1840-1940, Hungary And US

My collecting interests go back to my 8th year of life when I bought a collection from another kid for $2.38. I don't think I have any of those stamps any more, but the hobby caught me for life. One of my aunts always brought me a little packet of used stamps whenever she came to visit.

A neighbor showed me his international collections. But I never had an album that was decent until I went to High School.

I had a break through a few years ago when I purchased a Minkus Hungarian album at a yard sale. Then bought another similar collection on ebay and put them together in the nicer of the two albums. I must say, it is a beautiful object to behold.

When I read an article about collecting the first 100 years of stamp issuing, in a Volume 1 Scott International Album, it was a similar breakthrough. I now have two of those albums, one marked "Part A" and the other "Part B." I have added interleaving, and may buy a dust cover for each.

I tried the "Mint Never Hinged" route for US stamps starting in high school, but I made the mistake of using crystal mounts which ended up staining my album pages.

I don't worry about never hinged any longer, though the ones I paid premium for I still have protected, I just won't pay that premium any more. I am not in the collecting hobby for the money but because I like looking at the stamps. So most of what I buy or trade for now is used or mint hinged.

Did I mention that I am now 71 years old, so it has been the hobby of a lifetime. And I hope I have about 20 more years of it.

I am a retired lawyer living in Maryland and looking forward to meeting others on this site, perhaps trading materials and swapping stories. Bob

BobbyT,

Collecting for the enjoyment of collecting, whatever that might be, is the name of the game. Don't hesitate to ask questions especially if you need basic information and especially more advanced sources of information for any possible topic. You should be able to find folks on this board a little further along on their collecting journey glad to share experiences.

I am 72, been collecting since I was 8, and a retired C.P.A. I prefer my stamps on cover telling the story of their journey.

There are many paths into our hobby. My grandmother got me started in postal history when she gave me a post card from the turn of the last century before last sent to her as a child postmarked at her father's general store post office window. Her husband my grandfather was an RFD carrier.

Looking forward to you being active in our community.

Russ

We never know how many more years we'll have. Enjoy the journey.
Stay well. m

A very warm welcome to you Bob.

Welcome.

Wonderful introductory posting. Look forward to having you be part of the Forum.

Welcome, Bob. Think you will find all you wanted to ever know about stamps here; and sometimes some stuff you didn't but it is all interesting. Thanks for sharing your story and hope you can share photos/stories of your collection as well.

Thanks Andyrich. For many years I belonged to a stamp club in Oregon but haven't managed to connect with the only one in this area. I will check out this forum. Do you know if there is any topic or area of interest involving 1840-1940 worldwide collecting which I mentioned. I will try posting some photos. A good suggestion.

The biggest surprise I ever had related to collecting was buying some coil stamps out of a vending machine ($.05 stamps, for first class rate, to give you an idea how long ago) and receiving an error for my ten cent purchase - an imperforate pair which ended up as a listed Scott item. I might still have it, not sure, but it catalogued for $25 the last time I checked.

I have been active on E-Bay buying lately but not sure I want to get into the selling business there though I have lots of material I would like to part with for things I more wish to collect.

To all of you who have welcomed me, thank you very much. I do feel welcomed. I hope to share selections from my collection.

Wonderful Story BobbyT



Dianne