Amazing Old Time One Owner US Collection Sale Upcoming At Cherrystone

...which is why its already reached (a rather conservative) estimate of $1M.

As it should, it's an iconic philatelic item.

I am not sure that the lot has already reached $1mm. All the lots are listed at their estimate... probably just a system default for the auctioneer.

Probably correct, since there are some lots listed at over the opening.

I've been collecting since I was 6 years old. I'm presently 68 years old. I've never shared my collection with anyone. Were I to sell it via auction today, would it be truthful to represent it as an "old-time collection?" Does "one owner" status make it more desirable? In my case that would preclude any stamp released after 1958 when I started getting my stamps from the post office (well...mom did).

Howell1018: everybody has a different definition of "old time collection." To me, have collected for 62 years means that you have been collecting for a long time but if the collection consists of nothing other than post office issued items over that 62 yr period, it still would probably have limited value even though it might be a very nice collection. To me, "old time collection" implies older stamps that presumably would be worth more than face value., this would also imply the inclusion of items printed before you were born. One owner means nothing to me personally although certainly there have been premiums paid for items from a one owner collection when the items standing alone may not warrant a premium. Items from FDR's collection is one example of this. However, any collection containing old items is almost certainly going to contain items wherein the provenance of most if not all items is unknown except extending back to who you acquired the item from.

Regarding the New Amsterdam collection that is the subject of this thread I would describe this as a one owner consignor of an old time collection and consisting of items having diverse sources and pedigrees; some known and many unknown.

"One owner" is useful for auction descriptions, it implies a large, valuable collection that has enough material to fill an auction by itself. "Old time collection" usually implies something started before at least 1950, and passed down and continued for 2 or 3 generations, or a collection formed that long ago and kept on a shelf somewhere until now.

old time can also refer to the style of a collection

"Old time quality" are really not words one would want to have attached to one's collection.

I find this conversation very interesting. On one hand the man acquired one heck of an accumulation/collection with the intent to try to get one of every issue. So he is what we would call a poor mans Bill Gross and we all, well almost all commend him for such an accomplishment.
On the other hand some want to bash his collection from the standpoint that he didn't acquire the very best or even just best copies of everything that wasn't the rare of the rares.
A lot depends on how he purchased. If he had a real job and worked12-15hrs a day the way CEO's and rich people do then there just isn't the time in a day to keep relooking back at already purchased items and upgrading. Even using a prominent dealer, prior to the "net" took time.
Could his collection been better? Of course, but so could everyone's. Just because a better item comes along doesn't mean I'm going to buy it. I may have my sites set on an item I don't have. After all, my goal is to acquire one of each.
Let's just remember this is one of the more complete auctions to come along recently that isn't named Bill Gross. There are a few items I'm watching in this with hopes of getting lucky.

One member is hung up on one word and that word is amazing. That member has taken the word amazing to be a descriptor of the quality while in reality it is not used in that way. It is an amazing accomplishment and there actually are many high quality stamps that are also extremely rare. I could edit out the word Amazing from the title but then that would be catering to one person for no good reason. I just ignore it now. I still might change the title to "US Collection for Sale" but that does not convey what it truly is. How it so quickly became an argument by one that it is not all that amazing is quite funny. To each their own.

Believe me, I am hardly the only one who thinks this way about this collection. I have had discussions with a number of professionals about it, some of whom said much worse things then I have.

Just received the hardbound catalog for this sale. Beautifully done. This will be a fun one to watch and I will bid on a couple of items on the low end of the spectrum.

I think I agree with RevCollector. Yes, the New Amsterdam Collection has some very, very rare lots. Yes, there are lots of stamps here. Some are stunning. Some are not. The true rarities are just that. I'm looking forward to the auction and will pursue several of the rarer stamps. Will they exceed my budget? I hope not because, drum roll, I have the same goal as the collector who assembled the New Amsterdam Collection. I am more conscious of "quality" only because centering, faults, etc., are made much more visible to the market today -- along with supply of the various quality of individual issues. So, looks like a good collection to me, but with caveats about how someone today would try to do something similar.