To Renew Or Not To Renew Membership? That Is The Question.

Same here. What do people see in Linn's other than advertisements, press releases (see above) and new issues? This is a serious question. I want to know what others see in it that would induce them to spend money on it.

Linns? I subscribe to the electronic version only. What do I get out of it? Not a whole lot, but I do watch for news of upcoming USPS issues, letters to the editor, kitchen table philately. Sometimes there is actual useful information. To me it is worth the $20 per year.

Theron.

I subscribe to both the print and online versions of Linns. I am coming back to the hobby after a long hiatus and I find the articles interesting and educational at my point on the learning curve, even though they may be mostly fluff or old hat for you more experienced hands. I could probably make due with the online version only, but I'm an old(er) geezer who likes to curl up with my hard copy and get an hour's entertainment out of it for the cost of about a buck a week.

Also a member of APS for their online store and magazine, although many of the articles in that publication are on pretty specific topics that may or may not catch my interest.

I originally subscribed to Linn's alone about 5 years ago for a one year subscription. Subsequently I joined APS and my Linn's has been arriving ever since. Perhaps I made an erroneous assumption that the Linn's was part of the APS membership. All I know is that I have never renewed my Linn's subscription and am still receiving it. Now I am reluctant to push the matter to find the truth with either Linn's or APS.

Does anyone else here have any insight on the matter?

And as an answer to what I get out of it. I find Linn's very interesting for current info on stamps. The magazine has interesting articles on many topics and I do not quite understand why anyone would not find it worth the time to read.

Thank G-d (or the local municipal government) (your choice) for recycling, which has attenuated my guilt at printing digital articles to analog media for reading & tossing. If I had to live on a screen, I'd scream.

Q/ Am I the only person who finds that subscribing to a print publication pretty well guarantees that I will never read it again?




Speaking for myself - and, it seems, perhaps, for a few others - it is not that there is never anything to read in Linn's but, rather, that one must page thru so many lists & ads & press release re-prints about new issues to find it.

I enjoy a good treasure hunt, but Linn's is in a competitive market, and I find that there are other/better places to hunt. (See my hearty endorsement of 'First Days', above ... and I don't collect FDCs.)

OTOH, everyone should page their way thru one copy of Linn's once each year. Yes, you can look (and I do look) at lists & ads & press release re-prints about new issues as dirt-cheap editorial fodder but, OTOH, if there are THAT many people who are THAT interested in new issues, can serious philately be far behind?

Linn's: The Gateway Drug.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

That's funny! Thanks ikey!
KirkS Me too!

Not sure why the complaint about Linn's only being about new issues. They certainly cover that well, but I would put that at only about half the non-advertising content of a typical issue. Seems like there is always some articles of historical interest. Auctions of classics get thorough coverage, and while I don't collect classics, and the prices are too rarefied for my pocketbook even if I did, reading about such is interesting. For ~$20 a year (digital), it seems like an inexpensive way to stay atuned to the broader world of philately. As a predominantly FDC collector, it is of little practical use to me, but I read it for the same reason I read through forums here that have little or nothing to do with my main collecting interest: there is always something new to be learned.

Basil

I would be curious to know what attraction the First Days magazine has for folks who do not collect FDCs, such as myself. I am always looking for ways to expand my education or consider new avenues of collecting, so if the previous posters who touted this publication wouldn't mind commenting on what features they enjoy, that would be much appreciated.

Also, other than the publications already mentioned in this thread, are there any other regularly published philatelic periodicals that other stamp collectors would recommend?

Thank you.

You cannot subscribe to First Days. The annual dues for being a member of the American First Day Cover Society is $30.00. The magazine is published 8 times a year.

Unless one has an interest in FDC's, I cannot imagine it being of much interest to anyone. It really is a niche publication. But in its niche, it is top notch.

American Stamp Dealer and Collector (the publication of the American Stamp Dealers Association) is a good relatively general publication and typically an enjoyable read.

king at a random issue of Linn's, the closest within reach of the chair I'm seated at, from July 14, 2014, I see several articles about older stamp issues, some of them regular features. Also, a good portion of the magazine is devoted to news, not necessarily new issues, including auctions, the state of certain major postal services, etc. Cleary Linns is not only about modern issues. Here's the list from this issue:

"George Washington versus Ben Franklin: who's first?" from US Stamp Notes column

"Stamps that may ... have led to the Panama Canal" in the Classic Stamps of the World column

"Identifying New Zealand's King George V 1 1/2d look-alike stamps" from the Stamps Down Under column

"Britain's first commemorative.. the Wembleys..." from the Great Britain Philately column

"Methods of US shortlisted mail handling from 1958 to the present" in the Modern US Mail column

"The characteristics of used stamps can affect how you collect" in Stamp Collecting Basics column

Then there's the Collectors forum and Stamp Market Tips regular short columns in this issue too.

Other columns run in different issues of the magazine. I particularly like the series on stamp expertizing.

Best general publication out there!

Linn's always has a nice mix of news stories, specific subject areas, historial items, collecting tips, etc. The ads are there for a reason, too. I would worry about the solvency of publications that don't have too many ads.