If You Had $50.00 To Spend, What US Stamp Would You Buy?

I'm just wondering if there would be any consensus among the community if you all had 50 bucks you had to buy a stamp with. I thought I'd keep it to U.S., but any stamp, really. I'd like to start adding to this pitiful collection of mine.

For me the $50 price point is a tough one. I would probably buy a misregistered EFO stamp that was dramatic. I don't pick stamps out by cat number when I buy them as I have become somewhat topical.

I am focused more on accumulation than studying what I have currently. I also don't know if I just throw money away for a dumb hobby or I am sitting on a goldmine. Also not sure if I care. Many things bother me as I spend up in the hobby. So I feel like the first $50 was a stepping stone drug. It didn't do anything except make me want other ones. Then you get completion goals. Then you spend way more, and realize there is always an elusive thing that is either impossible financially or based on scarcity. I guess you just have to follow your own path.

If I had $50 to spend, I shouldn't blow it on one stamp - that would buy me 100s, and much more fun.

Well, not knowing what you have, that is hard to say. If it were me and didn't have much yet, I think the best early buy you can make is to look for a good "remainder" collection from a private collector (not a 'big' dealer type), where the expensive stuff has been picked and sold off, but a large quantity of the less expensive items remains. I've had some real finds in these where what was left over was just amazing!

For anywhere from $100-1000 you can get some pretty amazing collections on ebay typically that will be a good start to a U.S. collection including 19th century - for early/mid 20th century you'd pay even less ~~ $50-100.

Look for quality - not junk and be patient until the 'right one' comes along. This is also a great way to buy later issues (1980-2022) in bulk and pay less than face value for usually complete periods.

I spend more than that by mistake. You will soon up the ante as you get further into this hobby.

"I spend more than that by mistake. You will soon up the ante as you get further into this hobby"

I'll keep this post away from my wife!

1847 5c Franklin would be nice, but I don't think possible for $50 any more. So I'm going to cheat a little bit and say the 20th century $5 definitives...Prexie (Coolidge), Liberty (1053-Hamilton), Prominent Americans (1295), Great Americans (Harte) and even the Americana railroad lantern. ALL of those spaces were empty in my childhood collection so I always considered them all iconic and important. I think for $50 you could get 4 of the 5 mint, with change leftover for a nice used Coolidge.

For WW, I would go with Penny Black or maybe Canada Bluenose(mint) although $50 is pretty tight budget for either.

I'm with GeoffHa. I'd use it to target as many cheapies as I could get.

Dale

I'd buy something I don't have.

Jack Kelley

Personally for $50 I'd probably grab one of the early Liechtenstein stamps I'm missing.

Here are a couple of suggestions for you if you want to add $50 of stamps to a US starter collection:

Scott 323-27 (Louisiana Purchase), SCV is about $84 used, on ebay right now for about $25.
Scott 294-299 (Pan Am Expo Set), SCV about $120, on ebay about $50.
Scott 239 (30 cent Columbian), SCV about $100, can get on ebay for about $40


I find the early US commemoratives attractive and interesting. I don't have a lot of early US because I find Ben and George to be, well, rather boring and unattractive . . .

There's always a Mint Australian Kangaroo that I'm missing

Great suggestions, guys. Thanks. I definitely like the early series. I have the beginnings of several, so I might fill some in. I'm not yet sure if I will buy several cheaper ones or do it slowly with a better than average example now and then. At any rate, I'm enjoying the process.
Thanks again,
Stephen

With my meager collection of US mint, I'd probably use that $50 to fill a lot of holes in the years 1970-2000. Like others have mentioned I'd like to get a lot of bang for my bucks, and that's a lot of low cost bang.

That would be hard because, limiting it to the U.S. within my areas of interest, I'd be hard pressed to find a single stamp that I need that would run me less than $50.

It all depends on what I see on ebay. There is always something interesting.

My 50$ would go to a specialized catalogue.
Then I would go threw what I had,
If I was choosing to collect this area.