Idea For A Cover Collection Theme. Crazy? Improbable?

I am getting to the point that I will soon have an example of each Canadian postage stamp issued prior to 1970 except for those that catalog in the high hundreds or thousands of dollars. These will probably remain outside my budget unless I search for damaged examples. We'll see.

In the meantime I'm thinking about where next to take my collecting. Postal history has long been something that intrigues me; seeing the actual use of the objects I love rather than the off paper examples I have been collecting. In considering what my "hook" might be to keep a collection within bounds I thought of collecting covers carrying cancellations with my birth date and the anniversary there of.

What I'd like to know is whether such an approach is doable and how one would go about finding examples?

Thanks,
Terry

That seems like a very narrow focus which would likely prove very frustrating in locating product. How about find stamp on cover to companion with each off cover stamp in your collection. So you would have an off cover stamp, a stamp on a cover and a little (paragraph) description pertaining to the stamp and cover etc.

Creating a birthday collection is fairly common and fun. I have my own birthdate accumulation in small binder. It was simply a matter of going through quantities of dollar covers looking for the date. You will have success in 1 out of every 365 covers - so better than 1 cover for every shoebox searched.

Collecting holidays and special days like January 1, February 14, February 29, March 17, July 4 (in the US!), and December 25 is also common.

I think it sounds like a great idea and a fun challenge. You could browse covers on online stamp sellers, stamp shows etc. And of course send yourself a very special cover each birthday!

Finding a cover with your birthdate from the place you were born would be the challenge.

But not impossible! I don't collect my birthday covers specifically but it was fun to find (and to buy inexpensively) a cover that had a CDS with both my birthdate and my birthplace. And I was born in Rush City MN, a small town! Not impossible!

A bit quirky maybe, but this is what I do with my Washington/Franklin Collection. There will be several that I'll not be able to have on-cover examples and also some that I'll be lucky to just get one mint and/or used example, but it keeps me going. On some issues, I do have additional pages with more covers in my albums.

Great ideas from everyone. Thanks to all.

I'll report back if I go forward.

Terry

I like the idea of picking out an area (state or county) and try to collect a postmark with stamp from every post office in that particular area. I like West Virginia.

I have several dates for which I collect covers with said dates postmarks. Setting up ebay searches for those dates has been quite productive in finding covers. I'll occasionally, randomly find material going thru dealer boxes although I don't specifically search those boxes for specific dates. It's been fun. If there is/are date/dates you find interesting, for whatever reason, collect it/them. That's one of the real joys of philately--we can do it any way we want and that's the right way!

Terry - I don't suppose that you are fortunate enough to have had Canada Post issue a stamp on your birthday? I collect First Day covers for the US "E"-rate Earth stamps (Sc#2277, 2278 & 2282), which was issued on my 28th birthday. I'm fortunate in that there are three distinct varieties, and with the generic topic, there a more cachets than one would expect for a modern issue since there are no greedy copyright holders to eff-over cachet makers.

I also collect used US stamps with a clear SON date cancel of March 22, if five stamps constitutes a collection. Finding these is maddening, but when one is found...

kollectorkurt: That's great. I would guess the rarity of finding one makes you even more intent when you do find one. Keep on keepin' on.

Terry

I think the birthday idea is a good one. I did one binder (55 different cachets) of the alcoholism stamp and I'm sure I barely scratched the surface. There are probably hundreds of different cachet.