What Did You Do Philatelically: Today Or Recently?

Hoping to get to the fall auction on Saturday (Oct. 21) at the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library.

Today I started inputting Australia into my Stamp Mate Database. Cross-Referencing Scott, Gibbons, Michel and Brusden-White catalogs. Worked on the Monochrome Federation Postage Due issues from 1901 to 1909.

Picked up this very informative 2012 Yvert et Tellier from a very serious worldwide fiscal/Cinderella collector. Also got a few odds and ends from him; some German postal history covers including old-time stamp dealer covers, some modern France (2004, 2007-2008) in the original unopened "La Poste" envelopes; I paid 50 US cents per Euro face value, including many modern booklets. The collector sadly passed away before working on his modern French collection.

Not sure how my friend got the French new issues, but he previously sold me around three hundred worldwide covers addressed to him, mostly from Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Canada. All registered with modern high face-value stamps, nicely hand-canceled!

These all contained his incoming ebay lots from the past several years. Some covers got soaked but many remain modern entires with beautiful cancels, registration labels, lots of oversized too. Big headache to store/display but I have a future philatelic exhibiting project.....

--Jim Wentzell
stampuyaps177-681

Got my friend to invite me over for some more viewing of his extensive worldwide fiscal collection last week. He allowed me to purchase several hundred of his Mexico fiscal duplicates stored in 102 cards (quite a bit of duplication--email me if interested in exchanging!)

--Jim Wentzell
stampguyaps177-681

Yesterday I consolidated some duplicated album pages from odd collections I've accumulated over the years. Mostly involving swapping out better-condition pages from my general worldwide collection, and mounting stamps I needed onto them.

I store most unused worldwide stamps either on black Vario stock pages, or separate, duplicate album pages, which directly precede the USED stamp pages. The following countries were on Minkus pages: Monaco, Morocco, Andorra, Malta, Burma, and St. Kitts/St. Christopher.

I recently got tired of using Minkus two-hole binders so I've been three-hole-punching the pages and inserting them into my existing, generic three-ring binders.

Over forty years of collecting I'm always upgrading my albums; earlier this year I bought a pristine, hingeless US Lighthouse USA (to circa 1980) filled with many nice classic US, including my very first Scott #1 (four nice margins, great cancel). That was a major improvement over my rather empty US Scott Specialized I'd had and worked on for decades. Last few weeks I've been completing transferring mint US stamps from the Scott Specialized album into the new Lighthouse album when they were missing. One day I'll likely sell the emptier Scott Specialized online, if not to a fellow collector at our local stamp club first, which has happened often in the past.

--Jim Wentzell
stampguyaps177-681

I forgot about this; me too! Every day I've been playing catchup and reading many posts. This thread is one of may favorites so far!!

--Jim Wentzell
stampguyaps177-681

My girlfriend was cleaning out a closet at her house and found this "stamp collection" from when she was a kid.



I have added it to my collection.

that's cute - should be framed for posterity.

Continue to eagerly process a large lot. Analyzing auction catalogs for upcoming Harmer, Siegel and Rasdale auctions. Buy,buy,buy!

Listed several lots of India - used classics and MNH lots. Now wading through the India States.

@ddaann:

That's my plan.

Went to SESCAL and bought US #477, #460 mint, and a used copy of US #38. They're all at PSE for certification. Hoping for delivery by Thanksgiving, but not holding my breath.

I have been looking at auction lots. I saw some possible great deals on stamp mounts (new and opened) but I will not likely use several boxes fulls in any reasonable time. One must resist since I do not need any more extra stuff that may never get used. For all the mounts sold, I doubt 20% or more never get used by the original purchaser. They are sold or discarded.

Got the second series of Oz Dues (1909-1910 bicolors on thick paper) entered into my Stamp Mate database and catalog numbers cross-referenced.

I'm enjoying the iconic, classical French stamps these days. Lots of interesting postmarks, no plundering with difficult watermarks or perforation varieties. Biggest challenge is to identify the varieties of shades listed in Maury, but with a suitable color key chart, the frustration level is at an absolute minimum - and the joy of stamp collecting is at its best. Thank heavens for the flexibility and freedom of Vario pages. Viva la France.