Have You Ever Completed A Stamp Album?

A fellow member of the stamp club I belong to has taken on a very interesting project. He is attempting to fill every space in his old H.E. Harris Ambassador Album he received in his childhood. The album holds approximately 14,00 worldwide stamps. He informed the club members that he now needs just about a dozen stamps to "complete" the album. For every stamp illustrated in the album, he has mounted the appropriate stamp. Moreover, he has filled blank spaces with stamps issued in the time period when the album was first published. In our club "show & tell" session, it was quite remarkable to see nearly every space on every page filled with stamps!

As a world wide collector of pre-1952 stamps, I use the Minkus Supreme Global album. It is currently available from Amos Publishing. However, I am fully aware that I will never complete this two-volume monster of an album. Nevertheless, it struck me that his project might be a very enjoyable way to collect world wide stamps. I would be curious to know if any one else has tried this approach to collecting and what challenges he or she has encountered in doing so.
D. Buss

I think any one of us who has ever had a general worldwide collection has taken this approach, but how far we get toward the ideal of a completed album (and this depends on the album totally) is another thing. Aside from the challenge of the sheer volume of stamps required, there is also the issue of what illustrations the given album happens to include. Also, whether forgeries, facsimiles, reprints etc. are acceptable or even recognized. Your stamp club colleague has made a remarkable achievement--it would be interesting to know what stamps have eluded him after so many years.

I've never completed a worldwide album of any kind, not even a beginner one, although I still plug away at my childhood Harris Traveler album from time to time. I use my duplicates to fill spaces there occasionally. I'd like to complete it someday, but I'm not really actively buying stamps for that album, just using duplicates.

I do have 3 completed binders in my specialized German-area collection, however. These don't really represent a completed country per se, but they do represent complete (as listed by Scott) clear-cut divisions of this philatelic area, namely Berlin, Third Reich,and West Germany from 1949 to unification in 1990. These are mounted on Steiner pages and housed in Lighthouse Vario F and G binders. I've got a few other German-area binders that are close to completion, but some of those empty spaces will be difficult to fill and are likely to remain empty for awhile.

I have two sets of Gibbons albums - the Ideal and the Imperial - which together enable the creation of a pretty comprehensive worldwide collection to 1936. I have an aura of smug self-satisfaction if I complete a page in either,

I've never completed an album and to be honest I hope I never do. It always leaves that happy feeling that there is something still remaining to be done.

I do agree with TimH, but have one additional comment. I have a specialized collection of the Transportation Coils, some 80 stamps that were issued between 1981 and 1995. The stamps are housed in some 25 albums on pages that I make myself. Thus my album is always completed in a sense - until I find a new, unknown variety and print off a new page.

Peter

Yes, there's been a lot of talk about doing this with the Scott Internationals (BigBlues). In fact a couple of guys back in the 1970s completed the entire, at the time, 11-volume set. Of course, back in those days, it was much harder to find and track down the stamps you needed. In many cases, they had to physically travel to stamp dealers around the world to find the stamps.

This way of collecting can be fun and challenging, just be aware that if you are doing this with a "representative" album, in the end you will end up with a collection of only the most common inexpensive stamps that will not be worth much if you ever want to sell.

But, this is basically what I have been doing, so it shows how much I know

I'm definitely biased, but I think the completion of a worldwide album, even the first album you had as a child, is a worthy goal. I know of four completed Scott International Volume Ones, so that is definitely possible. I have not heard of a completed Supreme Global but that would be something to see. I think the Gibbon's Ideal would be right out, as at least the copy I own, provides spaces for the Mauritius 1847 issues inscribed with "Post Office."

Yes, there are a few awkward gaps to fill in the Gibbons albums, mostly involving Mauritius and British Guiana!

I'd hazard a guess that Ferrary was the only collector who could have filled an Imperial, should he have chosen to do so.

Family,

I don't know if it counts, but my goal is to fill and complete a King George VI album set with mint (hinged) stamps. Its already ten percent complete - based upon page count - after only three months. I believe that covers 25 percent of the world over a 15 year period. Comments?

Jack Kelley

Jack
After your omnibus purchases, are you working by country or area now? With the exception of the odd high value, most of the GVI are affordable. The rather dull Silver Weddings will be a bit expensive, though.
Geoff

Great topic! I recently bought a hardbound beginner album from 1953 at a club auction and had thoughts about filling it up. But I think it will be for duplicates only. I like the (admittedly basic) descriptions of Steiner pages better for filling spaces on my main WW collection.

Sadly, I broke apart my childhood Harris Traveller album when I came back to collecting as an adult. Big mistake. I wish I had kept it intact.

Hi Geoff,

I am working thru the Palo KGVI country by country. I am really enjoying this as I really like working with engraved stamps and the costs have been reasonable so far. Using hinges seems to enhance the appearance of the stamps as opposed tp my MNH USA collection which is Showgard mounted.

Jack Kelley

Jack,

I agree. I personally think that the frame (i.e. box) around the stamp in Palo and Steiner pages really looks good.

Chris

I have never even considered filling an album. I started off with US and that is impossible, so it was never a goal. My goal is to have an album with spaces for all Scott numbered stamps and their varieties. I make my own pages for the earlies and include spaces for stamps that I will never see. I would like to continue my big blues as high as I can get. Currently in 37 volumes up to 1992, with supplements for 1994, 1998 and 2000 (those would make 40 albums). All are sorted by country, not by year.

For completion, I consider area spans, like complete Norway 1930 to 1988. And then I try to expand in each direction. When it gets too expensive, I move to Japan and start with year sets. By the way, is there anyone here that collects Japanese stamps? I have a few questions. Interesting to collect stamps I cannot read. Saves on the eyes for not having to try.