Sorting Canadian Stamps

Just got serious about sorting this weekend. I decided to start with Canadian stamps since I am more familiar with them. Spent the entire weekend and had stuff everywehere. I had printed the list with images from Canada Post Archives and that really helped. I didn't realize how many stamps Canada had printed over the years. I have some from the 1800's to 2007 and I found it a little overwelming.

Anyone who can give me tricks or methods of sorting as I also have hundres of stamps from a few other countries as well.

I think once I get caught up it will be a little easier.

Any help would be appriciated

Dianne

Start by breaking them down into 2 or 3 piles, depending on what you have. With Canadian stamps as an example, maybe the definitive queens, older commemoratives and more modern commemoratives. Then take one pile and work with that, breaking it down further if it is large and varied, or down to stamps as parts of sets. When dealing with a large group of stamps, basically start with three piles of some kind then break them down further one-at-a-time.

Thanks

I did break them down but I did it by face value to start with. I think when I work on the American Stamps your way may be the way to go.

Thanks again

Dianne

I always break my large piles of stamps down by country then year. I have a series of envelopes labeled with the year. After I have them in the year groups I take a year at a time and separate them into Scott number order and either put them in my album(s) or into stock cards for archiving. How ever you do it, have fun!

There is no easy or quick way that I've found over the years. Best way I've found is to start by sorting by denomination. I'll go to the dollar store and pick up a couple of boxes of cheap #6 envelopes. Once you have everything sorted into piles, then I write the denomination on the envelope. Example: Envelope labeled 37 cents. Put all of the 37 cents stamps in that envelope. Once I have them sorted out by denomination, I'll grab an envelope and sort them into the year of issue and mount them as I go. With winter upon us, I'll usually do an envelope full in an evening. If I run across anything that needs to be researched more, I'll put them aside in an envelope labeled "needs research" or something like that and save it for later.