After 15 Years I Lost The Enjoyment

For those who say that modern stamps are worthless, I disagree. Thumbing through the most recent Mystic catalogue recently, it's amazing to see how stamps from the '30s go for a third or a quarter of the price of commemoratives issued just last year.

But it makes sense. I collect used US - nothing too crazy (or expensive), just enjoy filling a couple of spaces in my Steiner album every night before bed. And I will say that it's quite difficult to come across recent (i.e, post-2000) commemoratives at a reasonable price.

Two factors at work: one, the steep drop-off in the number of people using stamps (with one exception: there's a reason that holiday stamps are reliably the most common and easy to come by commemoratives each year). With the number of stamped letters being sent decreasing every year, there are just fewer and fewer commemoratives floating around out there in the wild.

Which brings me to the second reason: the continued upward trend in the frequency of issues by the USPS. So not only are people using fewer stamps, but the number of issues keeps climbing. It's a double whammy.

I think I'll just have to be content with not chasing completion post-2000. This is the last gasp of widespread philately as a hobby, anyway, and so I'm banking on the market for used stamps being a lot more affordable decades from now...

I love collecting new modern stamps. I only buy the ones I like though. I don't need to have complete years. Enjoyment is in the eyes of the beholder. Cost wise I figure I could have far more expensive hobbies, for example golfing every weekend. Heck in a month's time that would blow a entire year of buying new stamps for that year.

Not to offend, as I do like some of the modern issues from postal authorities around the world, but to me it seems like a lot of what we're buying in modern new issues is just really well-produced graphic art. For my money, I think I might be just as satisfied buying a book of lithographs or photographic reproductions.

I recently went in the opposite direction with my thinking about my collection. For many years I was collecting everything under the sun. Then I happened upon a collection of U.S. and worldwide with many issues from the 19th century. Aside from my focus on various topicals, U.S. and Israel MNH tabs, I am now limiting my new purchases or trades to 19th century U.S. and worldwide only.

I am aware this is an expensive proposition, but it seems to me a very good way to narrow my collecting scope while keeping it very interesting. I have so much accumulated material, that I can probably work with what I have without new purchases or trades for the next 10 years.

That being said, when I do sell off enough duplicate material, then my 19th century purchases will be very focused and targeted.

Woo hoo! Can't wait for the fun to begin ...

I've stuck with United States singles before 1940 and plate blocks until they were larger than 4 per block. So much history is involved before 1940. After that, and especially in the last 30 years or so, so much volume came out that it quickly became unmanageable. And, the collectable varieties just weren't interesting to me. So I don't collect or sell much after 1940.

This being said, everyone has different tastes and should collect what they enjoy. Remember, stamps are generally a very poor investment vehicle. The best return on your investment is the joy of collecting.

Family,

I am current with my USA collection. But the stamps of today are awful and I hate them. But I still wish to keep current even though I have "lost the passion".

As a passion remedy, I've turned to MH KGVI and am using hinges (Dennison's). It kind of like the old days when I started (using hinges, that is). At least its putting the fun back into the hobby for me.

Jack Kelley

Jack:

Whatever it takes to return the joy. I have several collections, including one in a $1,000+ set of hingeless albums, that are worth less than the albums they are stored in. But I enjoy them filling them and looking at them. Someday my estate will sell these for less than what I paid for the albums. And, I am OK with that.

I feel the same way. I stop my books at the year 2000. I keep the new stuff that I get just in case in the future , I may feel different.