Started Collecting Again Also. Have A Question.

Hi everyone,

I used to collect US stamps, and I recently got out my old collection and am collecting again. I have a question for everyone, if you don't mind. Like most collectors, I used to buy a new supplement for my album every year and enter that year's stamps. But, I just don't want to collect what the USPS is producing now! I want to have a cut off date for my collection. I was wondering how many of you have a cut off date, and what it is. Do you cut it at about 1990 when all the self adhesive stamps started. I just don't want to collect them. How many of you still collect all the new stamps? Do you get the Priority Mail stamps at $10 and $15 face value too? Just wondering?

Welcome !!

I collect all modern US but if I had a cut off it would be when they stopped making water activated gum stamps. Self-adhesives add a big complication in getting singles from sheets and booklets.

I stopped actively collecting USPS new issues at the 87-88 period. Too may frivolous issues at that point and after with all the souvenir sheets, definitive spread over decades, etc. If you buy supplements for your US stamps, you wind up will multiple supplement pages with incremental changes. It is easier and more interesting to make your own album pages to fit the issues after the 1980s. I generally just collect used US from the 1990s on and make my own pages.