Hello From Illinois!

Hello everyone,

I am a law student from Illinois and I have recently decided to get into stamp collecting. I did my undergraduate degree in History and I love exploring history through items that have seen circulation within the public like stamps, coins, pins, and books.

I have always been interested in collecting stamps but have never taken the jump into learning about them or collecting them until recently.

I haven't narrowed a specific interest down as of yet in terms of 19th and Early 20th century stamps, but I am really interested in stamps celebrating legal history, space, and science. I kicked off my collection by buying a $20 500 stamp lot online, and I found a few interesting things that I did like that I think will lead me in the direction of finding a narrower collection interest. I really like the air mail stamps as well as the stamps that were marked with "Buy War Bonds." So those may be possible avenues for my future collection.

I look forward to learning from this forum!

Welcome Joe!

We share more than our avatars.

I am a retired attorney and life long stamp collector.

One of my recent projects, still in the works, is assembling material to exhibit regarding the First Amendment.

Most of my career was spent with US Dept of Justice - and if things go correctly, I will be changing my avatar to an Official Stamp from DOJ. I have not been on this site that long, but have found many folks willing to help with any topic related to philately.

My only question is "how do you have time to devote to any hobby as a law student?"

I remember how intense those three years of my life were. I graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1976. Maybe you are third year? I recall the saying "the first year the scare you to death, the second year they work you to death and the third year they bore you to death."

Good luck, please share how your interests develop.

BobbyT

Welcome! You started with a significant outlay!

Welcome.

You've started out great. Clear title. Good introduction.

JoeTonJD,

Stamps tell their full story when left on the envelope they served. Look into collecting postal history. Many letters before stamps were invented in the stampless era have intreresting legal and business content.

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.

Russ

Very interesting. Welcome!

Welcome aboard!

Most beginners exploring a new hobby latch onto everything they can get, then gradually find an area of true interest to concentrate on. You seem to be finding that area quickly.

You touched upon the "postal history" aspect of the cancels Here are two slogans to show the progression as WWII started – from defense to war.



(Yes, I am biased toward the postal history side of the hobby.)

BobbyT- - DOJ stamps sound very interesting as does a 1a exhibit! I hope you share photos on here when you have it completed.

A career in the DOJ would be a dream job for me, and I've been applying to anything I see with them.

To answer your question, I am a 2L and I really only have time because of covid. My school is still completely online via Zoom so we aren't getting the traditional classroom experience right now. I definite agree with the "work you to death" mantra for second year. I work in one of my law school's legal clinics as well as with a professor on a research project, and I have a clerkship at a local law firm on top of classes. It is a lot but I've managed to carve out a couple waking hours a week to do things I enjoy. If we were in a traditional classroom setting right now I'd definitely not have any free time. I still have nightmares abour Fall 1L year.

John,

Those are really interesting, I'll definitely be on the look out for more cancels like that. Do you know if any of the other allied nations used similar cancels for their war bond programs?

Welcome here! Have fun; you'll learn a lot here.

Welcome.

There have been many like you and will be many more. Some words of advice.
1. Try to make clear and specific thread titles. (most of us get better at it.) See #2
2. Use the search function link at the top of each page. The site uses the Google search funtion that you will see. It is wonderful. Many of your questions will have been asked and answered in the past. For your threads going forward, with good thread titles, they will be easier to find in the search at later dates.

The US and Canada are fairly rich for slogans. Here is a Canadian Bonds slogan:


WWII is particularly rich in interesting postal history. For one with a legal connection, here is a cover sent by Pvt Chester H. Sherwood in a War Crimes Investigation Detachment. Chester (1926-1997) enlisted January 4, 1945. If this cover could talk! I need to research it more.


And this one for a "International Military Tribunal" in Germany:

Joe Ton JD g Great Britains first slogan cancellation, back in 1917 was an exhortation to buy war bonds. The very first style is rare and expensive, ther slightly later very similar cancellations are merely scarce. I guess but don't know that most nations in a war would have cancellations that asked people to support the war in some way. Canada had stamps with an additinal war tax surcharge.

Joe

You will find lots of good tips to get you started here.

Dianne