Starting Over Again ...

Now that you all have many years of experience....

If you could only collect one country, one topic, one (something), etc. What would it be?

Why?

What would be your motive?

How would you collect that item ... commercial album, downloadable pages, make your own album pages, etc.?

I would like to focus on a dead country with limited, but available philatelics, colorful history, etc.... maybe Danzig. Why: History and historic. Motive: history and opportunity at completeness.

Danzig. The album pages are quite interesting and so is the history.

http://www.dcstamps.com/?p=2052

I wouldn't change a thing. Yeah, Right. First off, I would have stayed with USA and collected 19th Century used instead of falling for the fake "MNH" syndrome. Now I have branched out into KGVI unsed hinged. Not sure I have done the right thing. Any KGVI collectors out there? I have invested over $2,000 (well over) and will sack for $1,000. Includes a SG album chock full of stamps and a six volume Palo album. Let me know.

Jack Kelley

By the way, all of the KGVI are unused and hinged. The SG catalog value of the SG album is $3,500 and I paid $1,500 for it.

Hi Jack

I too have the Palo and the SG George VI sets as well as the Palo Omnibus pages .

My Omnibus are all MNH except for the 1935 set which will be a mixture of MNH and MH.

My Palo George VI will be a mixture of MH and MNH and my SG will be a mixture of used, MH, and MNH for now but may change SG to just used.

John

U.S was my first love when it came to stamps and will probably always be. I've delved into other countries and enjoyed it for the shear beauty of some of the sets, but always return to the good old U.S. I look back at some of the crummy examples I collected many moons ago as a child and they take me back to the magic of childhood when every thing was new and exciting. I wouldn't change a thing.

Dave

I'd like to say I would narrow my focus and limit myself to one area of philately...but that would be lying. I'd be all over the place again.

I probably wouldn't change much about the countries I collect or how. The only major change I can think of is that I'd have probably gone with storing more of my collection in Vario pages rather than the mish-mash storage solution I'm currently using. I'm a WW collector who could never stay with just one country or one of...anything. I tried, but couldn't.

John,

I ordered my Palo with black and white pictures. Do you have the colored ones? I find its easier to see what you are missing this way. I am transferring over the stamps from the SG album. Lots of stamps there. All mint hinged. $3,500 SG worth according the Dr Friedman who I bought it from.

Jack Kelley

Hi Jack

I have mine in color which I am not sure if it is good or bad. I have the standard pages and use clear mounts so not too hard to tell what is missing. I have the newer George VI 6 volume set from SG also standard and again use clear mounts.

Still not sure which I prefer, Palo or the SG albums.

Not going to be cheap to fill as the Omnibus cover a lot of the same years, and I started filling those first. Still need some of the 1935 and of course some of the high value 1948 set.

I fill them little by little so keeps me busy. Just one of many projects on the go right now.

I've been collecting for over 50 years. If I had it to do all over again, I would do two things that I've recently started in my dotage that makes my collecting more enjoyable :

1. I quit collecting to a catalog. For example, just because Uncle Amos makes a distinction between a US Scott 312, 313 and 479, 480 (perforation), it no longer bothers me that I don't have all four. (I'm never going to get a US Scott 613 anyway LOL) Collecting variations is interesting and fun but if I am not interested in the variations, I no longer obsess over a blank space like that just because Scott assigned it a major number.

2. I quit collecting for other people. If I like a stamp, regardless of how ratty it is, I buy it. I'm not collecting for other people, for resale, for a profit or for my grandkid's future; I'm collecting for my enjoyment. It's my hobby.

Dan

Jack

Why was your romance with the British Empire so short? I think the big drawback with GVI is the endless omnibus material, when the Criwn Agents, having scored some kind of success with the GV Silver Jubilee issue, decided to milk stamp collectors. But the definitives are attractive and mostly affordable.

Dan

Just what I'm doing with a lot of stuff. Do I really care about perf varieties of Portuguese Colonies? No - much more relaxing to make space for one example and keep the varieties on stick-sheets!

Geoff

oldguy
I would start over again collecting a country I collect before. I sell my collection after a year or two. So far I really enjoy myself collecting but I think it would be a good idea to venture back in a country I collect before for the stamps and postal history. I heard of a collector who bought back a collection he sold before. Also I keep all my catalogues. Nothing strange there for me. Daniel

Been at it since 1942 or 1943 & done almost every type of collection. If I could start over again I might make a collection that reflected my life. I'd collect all stamps that pictured or commemorated every specific place I'd ever been, every person I'd ever met or actually seen or somehow interacted with, every issue or event that I'd actually somehow participated. I'd make my own album & maybe attach memorabilia to go with the stamps.
My descendants might likely be interested in this collection.
Would anyone else be interested? I wouldn't care.

oldguy - that's an interesting question.

If only one country: France. Unlike many other countries, I think France has issued beautiful stamps from the very first issue until 2000 and beyond. The classics have numerous varieties and interesting aspects - and in addition no need for the rather boring exercise of measuring perfs or trying to identify wmks. Even more interesting is the search for the classics with postmarks from abroad. And then comes the challenge to try to collect as many as possible of the approx 10.000 different PC and GC losenge postmarks on those beautiful classic stamps. All in all France is the postal area that attracts me the most. And I would make my setup on Varios - for maximum flexibility - and to allow me to add whatever - and to organize it however I wanted to.


If restricted to a topic, it would be the 'classic era', 1840-1900.



TheArtfulHinger - I know exactly how you feel I were struggling with this regret for years myself, but couldn't make up my mind for the overwhelming task to make the change. Then one fine day I simply decided to just DO it. I will never look back So I would absolutely encourage you to 'get the Nike shoes on' -just do it!

oldguy,
good to hear from you and your vast experience ! I plan, soon, to transfer my Canada Stamps (only the early ones until maybe WWII) They are in Vol 1 of Scott's 6 volumes (International) - I have them, with supplements, since my teens and I am not a teen anymore (LOL). Lack of space so I printed the Steiner Canada pages and bought a nice binder (3 rings)and will start another Album for my Queens etc. All other /Canada stuff go into my dad's Lindner's albums, which are great but expensive - I have them up to # 5 I think with extra pages and they are full. What happened to #1 - well in the 80s I sold some stamps and made good $$ - do regret it but it paid for a new house by the Lake !