What Does Your Office Look Like?

I found several 'what does ... look like?' threads very interesting, and with beautiful scans to boot.

I've been able to appreciate the latest purchases from members, learn about nifty previously unknown (to me) SOS material (and found a pointer to the SOS Society!) and generally lose myself paging through pages of stamps I wish I had. Somehow is not the same as looking at them in all the catalogs I have.

Based on what I've read from several contributors, many do some stamp dealing on the side. I know several stamp dealers in my metro area, and only ONE has a shop. The rest have a home office or an office not open to the public.

I've also read (and was amused) by one collector's unexpected shipment after buying a large lot (unexpected boxes, wife's-not-amused-meme-worthy glares, and so on...)

Here's what my office currently looks like - and I haven't even launched my site yet... When I got my first shipment of 18 boxes, I had to spend 24 hours transferring the contents to storage bins. They were blocking our hallway, and my wife was most definitely not amused, and did not want to have these unsightly cartons littering her otherwise everything-in-its-place home. I told her that most dealers' entire homes are taken up by stamps, but this did not fly. She asked me when I was planning to make my first sale - and I said I wanted to be comfortable with my listings, my accounting, my shipping methods, etc... My main job is programming and automation - I want to minimize the mundane, uninteresting stuff in the sales, shipping and accounting process, and focus on stamps and customers.

nice, here's mine. Small time dealer, very small.

Lee

My 'office' is where I spend 20 hours a week...a bit hard to work on stamps but I do get plenty of 'online' time (albeit one handed typing as seen above). But hey, this is what allows for Stamp Smarter and me being able to pitch in here.
Don

@Lee, officially, I haven't sold a single stamp yet. So 'small-time dealer' beats 'pipe dreams' any day.
@Don, well-wishes, and keep on stampin'

I absolutely love the look-and-feel of StampSmarter. I created my own website several years ago and came to the conclusion that while I can technically write a shopping cart module, maintain inventory, and code everything (given that programming, middleware and all-things-Unix is my day job) I realized that I suck at UI design, and there are several ready-made platforms for this (HipStamp being one, and any of the open-source eCommerce sites others.) I created a primitive-looking site that would only be attractive to folks that just want monospaced green-on-black data with occasional syntax coloring (I use vim all day, I still refuse to use any of the bloated IDEs - but will have to soon...)

Just back from friends...
In order to keep the hobby going, whether you have a great big office, or just a $40.00 desk, it's all good. If your stamps fill up the hallway or just one red box. Your still 'stampin'.
Lee

I'm glad I specialize, I got four Lindners and a U.S specialized cat. Friends of mine have rooms of boxes. I just shake my head....

Here is my work in progress which need to be organized.

The large shelves I built myself and all the die cast cars on top of them are stamp related.






















This is half my garage which I finished.

Excuse me ?

Dutchman,
that is an extraordinary collection, well done you.
Have you chosen Insurance?
I have in Aust $5,000 cover, just to keep the policy affordable, and get me started again, if anything untoward occurs.

I'm always amazed at these stamp offices. I live alone (no "wifely nagging") and keep a neat & trim home, except in my basement office, the center of all my volunteer work for non-profit organizations. All of my stamps are put away in cabinets and closets. They come out only when being worked on. I recently bought a 3 X 6 foot folding table (roughly 90cm X 180 cm); something I've always wanted; to better facilitate working on volunteer papers, stamps, etc.

Dutchman: you might want to check to see if the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC) offers an insurance program like the APS here in the states (if you're not already a member).

Dutchman,

Very nice and neat. Do you have a number on the size of your collection?

Hi Don
Is that plasma phoresis? My ex GF had TTP at her 20s, about 15 years ago, and it saved her life.

Hi Rob.
No, it is dialysis. But they are quite similar, both involve removing all your blood, filtering it, and then giving it back to you.
Don

Just looking here, I like the Idea of the Die Cats cars will be on the lookout for some for myself.

Thanks Don for all the work you do for the hobby, much appreciated.


Ray

DUTCHMAN 1948 ---Nice stamp room .

The one thing about stamp albums is that unless you use a standard 8 1/2 x 11 album binder (standard in US) US folks) when you put them in a bookcase you often have to sacrifice a shelf when you expand the shelf spacing to accommodate the taller albums with dust covers. This means one shelf is very short.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

I need to do a lot of thinning out so none of the albums have the front or back outward.

The large shelves I built so as not to waste space.

I also have to get some binders and slip covers for some so they can go on the shelves properly.

I have no idea how many stamps I have because I still have 3 cupboards full on the other part of the garage as well as boxes of stuff.

As I said, still a work in progress.

I will at a later date, have albums and pages for sale as well.

This is basically a 6 year accumulation.