Stamp Snobs

Clearly time for Bobby to add a new, optional, universal, I-am-not-a-snob avatar for voluntary, supplemental use.

I suggest one of those 'international' (nee European) traffic signs: a bright red circle, with a diagonal bright red line overprinting an upturned nose.

Personally, I am thinking of changing my avatar to a similarly-styled "no Yemen miniature sheets", but only if I can be sure that Tim H is smiling, too.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

You first have to separate stamp / postal history collectors from other collectors. In a way it's like comparing Jeopardy to the wheel of fortune, let's meet our contestants


Jeopardy; Let's meet Conrad, he's a Nuclear Physicist, Biologist, and Rhode scholar

Wheel of fortune; Let's meet Dwayne, he's fascinated by shiny objects.....

In other words you must understand the type, it comes with the territory in many cases.

i like this comic. what a guy can't drool around here hummmph!

http://lowres.jantoo.com/animal-kin...7560_low.jpg

There's an old saying which immediately
comes to mind when it comes to snobs...

"don't let the door hit ya where The Good Lord split ya"

Ding !

I don't know what this is about but I think it is funny. I sometimes stick my nose up in the air but it's usually allergies. Is that a snob?? (just having fun, sorry if I am out of turn.
Jim C.

I'll cheerfully admit to being a stamp snob. I do regard people who try to fill pre-printed albums as mere stamp collectors. However, I'll defend to the death their right to do the hobby that way - I just find I have nothing in common with them.

I know the type! I collect classic US and a lot of my stuff isn't what a lot of classic purists would buy so they scoff but here's the thing...I really don't care! So what? M copy sucks compared to your copy...big deal. As long as I can hold it in my tongs and inspect it then I'm happy. I'll overlook centering issues but I will admit lately to creases and tears being right out! (I do have my limit...lol) Just enjoy YOUR hobby the way YOU WANT TO! Brian good thing you didn't listen to that dealer or you'd have me to deal with if you ever threw any of those out! Respectfully- Jeff

I'm "on both sides of the fence". My main interest are the postal history of Barcelona, my hometown (from 1716, onwards), its commemorative postmarks and the postal history of Estonia (1990-1992).
But I also enjoy finding cinderellas and flling the gaps on my Netherlands, Germany, Britain, Scandinavia and Baltics albums. Snob? Who cares!

For guidance on this critical issue, ILS, let us consider the golf snob.

Let's say that you were working the links (or whatever they call it) with a guy sporting bags of customized clubs, with copper-beryllium-alloy heads, and tropical-rain-forest-whatever-wood shafts, and fetal hide grips, and ...

What could we say to this guy to gently get our point across?

"I admire you, man. I could never play a round with your clubs, because every time I took a shot I'd think 'some where, some how, some guy just made a better shot with a club that cost one-tenth what I paid for mine'. Moreover, I could never stand all those people snickering behind my back 'if only he played golf as well as he spent money'. You must have one tough hide, brother, and I admire you for it."

Re-purposing for stamp snobs? How about: 'archival, shmarchival, some day his stamps are gonna look just as worn as mine, only I got there first, and for a lot less money'.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

It's easy to ignore them now, the internet is a great leveler. And stamp clubs that stay elitist and snobbish won't last very long as they get older since they will have few if any replacements. The small insular world that made them possible no longer exists.

About my dealer he would sell Yemen miniature sheet if it come in demand with no comments. He is in business to sell and will sell wathever is in trend. Not snob at all and if now you need advice about buying valuable canadian stamps he's your man.

It's like everywhere some collectors invest only in what they think is a good investment, only in certain countries and era. They are probably like that in all aspect of their life. They can be consider snob when they say it's their way of collecting that is the best. For me the best collector is the one that spend time relaxing and that keep an open eye to that vast world of philately not forgetting being a member of SCF.

I've lived in Australia for the last 35 of my 64 years &, yes, I've seen my fair share of 'snobs', but they do range in type.

There's the wild-eyed disheveled-hair one who was loudly pontificating to no-one in particular that the Cinderella section at a stamp show shouldn't even exist, it had no place in a 'true' stamp show.

I collect Poland & Poland-related & there have been many cases where I've mentioned this to a newly-introduced collector & the reaction has been "Poland?". They were obviously thinking of those large sized cats, dogs, & animal thematics from the 60's/70's (and how many of those, commercially used, did I throw away at the time...) I then go on to explain the joys of Prussia, Russia & Austria used in Poland in the 1800's the plebiscites of the 1920's, the KUK & Gen. Gouv. Warschau & local posts of WWI, the General-Gouvernment & Polish-Government-in-Exile issues of WWII. I stop before they go completely glassy-eyed & see them acknowledge that there is a lot more to Poland than cats & dogs.

Yemen miniature sheets eh. OK, I'll see you & raise you Polish Disney miniature sheets from 2013. Perf AND imperf

I agree with you that it's a question of perception. My Yemen collection includes a lot of the Ottoman Empire fore-runners, but it's these stamps which people expect to see rather than the modern miniature sheets.

IkeyPikey I don't believe I understand exactly what you mean? I don't spend crazy money on stamps but as long as their sound I'll get it if I need it. If it's not perfectly centered then that's perfectly OK with me. I don't look down on other people for spending wildly on their investment portfolio type stamps or super specialty collection stamps and infact I love to see such material but admittedly, I just can't afford to collect that way and would rather spend my time and money on stuff that interests me and buy the best stuff I can afford within my stamp budget. I have intentionally slowed down buying and am more choosey on the covers or singles I buy to get the most bang for my buck. There is no tough skin involved, my collection isn't junk, and I would certainly hope that actual collectors don't snicker at me and if they do then shame on them.

Snobs,
I kinda have a lot to say about them. First, what a great way to kill a hobby…….. A snob needs to remember where they started when they first picked up a stamp. You were not born with the catalog already memorized and knowing the difference between a 154 and a 206 in a split second. No, you starting collecting, trading and as time when by you discovered what really appealed to you and started only collecting those stamps for a reason, whether it was for history, interest or a person or how difficult it would be to own one of every stamp, you know the challenge….
Second, newbies are timid and easy discouraged and if go all professional snob on them, they will walk away or never learn the true art of collecting.
What if that newbie inherited a collection that has been in the family for 120 years? And what if you ticked of that person because they were so new at it and you had to TURN them off from collecting, and they closed the book and put it in the attic. What if that one person had that one stamp you need to complete your collection, you know those rare stamps that are found in the bottom of an old truck from grandma no one has opened for 50 years, you have all heard of those stories, and what if they decide to reopen that book (now 10 years later) and it was announced they had that stamp. And you keel over and die from a heart attack. Your tombstone would read "he missed it by 3 hours, when he could have had it 10 years ago"
If you want to be a snob with a collector of 50 years go for it, they won't walk away but for someone still learning, DON'T KILL THE HOBBY OR THE PASSION..

Also how much fun will it be just you sitting at your stamp club all alone….