Organizing 56 Years Worth Of Collecting.....fun Stuff

I'm 64--I started collecting stamps when I was 8 years old. I've hauled my collection around through one marriage, 5 houses, 4 sons, 3 granddaughters, and 56 years. I finally decided this winter to get it organized--been tearing stamps off envelopes for years and years and just "accumulating". Went to 2 great stores in Midlothian, Va and Bethesda, MD to buy supplies, and have loved every second of finding out what I have. I'm about 98% of the way through this process and I have spent hours and hours sifting, organizing, soaking, and removing self adhesive stamps (using Bestine's Rubber Cement remover followed by baby powder on the backing--it works like a charm, by the way). Lots of new stuff to have learned but I am discovering that stamps from 1900-1990's are so much better than the new stuff. Also, I have no way of being able to tell the difference between AP printing, CCL printing, SST printing and all this modern stuff? Microprinting? Do I need a powerful magnifying glass to figure it out? so many questions.....this is a really cool community....when I got started, I had a question about a new foreign album and the help and answers I got from this community were world class. Thanks to all.

I have a 16X loupe that I use but a 10X should be strong enough to see the microprinting. Also you could buy an inexpensive digital microscope $20-$30 and connect it to your computer. The microscopes can be fiddly but you will see a lot of details.

Welcome Scotland

You will love this forum.

Dianne

Just getting into the hobby myself. Welcome aboard. There are many options and accessories to consider.....

Thank you wkusau for that suggestion. Following up on that, I got an 8.5X loupe yesterday afternoon that worked perfectly. Actually had fun looking at the microprinting of some of my collection.

Welcome to the forum! The more you look, the more you learn. Was the place in Midlothian called Packard's?

Hi Scotland!

I too am new to the board and am finding helpful suggestions in these "intro" threads. One that looks interesting is the digital microscope that wkusau mentioned.

B.G.

Welcome!!

Greetings Scotland - Welcome to the forum of astonishingly serious philatelists. Like you, I come here for enlightenment. In my case, my knowledge is dulled by a 40-year hiatus from the hobby. I am learning a LOT by (1) combing through the community archives; (2) posing questions here, the threads for which take on lives of their own, and (3) supplementary inquiries courtesy of Mr. Google. Drop by any time; I'll put on a pot of coffee.

Yes, it was called Packard's, and it doubles as a rock shop. Strangest but most interesting place I've been in a long time. The owners (the Packards) are as nice as they come and the place was "packed".

I've actually read on one of these boards that some folks have referred to the new, "forever" stamps and self-adhesive stamps as garbage and they refuse to collect them. I was surprised but interested in such a take coming from the philatelic community. But I guess I understand given that I find stamps from the 1900's much more interesting than those of the past year.

There is so much you COULD collect, I am having a tough time narrowing my focus. I've pretty much decided to cease and desist with the foreign side of things but really don't know what to do with the 7,500 stamps I do have, all jammed into a Statesman Deluxe album kept together with gorilla tape. Currently buying plate blocks and individual stamps to grow the collection.

I also find this community to be made up of incredibly smart and incredibly nice folks with world class behavior and knowledge. Wish the rest of social media was as productive and helpful as this Community. Thanks to all.

Collecting question: Say you have 3 mint sheets of the same stamp(s), would you break up one of the sheets to enter the 20 or 40 different stamps on the mint sheet (i.e., Legends of Baseball, or Women in Journalism, or Greetings from 50 States, etc.) and enter the individual stamps in an album?

Just curious as to others thoughts on this minor dilemma. NOT a 3rd world problem but love to hear others thoughts.

Hi Scotland2018!

You sound like you're having fun, and that's the main part of collecting. Like they say at a chain restaurant: "No rules, just right!"

56 years of collecting has me beat by six years (I started when I was ten) but I have always set aside time to soak, sort, and otherwise display stamps, usually a few hours a week on average over the years.

Nowadays we have this neat forum which allows us to communicate with others online, and it has been very helpful for all kinds of stamp collectors. Kind of like an online stamp club meeting!

Don't hesitate if you have any questions, or jump in and help answer others' if you have some knowledge. Looking forward to hearing more of your interests, experiences, and shared stamping fun!

--Jim

Welcome aboard! I bet you have quite an interesting collection since doing it for so long. I'm sure some of the stamps bring back the memories of the years they were received, no?

Yes, I enjoyed getting the whole thing organized. I started with just the red All American Album and the blue mint sheet next to it. (See pic). The organization process included buying 3 of the 4 oak single drawer file drawers for stock storage and the 8 new leather bound albums. Finally have it about 96% of the way done. Took almost am month to catalogue 4,690 separate international stamps and file and organize the other 7,000 duplicates. Have zero idea how in the world I accumulated all of this.......The international stuff is in another room and isn't even shown here.