Diary Of A Wannabe Worldwide Collector

Where do you get the templates from? Do you make them?

Yes I design and make them myself using an old version of MS Publisher.

Cool. I may eventually do something like these when I'm further in my collection. But o do like my stockbook type sheets.

Some more pages from 1967, including the pre-decimal Machins.

Incidentally, for those old enough to remember, L S Lowry (the artist of one of the paintings stamps) was the subject of the 1978 Brian and Michael one-hit wonder 'Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs'which I've had as an earworm for the past hour since mounting the stamp :)

Just to let everyone who follows this thread know, I have been spending time soaking, sorting and planning the pages for the Mahins, which is turning ou to be quit a long-winded process :)

It will be interesting to see how you tackle the decimal Machins. I had plans on creating custom pages but still deciding to organize. I just do not want to follow SG Concise. To commit to pages. you need to draw a line on what you collect.

I am not too keen on how SG Concise has the decimal Machins listed, it seems to be a tad all over he place. I know I want o sort and mount by face value rather than cat number, but as you say, it's deciding where to draw the line on what to collect as Machins could potentially be a full-time hobby in themselves.

I did purchase the adminware 'Novice' pages as a guide, but I'm starting to think that even the that might be a bridge too far, I do want more than just one of each colour and denomination though as I am quite intrigued by the phosphor tagging...hmm decisions, decisions.

Maiden----Stamp collecting is about making decisions, you will most likely never get to a place to not make decisions ,the worst thing is having someone else make the decisions for you .

The decision I made was to end my GB collection when we exchanged £sd for Bank of Toytown currency. It's saved me from a world of Machin misery.

Angore- what approach are you thinking to implement if not by using the SG Concise for Machins?

Geoff- Am I incorrect, or were there relatively few pence/pound Machin issues? Or am I thinking of predecimal Machins?

The number of sterling (pre-decimal current is quite small and fixed. There are not going to be anymore. When it comes to decimals. there are many as it gets into perforations, se;f-adhesive, security. etc. You can organize by denomination, printer, chronological, etc. You have the double heads, etc.

I have all mine on Vario pages sorted by more or less demonination in groups (pre-decimal, standard perfs (Concise X). elliptical perfs (Concise Y), security (U), etc. There is lot of overlap chronologically and not sure my final organization hence Vario pages.

Shermae - there's bascially one group of pre-decimal Machins, with the higher values engraved. I remember their coming out, and thinking "That's a nice change". Little did I think they'd still be with us fifty years on!

Well after several weeks of soaking, sorting and changing my mind several times about what limits to set on the decimal Machins, I've finally started to put some pages together.

If I'd done this part of the project during the winter months when it gets dark early, it would have been easier to identify phosphors with my uv lamp rather than being hunched under a dark blanket to do it

Great stuff!

Next batch of Machins mounted. The 5p 'Browns' really were hard work, but got there in the end.