Nearing my 40th post, dawned I hadn't actually shown any stamps yet. OK, here goes.
Back around 2004-2007, I got back into stamps. Ordered updated National Supplements, got binders and slipcases to fit them, stumbled upon the Steiner pages, etc. When I decided to redo my US collection, focusing on quality (easier with the lower prices!) instead of quantity, and also deciding to start a Worldwide classic collection my way (I considered the traditional 1840-1940, but I've always been a WWII buff (love big band music), was fascinated by the way maps were redrawn after the war, and being born in 1964, I figured that would be a good date to end, which would give me the stamps of the newly free African nations in the early 60's, Kennedy, Israel's beginnings as well as the UN, etc. So US and WW 1840-1964 it was.
I had a smattering already around (bunch of random WW from some great approvals from a classics dealer from years earlier, and the US stamps that were (a) still good, not ruined by glazing and (b) not sold off during my bad times (which I don't really regret, as most were 'faulty' type classics, not great ones).
So. Starting over. Seems I needed 'something special' to kick them off. My son was just starting school, so I had a little free time (I was working 3rd shift at the time, 9 years worth. Stayed up in the days till the Mrs. came home. Now with him in school, I had some 'me' time till I picked him up). I had a little money (less than $500 total), and wanted to kick off both collections with something special.
Here's what I did -
1) US .. one of my favorite US stamps is Sc #573, the $5 'Liberty' of the 1920's series. I had that stamp before, and it was one I had to sell off. My old copy was MNH, with the image slighty off center to the top vertically. I paid about $400 for it in the late 80's. Looking around, this is when I first noticed the 'newly lower' prices. On
ebay, found a very nice one, MNH, and centered beautifully. For under $120.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present my US collection herald, Ms. Liberty:
2) Worldwide, 1840-1940 - Well, this was really kinda new territory for me. As I said, I had some great approvals from a 'classics' dealer, I had purchased a few Hitler stamps at Yellowstone Stamps in Orange County in the early 90's, basically because I was shocked you could actually buy a Hitler stamp!.. but nothing really 'gotcha'. Few $10-ish stamps, nothing more.. so... figured what the heck, and started looking at the beginning. Found a great dealer on
ebay who sold nothing but Penny Blacks. In my 'modern' collection of worldwide, I didn't even have any English stamps. Finding a real nice VF copy with a neat Red cancel within my price range, I made Queen Victoria my first.
I proudly introduce you to the First Lady of my Worldwide 1840-1964 collection, the forever-young, 1840 version of Queen Victoria:
Thus began my modern rebirth into Stamp Collecting - one of the main things that 'caught' me was that it was now possible to acquire very nice, VF examples of 'good' stamps at a fraction of what they were, even back in the 70's. These two proudly sit in my collections, awaiting more to be mounted, and purchased, in the coming years, and hopefully my son keeps interested and can continue it with me
Ok, there we go. FINALLY a post by me with my stamps in it!
Allan
Posted 09/25/2013 7:52 pm
