Building A Collection On A Budget - A Few Of My Favorites

I've been collecting for a couple years, and part of what I really love about the hobby is that it can be done at any price point.

For me, that means spending no more than 5% of the price of the cheapest example that Mystic has available. It makes for a fun search - and it's possible to do quite well within said parameters.

The following are a few of my favorites, all purchased in the past 2 years, all at 5% or less - the lowest couple being about 2%.

These definitely fall in to the "stamps on a budget" category; but good for you. If you enjoy them and have fun with them, that is all that matters!

I share a similar route, to get cheap classics, I will take the ripped and torn, but I am not as ruthless as you

That 30c with star cancel, is hanging on for dear life !

I was recently agonising over buying a book of "stuck downs"
I would have loved to take on the challenge, but common sense, and experience tells me they very rarely end well.

Often they are stuck with Flour paste, which is a devil to remove...

(The Canadian Officially sealed, (OX1)I have seen retail for $160)

The book is for sale at $29

To my eyes, there's a lot more appeal in a stamp with a crisp, clear face (or at least eyes, nose, and mouth), but with trimmed perforations than there is a muddy cancel but good centering and full perforations. I really don't understand why there isn't more demand for something like the 90 cent Perry above, which presents beautifully, but has a major tear and a couple of thin spots. However, as has been noted elsewhere, we each have our own collections and visions - and if other people don't want them, it means I can afford the stuff that I like!

Rod,
That is such a fun album, and I would totally be on it if it fell within the scope of my collection.

-Christopher

Oh but it is nice to see that there are others willing to fill spaces on a budget. Used to be described as champagne tastes on a beer budget. My absolute favourite for a stamp that looks great but has terminal damage is this one from my Canadian. There is a tear running from the letter A in Canada and completely through the face. Value? $0.00. To me? Priceless.

Backroads -

I love it!

Some great looking ugly stamps there. I know, as a seller, anything I list as a "space filler" sells much faster than anything listed as a gem. It takes all types.

A big part of that is because many collectors are overly preoccupied with catalogue value instead of actual value, especially actual value to collectors that are not similarly afflicted.

rlsny - Why do you think it is? Is it merely that more people can afford a $5 stamp than a $100 one, or is it that nerds like me have saved searches that look like the one below or what?
(flaws,faults,tears,damage,filler,holder,spaceholder,spacefiller,rip,repair)

The "Stuck downs" sold for $29 (Hidden Buyer)
I am glad I didn't bid, I find the seller right dodgy.

I went through a spell of buying whatever I could to get a space filled. That's what lots of others called it, anyway. Even so, I still looked for certain things, like nice cancels or sharp impression. My reply to those naysayers? "Sure, it may be torn in two, but otherwise it has these x/y/z qualities, and I like it for that." Another comeback: "Is your wife the prettiest woman on the planet?" That split-second delay in response? That will get him a good smack in the face if she is nearby.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with collecting damaged stamps. You paid little up front, and you'll get little at the back end of it all, too. But with a rising market (that's the dream, anyway) you (or your heirs, if you are truly committed to philately!!) should be able to sell your stamps for SOMETHING. People may say you are throwing your money away, but that's not REALLY true. More power to you!

cbustapeck

Damaged classics are stamps I can't bring myself to discard. The history behind them has value even if it can't be measured in dollars and cents. One stamp that I own was damaged by a rodent who nibbled on it at some time in the distant past. Doubtful it will ever be purchased by anyone but I still consider it worth having.

It takes all kinds and that is a good thing.

Is there a point at which you will reject a stamp?

gettinold

I love stories. They're what make our individual collections special. That example, I think, is a great example of a perfect faulty stamp - other than the fault, it's a bright, clean, and has a cancel that doesn't cover that much of the stamp.


rogdcam

I reject stamps all the time. Here's my basic thought process, depending on price:

Free: I'll happily take a small fragment of a rare or expensive stamp and call it close enough. (F'rinstance, at the moment, Scott #s 2, 12, 27-29, 31, 32, 39, etc.)

2% of catalog: It has to be at least 51% physically present.

5%-ish of catalog: It has to have a crisp face / subject or be something that one simply does not see at that price point, ever. For the really expensive ones, even more appeal may be required.

It's also about price relative to other examples. When 5% of catalog is $2, and there's a really rough example at 2 and a nice, clean one at $5, my usual tendency is to hold off until an example that better meets my needs shows up.

I have a very hard time getting excited about stamps with muddy cancels that obliterate most of the image. Several months back, on ebay, one of the higher value 1892 Columbians went for a song. Good centering, no major faults, but with a cancel covering most of the image. No, thank you.

Short version: It all depends on price.

For those of you who collect damaged stamps: More power to you!

I do have damaged stamps (mostly of the cellophane tape stain variety) in the albums that I attempted to fill in my younger years, but at this stage of the game, I'm reluctant to buy a space-filler for something that I'll want to replace somewhere down the road. If that means that I die with more empty spaces, so be it. This isn't to say that I absolutely WON'T buy a space-filler; I bought used copies of Scott 599A and 634A as space-fillers for my MNH U.S collection, since MNH copies are unlikely to be added to my collection unless I win a big lottery jackpot. But if I get damaged stamps for free, I'll certainly use them as space-fillers.

The 90c Perry proves that there are space fillers and there are space fillers.


To each their own indeed!