Siegel Offering The Edward Morton US Collection In April

I think you are all too woke and are going to get thrown under the bus!

Revcollector, I don't know why you have such animosity and jealousy towards any collector that does not collect or buy the way that you see fit. We all are different. Some people collect for the sheer enjoyment of it. Perhaps this collector was affluent enough that he could afford to pursue his passion without regard for the investment potential or what the return for his heirs might be. Does this make him less of a collector than you or anyone else on this forum? Instead of coming across as mean spirited, why don't you applaud this collector (or any other for that matter) for what he has accomplished and contributed to the hobby. Now that these great stamps come to the auction block, some of the rest of us will be able to own and enjoy them. It's a good thing my friend, no matter how you try to paint it otherwise.

Also, if the demand is less, prices go down. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as items that were once out of reach, can now be had. This will spur new and interesting collections. Its always a thing- the stamps you want are too expensive, and the stamps you already have are undervalued.


I also think you have to disconnect someone's collection, their knowledge, and bankroll. The 3 can be mutually exclusive.
With millions, anyone can buy their way to greatness and not know anything. Likewise someone can be an expert, and be broke. Also someone can opt not to collect rarities because it's not a priority, or because it may make a poor investment at this point.

Money can buy a stamp but it cannot buy a philatelist.
Don

That was my whole point.

And I am certainly not jealous; although there are sure to be many very attractive stamps in this sale, it is unlikely that there will be any that would fit in with what I collect.

This sale has me wondering when the next Gross installment will be. Any word?

I heard a rumor about May, but I don't know how accurate it is.

Agreed, Don.

But I would also add, rich people seldom get rich by being stupid. It is counter-intuitive to think that an affluent individual would blindly throw money at something as esoteric as rare stamps without any previous knowledge or experience in the hobby. I'm not saying this scenario is impossible, just highly improbable. I think there is a tendency amongst the philatelic elitists to automatically discount an individual procuring rare stamps as simply "buying a collection". Once a philatelist reaches a certain socioeconomic demographic, are they no longer a philatelist? I contend that this answer lies in their level of passion and dedication to the hobby, but it's not about their money.

Surely, as much as we are entitled to collect as we wish, we are also entitled to both have and to express our opinions without all of the usual self-righteous indignation. I happen to agree with revcollector and believe we are better off when we are allowed to express our opinions. To claim the moral high ground while stifling honest discourse is an utter hypocrisy.

I cannot see how Rev can express an opinion on other than the few stamp shown as of now. And yet he is off into money, methods, motives etc.. Has anybody here met Morton, know Morton, have any true background on how this was assembled. If not anything more than judging the material is tabloid fare.

It really just frustration that every time there is a sale similar to this one people come out of the woodwork to drool over them, but this type of collection often takes little in the way of serious philatelic knowledge to create, only money. Meanwhile there are truly great collections where someone spent years doing research, wrote articles, etc that do not get close to half the attention, despite deserving it more in philatelic terms, and I find that very frustrating. Sometimes it boils over. This is not about whether this specific collector has serious knowledge or not, only about fact that this occurs on a regular basis.

revcollector - perhaps you should look at exhibits and shows instead of auction sales for viewing displayed philately.

The presentation of a sale is marketing, which is very different than an academic review of the material.

As it happens, I see exhibits regularly, usually at Collectors Club of NY meetings. This is just the by product of a passion for the hobby, and a genuine feeling that grading has done irreparable harm to it by destroying scarce, rare, and unique multiples. I understand the marketing aspect since I deal with it on a daily basis.