific goal.

Hope this advice helps you out?

Chimo

Bujutsu

A "Blue" stamp collection

dwsand- collect how you want!

Collecting WW is certainly a good way to go- that's what I do.

I agree that sometimes a theme ( Blue stamps anyone? )- or time era ( I collect 1840-1952 WW), or geographical region (Scandinavia) makes it a bit easier.

Have fun!

There is certainly nothing wrong with collecting worldwide, but it will chew up a lot of money quick and might get overwhelming too fast. I, like many people, started with worldwide then found myself gravitating towards certain countries. I chose Spain. I probably would not have gone that route had I not collected worldwide first and got a general feel for many different countries.
That was over 20 years ago. Recently I found myself being pulled towards Denmark, because I have been re-visiting my worldwide collection, so now I'm adding Denmark to my main collecting interest.
I've never really invested much in my WW collection, but what I do have gives me a little insight into individual countries.

Another thought is that quite a lot of collectors choose their own country to collect because it's easier to find material and reference literature.

I just wouldn't feel like I HAD to pick a country or topic because a dealer tells me to, at least not right away. Afterall, how do you know what might interest you if you don't sample many things first?

Dwsand,
First of all to SCF!

Have you considered printing your own pages? Bill Steiner at Stamp Albums Web, http://www.stampalbums.com/ has WW pages for downloading. For a $30 a year subscription, you can download as much or as little as you choose.

I was in a similar situation to you a few years back and Stamp Albums was my solution.

For the subscription fee and the cost of binders, paper, toner and hinges/mounts, you can have a complete WW album. (Over 80,000 pages)

I downloaded the pages I needed to house my stamps until I figured out what countries I wanted to specialize in.

If you find a country you are interested in, you can then print the entire country or go to a more specialized album.

It's a relatively inexpensive way to begin. There are drawbacks, however. The pages are arranged in Scott numbering order but have no pictures or catalog numbers because of copyright issues. You need to be familiar with and have access to a Scott catalog to make it work.

You can download some free pages from the website to see if this might be a way for you to go.

Whatever you choose to do, have fun!

Dan

Hi!
Welcome to the Forum! It is a super place for the newbie or experienced collector.
I got back in the hobby last year after a 40 something year hiatus. I first wanted to collect USA stamps, from the beginning thru the 1970s (later raised to 1999). I picked up the Scotts National albums, and Scott mounts and have been extremely happy with them.

But then I wanted to collect worldwide - but only from the beginning thru the 1950s. I've amassed a number of Scott International (big blue) albums and they work out pretty good.

To me, the Album(s) are the backbone of the hobby - and more than likely your biggest single expenditure. So twer I were you, I would check on ebay, various other sites, and of course with the folks here on the Forum - to help you solidify your direction and commitment - BEFORE you spend a lot of money. Ha, I know that is hard to do, but you will never regret doing your front end homework before you buy.

ENJOY!
Mobilman44

I have been collecting for many years and I do collect world wide. I realize there is no way possible to complete the collection because of the huge number of releases. But as stated in an earlier posts I too gravitate from one country to another. My interests change, evolve may be a better term, from country to country. My favorites at this time are for example, Japan, Peoples Republic of China, Republic of China, Korea, North and South Vietnam and more. But now it is getting harder and harder to add to them.

Not to say I have not paid any attention to much of the rest of the world. I also collect Great Britain and the Machin series along with British Commonwealth throughout the world. As the evolution takes place the countries of interest get closer and closer to complete. Although completeness is not my goal. I like sheets and gutter pairs and strips. I am a sucker for stamps with selvage attached from any country.

I also agree with the other posters here to collect what you like and everything will work out.

One more thing. As far a pages go I for many years bought Minkus pages and the yearly upgrades. I no longer do as I now develop and print my own on the same size pages as the Minkus pages. Bill Steiners pages are a very good alternative to the other pre-printed pages.

By the way welcome back and good luck!

Your situation sounds pretty identical to mine several years ago. My first piece of advice would be forget Harris albums if you are collecting worldwide. Steiner pages are a good option or Scott international (big blue) while limiting yourself to classic issues (up to 1940's or thereabouts). Second, specialize if possible and if you like. I decided to limit my collecting to US and Europe classic stamps, but have really only concentrated on a few countries so far (recently added Canada and provinces). Once I started specializing it all became so much easier, specifically with album choices, though I admit I went the expensive route sometimes, and even with finding bargains (by country collection) on ebay. But bottom line, do what you want (but think about it a bit first - as you are already doing).

Speaking of time frame..........
My original thinking on collecting world wide was to follow the "classic" time frame from 1840 thru 1940. Of course the big Scotts Vol. 1 covers this reasonably well. BUT, the 1940s were just way too important to be overlooked, and so I got Scotts Vol. 2 (1940-1949). But then I realized the early '50s were important to me (I started collecting then) and so I got Scotts volume 3 (1950-1955). For now, I think that is it! Ha!!

Hey Mobilman, Just thought I'd let you know I bought my first stock-book! It's a Supersafe 32 page book that I bought on e-bay with a 14.56 bid Plus shipping. Buy the way it's packed with world wide 1999-2003 stamps and souvenir sheets. It pays to keep your options open!

dwsand-------welcome and stay around and meet a great bunch of people, who are more than willing to help you collect the way you want to collect .I started collecting worldwide at a very early age and never stopped .

I don't know about the Harris World Wide album, but a few years ago when I got back into it I bought a Harris Liberty (comprehensive United States album) and was pretty disappointed with all the typos and the general look. (Of course, I worked as a proofreader for 10 years, so I notice these things. I'm also a laff riot at parties.)

A couple of people here recommend Steiner's pages, and I'd go along with that. For instance, I like modern German stamps because of the fine printing and interesting designs, but I don't ever need to look at pictures of Hitler, so I can just print out the pages I want and not have to bother with the Third Reich. And I really like Central America, for which specialized albums are hard to come by, so Steiner was a real lifesaver.

There's also a freebie program available on the Web called AlbumEasy, with which you can create your own pages that look pretty much like Steiner's, in case you get into collecting printing and color varieties of some particular issue. To use it, you have to learn how to type stuff that looks like


PAGE_TEXT_CENTRE (HN 10 "Christmas");
PAGE_TEXT_CENTRE (HN 10 "1997")

ROW_START_FS (HN 6 0.1 5.0)
STAMP_ADD (36.0 29.5 "3.50K" "" "" "" "" "")
STAMP_ADD (36.0 29.5 "3.50K" "" "" "" "" "")

PAGE_TEXT_CENTRE (HN 10 "Insects");
PAGE_TEXT_CENTRE (HN 10 "1998")

ROW_START_FS (HN 6 0.1 5.0)
STAMP_ADD (29.5 36.0 "3.80K" "" "" "" "" "")
STAMP_ADD (29.5 36.0 "3.80K" "" "" "" "" "")


which looks insane, but it isn't so bad once you get the hang of it.

Hi again,

Here are some basic questions on the Steiner pages............
- Are the spaces identified with a Scott's number, or picture, or ???
- Are the pages already laid out, and one just picks out the pages they want?
- Do they include all of the stamps and varieties of the particular country?

Thanks,
Mobilman44

Mobilman44,




No. Because of copyright issues, there are no illustrations or catalog numbers. The denomination and sometimes the color of the stamp are in the spaces. The pages are laid out according to Scott number so if you are familiar with and have access to a Scott catalog, you can find the right space.




Yes. The pages are already laid out with some text (minimal), Each country is a separate Adobe file (Pdf). Larger countries are broken up into a number of separate files. You download the files you want. You can then print whatever pages you want from the file.




I haven't looked at all the files but from what I have seen and used, all the main Scott numbers are included.

There are free samples to view and download on the website:

http://www.stampalbums.com/

Dan

Thank you Dan!
I guess one could pencil in the Scotts numbers if they wanted.............

That's what I do.