State Of The Hobby Today

And a 4th group, those who are happy being unhappy (see Delphi).

By and large though, I think most who actively participate here are "happy collectors", as those who are unhappy with the hobby ultimtately phase out and move on to other pastimes. By definition, if you're actively engaging in the hobby, you can't be THAT disenchanted with it...

It's been said before, but I'm going to drag it out, dust it off and offer it up again.

This is a hobby. It can be as expensive as you want it to be or as inexpensive as you would like. It is up to each collector to decide what brings them the greatest satisfaction.

One of the quirks of this hobby is that everyone expects to profit from it. I don't care - to me it is all about the stamps; if at the end of my collecting, my heirs can get some value back from my favorite past time, that's just an added bonus. I keep track of the "catalogue" value of the collection but that's not so much for any "investment" value but so I can tell the insurance company how much I need to insure it for.

Caveat emptor is a phrase anyone in a "collectibles" hobby where there is the possibility of residual value is something they should adhere to. It means "Buyer beware".

If you really want to increase your potential value, read the literature. Knowing a great stamp from a common look-alike is one area any collector can master. There was a mention earlier in the thread about someone picking up and 834a. This is an example of what I'm talking about.

At the end of the day, I look at this as a past time and a pursuit of history.

Amen, ah-men & ay-men brother.

Not everyone. I for one have never collected with the thought that I would profit financially. I am guessing that there are many like me.

I don't expect to profit, but I wouldn't expect my collection to be valueless either. If I sold my collection right now, I would hope to recoup a healthy percentage of what I have shelled out cumulatively. Of course the manner of sale would determine the outcome. If I were to sell the entire thing en masse to Eric or Richard, I likely would lose my butt, as they buy very low despite charging premium prices. However, if I took the time to sell individually through ebay, APS, etc. I would likely make out fine... however, that's a lengthy and work-intensive proposition. Some pieces would likely be consigned to auction, but having had a recent bad experience consigning to a major auction house, I'd almost rather sell the material myself.

Something I hope not to deal with for a few decades...

That's pretty much where I'm at. I'm under no illusions that I (or my heirs) are going to come out ahead when my collection is sold, or even that I'll recoup my full purchase price. I'm just hoping to avoid pennies on the dollar - quarters or dimes on the dollar, I could live with. I'll see about the method of sale if and when the time comes. If I decide to sell while I'm still alive, selling it little by little might just be a side income in my retirement years. It's hard to say if I'll want to deal with the hassles of doing that, however.

I also don't expect to profit from my collection. If that were the case I would guess that there are other areas of collecting other than stamps that might yield a better profit. But I collect for fun - that's the point of a hobby isn't it?

I collected as a child but "grown up" interests intervened and I lost interest in stamps. A few years ago there occurred a sudden void in my life that I partially filled by going back to stamp collecting when I discovered ebay and found out that I really enjoy "The Hunt".

I enjoyed my stamp collection for 60 years, it also helped me get thru some dark and depressing periods in my life .My collection gave me a lot of joy and was a great learning tool. But when it comes time to sell my wife and daughters have been given instructions to call three firms to get their best price and as a final to call Vince G. at SANDAFAYRE and wait until he comes in to give a final price. If it is close or the highest to take his offer .

I often contemplate selling it all while I can. My fear is if I hang on to it and perhaps pass it down it will eventually lose the majority of its value. Sell now while those that do appreciate it are still looking? Or wait to find out that no one wants it in 15 years.

Over the past 10 years, selling through APS sales circuits and selling on ebay gets tougher and tougher. There has been very little return for the time and effort put into the preparation. I thought that selling specialized material at fair/lower prices would help sales, but it really has not.

Depends on your specialty...

It looks like it's all about money from most of the posts. I'm not rolling in money, but I buy what I can afford. If I or my wife make money OK, but that's not why I collect. It's the history and what I learn. If you stop learning, you die mentally.

Agree with you... I wonder how much my wife will get from the ammonium perchlorate I burn when I launch high power rockets?.

It's the collectors them self who destroy the hobby. They get collections build by someone else, the work of a life time, and they sell it bits by bits instead of preserve it. I don't want my wife sell my collection, I want she find someone to continue it and give it to him or her.

I don't see what is the purpose to pass so many hours to sell the thing 20% of the price we pay.

[quote]It's the collectors them self who destroy the hobby. They get collections build by someone else, the work of a life time, and they sell it bits by bits instead of preserve it./quote]

Huh? That is not what most collectors do.




Such is the nature of collecting... Everybody's collections are different, and any material that is of no personal use gets easily sold, swapped, or even destroyed. It's good to remember we are nothing but temporary guardians of our precious. If we start preserving all the collections of the past, then this hobby of ours becomes a dusty old museum.

Dealers - collectors - publishers.... That's the trinity'modern' stamp collecting is based upon. Right now I'd say that the most vocal part of hour hobby - for better or worse - are the dealers (both professional and non-professional) as well as publishers. And this does raise some level of schism with some purist collectors who do not enjoy the 'monetization' of our hobby.

I'm not taking sides on here, but it it is good to remember that dealers and publishers cannot exist without us collectors, but we collectors can get along without them

-k-