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

I stopped collecting new US stamps in 1985. I was spending way too much money. I bought all 1984 stamps issued in full sheets, plate blocks and multiple singles. I even purchased a set of the last postage dues stamps in full sheets. They had announced they would no longer be selling them, so I bought a full sheet from 1c to 50c in dry and wet gums where available. I had an issue with the clerk at first when I told her I wanted postage due stamps. She had to go talk to the postmaster and came back and said she could only sell those to collectors. Like duh. Who else would want them?

My 37 album Scott International set goes to 1992, with 4 other years beyond that. I am more interested in getting the pages than the stamps to fill them. I buy WW year sets up to about 1985 or so (depending on the prices).

I only collect U.S., so I'm still getting new issues. I've thought about stopping, but just haven't been able to force myself to do it. I'll go for months, and then the USPS will issue a stamp I find either attractive or historically viable and there I go again, picking up the ones I hadn't bothered with. Did anyone ever study whether this compulsion might not be an addition?

Doesn't matter to me, at any rate, as I really enjoy my stamps. Since I collect everything U.S. except state wildlife stamps, I've always got something to work on. When I get tired of new issues, I'll start working on precancels; when I get tired of that, I move over to postal history; when I get tired of that, there's always 19th century....you get the idea.

I believe the bottom line for all of us - and anyone just starting up - is that if you enjoy it, keep doing it. It doesn't matter what others think because whatever you collect, in whatever condition, it's YOUR collection. Enjoy it!

This begs the question: What did she think that stamp collectors look like? In what way did you not look the part?

http://todayinsci.com/Events/Patent...llerHead.htm ... History of the Propeller Beanie

https://www.amazon.com/Adult-Propel...p/B001QK4RZC ... Adult Propeller Beanie Hat Made in the USA

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey (who stopped collecting new issues almost as soon as he started collecting)

I stopped collecting mint Spanish stamps by 1985, when I decided that I hadn't any interest on that country and its stamps. Since then, I only pick FDC of Spanish stamps when they're related to Catalonia. And, I`ll stop, once we're free from them.
I stopped collecting mint UK, Sweden and Feroe, by 1995 as I could no longer afford them, and I went to collect used stamps of UK and Scandinavia. I still do, as well as German stamps.

Well, she HAD come back empty handed. I had to tell her that I WAS a stamp collector and that the stamps were first issued in 1959 and would soon be removed from circulation (I gave her the actual date which I do not remember anymore). She had to go to the back again to get the stamps. I thought I was going to have to prove it somehow so I gave her the extra info on the dates. I was in my early 20s at the time so I guess I did not look like a collector (forgot my propeller beanie). But she did give me anything I wanted. Including $5 plate blocks.

I still collect USA MNH each new year. I wait until the new supplement comes out and then I fill it.

Jack Kelley

I collect US new issues because my Dad gives me sheets every year for Christmas. Now I am finally trying to organize them. I also collect singles in an album.

I stopped collecting Australian mint and used issues in 2000.
To many issues and variances that the total expense to acquire is far and beyond the average collector.

We now have imperforated stamp collectables that have no postal validity but just a money grab at collectors.

Once upon a time Australia post used to destroy all unsold stamps but now they put full mint sheets, Mini sheets, Sheetlets of 10 and even the limited edition only found the yearbooks composite sheets through a laser printer and the outcome is the beautiful cancel CTO Melbourne and CTO Flinders Lane.
These issues have never seen a post office or have any postal value yet are released into the market at a 1/4 of the cost of a new issues.
Nothing but Jam Labels
We wonder why we have issues in encouraging new and young collectors

I think that the proliferation of junk annoys the seasoned collector much more than it discourages the beginner.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Oh I stopped collecting US modern mint stamps long ago in the late 80's. I felt that the USPS was going over the line at one point in trying to take advantage of collectors by issuing stamps in large numbers, and some in quite high denominations, to make a business out of preying on our hobby.

It takes album supplement pages and mounts to mount all these stamps in also. Stamps of odd sizes were being made, so I was winding up buying a whole package of hinges just to mount one stamp. It just flat out got expensive for me each year.

In some series' such as the Great Americans issues, I was receiving Scott album supplement pages with no Scott numbers, just the dashed boxes on the pages for the stamps. To not make any mistakes getting these stamps into the album making sure they were in numerical order was a pain.

There is an exception here, and that is my US Airmail stamp part of my collection. I sold a stamp at auction that I found in a bag of kiloware that allowed me to get nice copies of each of the Graf Zeppelin stamps. When I had those, I decided to finish that album up to the last stamp made (US Scott No. C150) since fewer airmail stamps were made, they had stopped making them and it was a project with a visible and inexpensive end.


-IBFS

I stopped actively collecting new stamps many years ago. There are just too many being put out to keep track of. I still occasionally buy an issue, when something about it appeals to me. I like older things, in general, that have stories associated with them. I also like line-engraved stamps that have an innate artistic beauty to them. For those reasons, I enjoy both postal history, off-cover stamps and plating.