Who's Lookin' For Love? - Under-Appreciated Collecting Areas

Philately is a hobby as deep as it is wide. We each have our curiosities and proclivities, and there just about isn't an interest the hobby can't accommodate. That said, what areas deserve some collector love? Is there an area you think is unfairly maligned or ignored by the collecting public? What deserves more attention? Postal stationary, maybe? Forerunners? FDC's? Modern New Zealand? What say you?

***Title Enhanced by Mod***

EVERYTHING deserves more attention. There is no area so popular that it cannot handle having still more collectors, except perhaps for the super high end areas.

US straight edge stamps. Fun, challenging, affordable, and largely untapped collecting area. Numerically less common than fully perfed stamps, the corner stamps are the least common.

I missed out on a great collections of these a few years ago but I was seriously ill and was in no position to be adding material.
Don

Grading deserves more love. Their are still haters out there.

Grading is lucky it gets any at all.

Grading has resulted in the destruction of an uncounted number of scarce, rare, and unique multiples for the sole purpose of some certificate collector indulging their ego.

I love collecting straight edges. Many modern US stamps have edge varieties that are great fun to try to assemble as above. Canada also has a lot of stamp series with straight edge varieties.

I like the new technology, especially the precise printing being adopted by some countries and computer-vended stamps.

"US straight edge stamps..."

Look to Canada and Unitrade Specalized to at least show some love with listing as "single with straight edge" from booklets and mini-sheets.
Some have respectable catalog value. All add interest.
pat

Christmas Seals.

Some lesser appreciated aspects (FDCs, topicals, etc.) have been the result of exploitation so they wore out their welcome. This includes the stamp hobby overall.

I like USPS souvenir pages and 3 ring binders.

I don't really know how underappreciated it is, but I find pairs & small blocks (4, or 6 if the stamps are small), both interesting and aesthetically appealing. Nice if there's a variety in one of the multiples, but even without I like them very much.

That's what I'm now working on - well-centred mint blocks of the King Edward to George VI period of Canada, now that MNH singles are mostly complete for the period.

~Greg

The "some certificate collector" comment is disparaging to a large group of hobbyists that enjoy graded stamps and is not very inclusive or tolerant. We need to embrace our differences in how and what we collect, not ostracize and condemn. The comment just oozes elitism which has no place in modern philately. Live and let live as long as you are not hacking up classic multiples.

Souvenir sheets, with a few exceptions, could use more love. They are viewed as contrivances by many, perhaps rightfully so, and suck up space, but can be quite striking in design. Try collecting genuine postally used ones. Not an easy task. Hug your SS sheets next time you see them.

It seems United Nations collections can't be given away.