How Do You Collect And What Do You Collect ?

I started off many years ago mainly with an US album collecting used stamps. Then I started adding modern mint USA stamps in the late 70`s. Since that time my collection has branched out in many directions. My USA is mostly complete from 1930. The classics is being built with a mix of mint and used stamps.

I have a healthy hoard of revenues but other than filling stock books with them I haven't studied them. I have several stock books of washington and franklin waiting to be refined to see what I have. Again I have a stock book filled with washington small bank notes that I have least water marked.

I have hoards of used USA stamps that have at least been sorted. I have some in manila stock pages and a lot more in glassline. I collect modern USA from about 1980 in sheets placed in binders. I have multiplies of the ones I like such as 20 Jenny's that I have never opened.

I have added collections Canada, Australia, New Zealand, ISRAEL and NAZI all in binders. My massive foreign stamps fill 10 binders waiting to be reviewed just to know what I have.

I added USA plate block collection through a recent purchase. Let's just say I add far more stamps each year than I can get to.

I know have an interest in frame art and press sheets.

Most of my stamps came from kilos that I bought about 10 to 7 years ago from a closed dealer amd were mainly from the 1880's to 1930 thus the abundance of Washington and Franklin's and many many more such as Columbians. At the time in was paying $12 a pound and I just keep buying.

I have added more classics but I'm not one to outlay money for the quality ones. I'm happy with a fault or two.

I built a very nice collection of fancy cancellations. I add to it as fast as I can just a bad habit.

A few years ago I bought a 10 pound box of modern stamps. I have sorted but there is so much to explore with this lot. For example I have tons of the transportation series, flags you name it.

I could go on and on but the point is I am all over the place. Not that I mind.

Is anyone else as crazy as I am? Heck I could have a few winners but by the time I find them I may be in the ground. I don't know if I will ever find the time go get through my foreign stamps but I really don't expect too find anything other than common or low value.

Started with a Harris Album from Woolworth's in 1979. Nothing after that until 2002, started doing some British Commonwealth & US possessions mounting them on Steiner pages. Had a child, took a 13 year break and started again in Fall 2016.

Now I am using stockbooks for storage and creating digital albums that I can carry with me all the time.

Been a little bit all over the place on what I am collecting but discovered I like topicals more than I like countries. So my current focus is on:

- Winter Olympics
- Public transportation
- Paintings on stamps
- US FDCs

Still filling in my Ryukyu and Canal Zone albums, but not a primary focus.

mkfarm, small bank note issues don't require watermarking because they have no watermarks. Perhaps you were instead using watermark fluid to determine the possible presence of faults?

Hi I started with a cigar box of Washington/Franklin Head Stamps that my grandfather a stamp collector said, if you can figure these out, then I'll give you more. Took a long time, this was before there were any identifiers. Required me to memorize all the different combos. Great education to start stamp collecting.

Stampmaster

Lol can you say triangles, in my event I have a lot to finish actually sorting. In any event I think you know what I mean, it's fun getting them figured out.

The first bureau issue stamps, which do require watermarking, frequently get labeled as "small banknotes".

Edit: Not that it is right...

I have never heard of the first bureau issues being referred to as small bank notes.

I dropped a lot of countries some years ago to concentrate on those I want to specialize in. Apart from my country collections, my topical interest is martial arts on stamps. I get a 'kick' out of them <G>.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Collected worldwide stamps ,have worked on it for 61 years ,never listened to anybody in the Philately community. Hope to work on it for another 20 years ,then I will have a decent collection .

Started collecting world wide in 1960; at age 10 1/2; using my dad's Scott Modern album (1940) and his Captain Tim's Ivory Stamp Club album (1935). I still have both albums although haven't added anything to either for years. Main collecting interests are Portugal & colonies through 1975; Poland through 1965 (corresponds to Parts I through V of the Scott Big Blue International); Mexico through 1965; British East Africa.

Have generally inactive collections of North America (US, Canada & provinces, Greenland, St. Pierre & Miquelon, UN-NY all through late 1960s); German speaking area through 1965; British Commonwealth through 1965; Central & South America through 1965; Italian area and southeast Europe through 1965.

I was exclusively USA MNH until I reached the Washington Franklins. At this point, I have all 20th Century except about half of the Washington Franklins.

Then I went to the King George VI era which covers about 25% of the globe. Very interesting; mint-hinged this time so I use Dennison hinges for this collection. I looks beautiful without mounts. So much so that I returned to the USA collection and filled up the 19th Century back to the Pictorial era with used stamps using hinges. It really brings something to the USA collection.

Now I am back on the KGVI and am nearly complete with Volume 1 (OF 5 Palo). Enjoying it.

Jack Kelley

Curiosity question Jack. Where are you usually finding Dennison hinges?

I collect Canada FDC's

Started with US mint and used. Got tired of dealing with mounts so bagged out on mint. Expanded to used US PNC singles and used US precancels, as well as used Saudi Arabia. Then took the plunge into used world-wide. Starting to accumulate world-wide precancels and perfins. I am limiting my collection to 19th and 20th century as I despise the proliferation of 21st century issues and the inability to soak many self-adhesives.

I've been all over the place with my collecting, but my collecting habits these days are pretty simple: I collect the entire world, to date. My main focus is the countries of Europe and their colonies (with a particular emphasis on the German area), but I dabble in every country, depending on what comes my way.

Steve,

I use ebay. They are not $.25 per pack anymore. More like $25.00! I only buy unopened packs. hottexandwight is the name of the vendor. Although I have never had any problems, he is not a 100% seller.

Jack Kelley