Fun To Look

I ordered Mystic's us stamp catalog. Along with it they sent stamps on approval. I am having fun looking to see what I have or not. I did have a question though. On stamp cancels if the cancel is right on the face of say like Lincoln would that be worth less then if the cancel was off to the side?

First of all, STOP. Mystic is notorious for overpriced items. See if you can stop the approval process right away. Instead, look through their catalogs, and compare prices on ebay or other sources. I'm sure that you will see quite a difference.

As far as cancel location, there are some that like the "SON" versions best. That is the "Socked On the Nose" or perfectly centered cancels. Others like very, very light cancels. Still others only collect mint (no cancels). Good luck.

Ok thank you for the info Partime. The cancel I am looking at on this stamp covers the whole face but is centered. Makes so you can't see the stamp very well though. I do prefer to collect mint but they can be pricey.

I agree with partime, while Mystic has been around for quite a while, if you do your due diligence and compare them with like items on ebay, you can do better.

In general Mystic is overpriced, but....... for Used-Commons they have some decent deals, you have to look for them. So don't be put off just because it is Mystic. Of course, once on their Approval carousel you will find it difficult to get off! Personally, I don't like heavy and obscuring cancels, stick me in the "lightly cancelled" category if I'm going with a Used stamp.

While I have never bought from them, I do admire them since they have sponsored and supported many different philatelic projects by the National Postal Museum and other philatelic institutions. They are a pillar of the philatelic community.

Nice to know they support different philatelic projects, makes it an easier decision to buy something even if it were a bit more expensive. It would be for a good cause. I haven't bought anything yet though.

I also prefer lightly canceled, although some do prefer the "bullseye" cancels.

Regarding where you buy them: Mystic is a fine company with good service, but yes, they are high. If you are looking to collect US stamps, you can buy most stamps after about 1935 at face value or below. You can look for MNH postage lots on ebay and you can get a pile of of them at around 80% of face. If you don't like them or there are duplicates, it's cheap postage! You can buy used US mixtures for a song and fill an awful lot of blank spaces for next to nothing. The remaining blanks can be filled from a dealer's catalog or price list.

I agree that Mystic is a pillar of the community. Having said that, I haven't bought stamps from an outfit of that nature since I bought stamps from H.E. Harris in high school, in the late 1960s.

If you're an APS member, suggest using the Stamp Store or circuits. Ads in Linn's Stamp News are another possibility. I've never used ebay and likely never will; as I just keep reading far too many stories of problems.

I don't get approval dealers that refuse to stop sending you approvals. You'd think they'd realize that it's a waste of time and money on their part, if someone doesn't want their stamps, they're not going to sell any. I had one a while back that kept sending approvals even after I told them to stop. Several times. Then I told them, in writing, that I would consider any more stamps they sent my way to be a gift, as I'd told them to stop and therefore, they were sending unsolicited materials to my door. They kept it up. I've gotten at least 5-6 sets from them since, none of them have been returned and none ever will be. Every couple of months, they send me some more free stamps. Thanks, guys. Hope you don't think you'll ever see any of it again. No means no.

The great thing about collecting is that you decide how you want to build your collection, and that goes for what kinds of cancellations you prefer as well. You just have to find out what you prefer. Personally I prefer SON's for my Norwegian collection, preferably with a cancellation from my home island or somewhere nearby, or some other place in Norway I have a connection with. But for my foreign collections I don't feel it is as important to get SON's, as long as the cancellation looks nice.

That goes a long way with me and I applaud the effort. I've dealt with them over time problem free. The same cannot be said with ebay.
Tom

I don't have a problem with Mystic maybe a little high on some things but have deals here and there on others. But what big company isn't a little high on products they have. I had no problem getting off their approval list but that was 30 years ago. Your collection you collect how you like and buy where you like.