Getting Back Into The Hobby

Hi, I just found my old stamp collection after 25 years and I am really excited to get back into the hobby again. I was hoping to get some advice since i'm sure a lot has changed since then.

I'm starting up a Queen Victoria collection (GB & Commonwealth). Any advice on where to buy stamps and some advice? I bought a few lots on ebay, seems like there are some good deals on there.

Thanks!

I also need to buy a new album/binder, any advice on which one to get?

We've got a good group of folks on here who can point you in the right direction.

I'm a U.S. collector of U.S. stamps, so I'm not much help there.

I just wanted to welcome you to the Stamp Community Forum!

Welcome back. At present, Gibbons is working on a revamp of its range if Empire/Commonwealth albums. QV will be the final piece. However, the albums won't be cheap, and nor, of course, will the stamps that go in them. Perhaps best to kick off using stock-books umtil you see how your interest and money are running.

Without a lot of work, ebay probably isn't the place to find the best deals on more expensive stamps. If you're buying cheaper, general material, that's different. Deoending on your budget, may be worth your looking around at the collections, country lots etc in real auctions - most of these now have a web presence. But definitely worth familiarising yourself with things before jumping in.

Welcome back to the hobby

A Queen Victoria collection across the British Empire is no small challenge. ebay is useful but be sure to check the feedback of the seller before bidding/buying.

Are there any bourses near where you live? These are another excellent source of material. Also investigate if there are any approval dealers in your part of the world.

Please ask any questions - we will be happy to help!

In my experience, Queen Victoria is a vast area, and a substantial amount of it broadly unobtainable due to cost (unless you have a very large budget). Lovely though it may be, it wouldn't be my recommended area to start. I would recommend the King George VI period - there are plenty of stamps to collect, and the cost is much more reasonable - plus, many of the designs are superb, with attractive sets from throughout the Commonwealth.

Gibbons make a specialist 'Crown' album which is what I use. Here's an example - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GB-CW-GV...AOSwR~BbbtqG

They look great as the start to fill up.

Welcome.
Consider investing time into learning about online sellers and building relationships. I do not recommend blindly making purchases from unknown, anonymous online sellers.
Don

Welcome !!

Thanks for the advice. I was actually considering doing a George VI collection, as you say the prices a more affordable and have much more beautiful designs. Although it will be a much bigger collection though, seems more of a challenge, no? I did sign up with two of the local stamp stores that run auctions every week but I find their prices higher than ebay. Any other online sites I could use?

I was leaning towards getting a 3 ring binder (https://lighthousecanada.ca/vario-f...-black.html) with the 7 pocket plastic sheets (https://lighthousecanada.ca/vario-p...ckets.html). My old collection is in a stockbook and I found it hard to manage it as I had to keep moving around stamps when space ran out. With a binder I could just simply add sheets wherever I want. Any thoughts?

Most of the stamps are reasonably common and prices aren't too high. The drawback -or it may not be a drawback for you - is the number of omnibus issues, imcluding the disaster that was the Royal Silver Wedding issue (collectors up in arms about the face prices). A Gibbons album - whether fastbound or ring-bound - would look better - questions being whether they show up in Canada or how much postage from the UK would be.

I hope some of our Canadian members will comment, as I suspect the value of providing links to GB auction sites is quite limited.

There is so much more to picking out stamps to purchase than price. Condition and a reputable source are key examples.

A Gibbons ring binder would be great, can you point me to one? I am on site and I can't really find any like the Lighthouse one with sheets.

Sorry - I was referring to the Gibbons ring-bound printed album - the modern version of Ringo's Crown album.

See last year's PDF

http://www.michaelkay.co.uk/brochur...brochure.pdf

In terms of ring binders and stock-pages, Lighthouse would be preferable to SG.

Stamp Crazed,

I am a KGVI Commonwealth collector. I try to complete one country before going on to the next. I just finished the Leeward Islands (having skipped over India). I'm only missing less than 50 stamps (all MH); letters A thru L.

This collection is pretty manageable as it covers one quarter of the globe over a mere 15 year period. I am happy I chose this route. Plus the engraved stamps are absolutely gorgeous.

As far as albums go, may I recommend either Stanley Gibbons KGVI or the Palo KGVI?

I have nine Palo albums for this collection. There are advantages and disadvantages for either. The big disadvantage of the Palo is that it lacks SG stamp reference numbers. The SG may be out of print and there may be something going on with Stanley Gibbons anyway. Either way, these engraved mint stamps are beautifully presented when hinged. No mounts for this collection!

Hope this helps,
Jack Kelley

Stamp Crazed. I just looked both of them up. They are still available. And the disadvantage of the SG is the 22 ring system.. I don't like them. The Palo's are four ringed loose ringed.

Jack Kelley

Thanks guys, I guess I will settle for the Lighthouse stuff then. They are freely available in Canada too.

jkelley01938, I was thinking of not focusing on one country and just adding what I can find to any country. I am going to start off with the cheap and easy to find stamps. What do you think?