How Many Have Stopped Collecting New Mint Issues From Countries They Collect And Why?

General discussion, not a poll.

I collect a number of countries and have little by little stopped collecting new mint issues due to annual costs of the stamps. Too many issued, too many high values, too much for shipping, etc.

Have others done the same, and if so, why?

I was getting US and Canada and stopped around 2000 , too much crap especially with souvenirs sheet, signed one, really ???

I stopped in the 60's and 70's because of the flood that started back then, but made an exception for the US Transportation Series and have never been sorry!

Peter

I cut off all my collections at year 2000 because I didn't value the stamps, and to limit storage space. Post-2000 issues look no different than kids' stickers from the craft store - no appeal for me. I have made limited exceptions for selected US new issues and only in volume that I can actually use on mail. And I didn't want to use more than six linear feet of shelf space for my album binders.

World Wide – I stopped at 1980 because I didn't want to go over 10 Big Blue albums.

Netherlands and Colonies – Stopped at 2000, one really giant album and don't want to move into second

British Americas – Stopped at 2000, four albums is enough

Great Britain – Stopped at 1990, kind of arbitrary

Christmas Seals – Stopped at 2000, album full

U.S. – Keep current because my wife buys me all the new stamp issues and a set of album pages each year. We sit at the kitchen table and mount the stamps together. We fuss at each other and joke around like a couple of kids. Great memories every year and this has become a bit of a tradition that we both look forward to. Although she supports me throughout the year, these are the times she actively participates. Don't care how much it costs, how much others call them labels, it is priceless to me. 5 large albums and growing.
Don
APS #094826

I stopped my US singles and US Commemorative Plate Block collections when the last gummed stamp was issued. I agree with the comment regarding modern stamps - especially commemoratives - and their similarity to children's stickers. I'm not fond of booklets and self-adhesive stamps period and have only a very select few in my singles album. My US Regular and Airmail Plate Block album includes both gummed and self-adhesive issues, but mostly because I wanted to already have the now hyper-expensive Priority and Express Mail plates present when I pass my collection to the next generation for them to up-date and continue. I'm concentrating my purchases on pre-1920 issues almost exclusively.

Ooh, about 1970! When I returned to stamp collecting, I had no wish to create a new lake from the torrent of Royal Mail issues.

U.S. and Canada: I stopped actively collecting mint issues from these countries about 1995: too many, too expensive. I tried to keep up with mint definitives after that, but that too has fallen by the wayside. Now I passively collect them: if I obtain a mint or used example, it goes into a Vario sheet.

Great Britain: I'm still actively collecting mint Machins.

I've rediscovered the joy of worldwide collecting, so I'm concentrating on that now. I purchase 1840-1940 (mostly used) from APS sales circuits, and country packets from my favorite mail order dealer.

Robert

I'm a worldwide collector who has never purchased new issues when they first come out. If one waits awhile, you can usually end up getting them at half the issue price or less. Plus, for a worldwide collector at least, it's not like there's a shortage of other material to collect.

Stopped collecting all the new USA stamps that come out every year. Way too many and too many printers now so many different stamps but same design.
I will pick up a new mint USA stamp or sheet if it appeals to me, but pretty much have resigned myself to used USA stamps from year 2000 up unless I can get a mint example in a trade.

I still collect mint Canada but will stop doing so as of Jan 2017 and restrict myself to used ones. There are just too many variations of the same stamp at high prices and, sometime, ridiculously high prices.

uboatnut: welcome to the Forum. Regarding the thread topic, I made a conscious decision in the early 1980s to stop my collection in 1965 when I bought Parts I through V of the Big Blue Scott International. I've modified that slightly since as my Canada collection goes to 1973 and all Portuguese colonies stopped being colonies in 1974-75 except for Macau. I don't collect Macau after that date.

Had another modification about 5 years ago when I inherited the US collection of a good friend's deceased father (she, the only child, has no interest in collecting). His collection went to about 2009 or so. Very good coverage since World War II. I'm not adding anything to speak of after 2009, but slowly am putting my duplicates of pre-World War II issues into his albums.

I stopped US mint releases in the 1980's... just too frequent and too many. Tried to catch up a bit in the 2010's, but determined it was not worth the effort. Plus the local post office treated me as a nuisance rather than a profit center. So just stopped buying new issues.

Quit buying new Canada after the B..S.. from Canada after 911.

There are six or seven main stamp auction firms that on a regular basis offer in their auctions large lot of recent issued stamps . These large lots are mostly MNH and many of these lots have inventory that is still in the original post office packaging . I even purchase whole runs of ten years or so that are in the countries original post office envelope that have not been open by the original purchaser and the auction house didn't even waste time to open them . That even tells you that not even auction buyers took time to examine the whole lots .

51studebaker: Don, I agree that shared hobby time spent with one's spouse is highly rewarding. Though she drew the line at playing with little pieces of paper, I still remember those moments when my late wife joined me on my bird-watching treks. The memories are indeed priceless. I still remember the day I gave her an engagement ring ... and then took her out to the "sticks" to see a rare Spotted Redshank (and she still married me!). I now wish that I had spent more time with her on her own special passion (horses).
While I still collect mint US, I plan on stopping in the near future.
John

Philatelists are no longer the target audience for new issues from postal authorities and the days of the "one of everything" collector must rapidly be coming to an end. Royal Mail stamps (which I stopped collecting in 2000, along with Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man and Canada) are now aimed at those with specialist non-philatelic interests, such as pop music and movie/book characters. I am happy to no longer be buying these novelty sticky labels, especially with Royal Mail issuing this October a set for the 45th anniversary of Mr Men books. 45th? Really? Can their greed and desperation for profit not wait five years to a more meaningful, albeit still questionable, anniversary?

Anyway, the important thing is that we have 176 years worth of philatelic material to choose from, so feel free to give-up modern new issues for sure, just do not be tempted to give-up on philately totally. GLENN