What's Your Guilty Pleasure, Philatelically Speaking?

Covers from my hometown: Chelsea, MA. Particularly from the Soldiers Home which is up the street from my house

Shermae, ecmorgan,

I earned my Eagle in 1962. Plus two Palms later on. My certificate was signed by JFK. Interestingly, I never did earn the stsmp collecting merit badge!

Jack Kelley

Jack,

That is awesome. Oddly, I didn't earn the stamp collecting badge either, though I've taught it a couple times over the years!

The Stamp Collecting merit badge was the very first one I earned. I had already fulfilled most of the requirements even before I became a Boy Scout. (I got my Eagle in 1984.)

There was a very interesting youth exhibit at WESTPEX several years ago, chronicling the history of the Stamp Collecting merit badge. Long story short: the requirements have gotten easier and easier over the years.

Well all this is good stuff and I will follow this thread. One of my guilty pleasures is saving really damaged stamps for a collage picture.


Well having thought about it, I am drawn to pictures that remind me of my dear Mother and two -of triplets-little friends of mine- sisters who passed on long ago. Their is a certain mother and child stamp that comforts me. I like the Helen Keller stamp. And others. I keep these separate.
Strangely, I also like the mosquito stamps about stamping out malaria and the stamps about eradicating polio. Also Franklin Delano Roosevelt stamps. And on and on. I want to make my own thematic collections and also follow a more traditional arraignment in other books.
I like wild animal stamps. And I found a Pinocchio engraved drawing stamp that I love. And on and on...… oh well.

I would say my whole collection, to be honest.

Mine would have to be plate number coil (PNC) stamps, especially the Flag Over Porch (FOP) issue. I have 6 binders devoted to my regular U.S. collection, but 14 for plate number coils. I plan to add 6 more binders for PNCs this year.

So fun to see what everyone's guilty pleasures are...

Given that I collect primarily stamps with art historical subjects, and that I much prefer engraved stamps to any other, my guilty pleasures are the newer ones with cheap repros of paintings by old masters with kitchy modern designs, issued from about 1975-1990. They're admittedly tacky, but I find them sort of delightful.

Space stamps, and used sheets/large blocks. Something about a large group of stamps having been used and survived the journey in one piece intrigues me.