The Motto (And Meaning?)

The motto: "education is key to collector success"

I was wondering, as part of my "apprenticeship" as newbie stamp collector, what does collector success look like?

Jerob

Like any great motto, this one speaks for itself. The more one knows the better you are weaponed against sheisters. Just one example of why education is important.

Peter

...also how to employ good husbandry towards your collection, to best preserve and treat your collection to avoid damage and devaluation.

WHAT ?????? . Collector success means you are happy with the time and money you invested in your hobby . Time is the most important ,I can't explain the feeling of satisfaction and success when you finally reach your goal on a stamp project that takes time to finish .

I don't know what kind of "education" we are talking about here. I would suppose the meaning is in the context of collecting classic stamps, where education means knowing which are valuable and which are not. But I'm more like floortrader. I'm more a cover collector, and to me education means learning the backstory behind the covers I collect, which leads more to an emotional or intellectual kind of satisfaction than to monetary success.

Basil

This reminds of the discussion of what a successful dealer is. Success depends on your goals. As said, the enjoyment for many can be the story behind the stamps but some are just attracted to the beauty of these little works of arts. It can be at a primitive level.

Collector success is in the eye of the beholder.
Education is something you pick up with time but wished you had on day one.

Honestly I can remember a lot of stupid things I did as a youth when I started collecting stamps. I thing we all did the same things.

As my interest shifted Education became priceless as I moved into higher valued stamps. People will try to sell you anything if you are not educated on what your buying.

As a Philatelist, I view education in this context as learning all you can about the stamp(s) and potentially other philatelic items of interest. Not only the values and proper identification but can include the intended use, variants, manufacture, materials, distribution, in some cases the politics in the back story, counterfeits, cancellations, etc.

I would say minimum education should involve being able to identify and properly handle/store what you have or are looking at and at the very least what resources to use to that end.

As for a definition of success... that's as subjective as the question "what should I collect?". You are the one that needs to define success for your collection. Me... I'm never really happy with my own work and that keeps driving me to continue and improve.

That's part of what makes this hobby great; you can define that education and success to fit your collection and interests. It's only limited and judged by you in the end. Opinions of others aside in the long run.


Jeff

Hi, I only have one little part to throw into the ring.

I have read and reread the Specialized Catalogue of United States & Covers many times. By no means the only thing you should read, but will give you a basic education.

A lot of new and even experienced stamp collectors have catalogue blinders on, do not fall into this trap.

Hope you have future stamp collecting adventures (stamp collecting is an adventure).

Dave

King Jeroboam writes



Another other common epithet thrown around is "caveat emptor" or "buyer beware."

These two go hand in hand. The more you know, the more astute and successful you will become at acquiring good material for whatever your collecting goals are.

It doesn't take a great number of "shysters" to sour a good number of people from an otherwise outstanding pass-time such as stamp collecting. Unfortunately, they are out there, taking advantage of those collectors who are not well educated. Since the don't know any better and this dealer whose "...been selling stamps since before your daddy was born...(Yes, I actually heard that from a dealer)" sounds to be well versed and supposedly knowledgeable to a new collector. After all, how could he have been in business that long if he wasn't? So the novice buys a stamp at 90% of catalog which has a couple minor problems (perf tip creases, off center) and a slight thin, thinking this is a fine deal. It was a fine deal - for the dealer who sold it - but not for the collector.

Eventually most collectors turn to something like this forum or join a club and ask other collectors what they think of this wonderful deal he got. The news that the stamp is worth at best 5-10% of catalog is enough to make more new collectors angry, at the least.

Now, if the new collector withheld buying a stamp until he had gained the needed knowledge, this would not have occurred. By READING catalogs (meaning cover to cover, not just looking at the listings), it is a start. Understand what grading means and what the prices in the catalogs represent (Scott catalog, for instance prices stamps in the grade of very fine (VF)). That means a stamp which meets the criteria is worth what the catalog states. It also tells you in the front of the catalog these prices are what you as a collector would pay a dealer for that stamp, NOT what you could expect to receive from a dealer if you were selling it. This is an important distinction.

So, to return to the original statements, becoming educated about what you are doing means you will be a buyer who is aware of the aspects of what he or she is buying, and that, my friend brings a wonderful sense of success when you add that stamp or cover to your collection which you took the time to learn about and had looked for perhaps for years...

Happy collecting!

Thank you to all for your taking the time to write these great responses, I have read each one with attention, some of them more than once.
Best,
KingJero