Pushing 330,000 All Different Worldwide Stamps In One Collection .

floortrader - Another thing I have noticed even for really cheap stamps. There are not that many collections that have full sets of stamps for some countries. Most collections just have a scattering. Take Laos for example, their early stamps are beautiful and later it's wall paper stamps by some people's standards. But try finding completed sets.

Green Dragon ---- A high percentage of stamp collectors never move on past buying mixtures and Kilo lots ,which real don't offer much in the way of complete sets . That is fine if it is enjoyable and entertaining for them . I was in that group for many years .
It was the going to stamp clubs and bourses that got my interest in looking at complete sets . To me , a young collector because it had a certain "wow " factor ,plus it was filling pages in my album .I see no problem of me spending the rest of my life just buying $1.00 or $2.00 complete sets to fill album pages the rest of my life ,it would be a fun project .

Right now I will stick with finding those rare stamps that most collectors are missing ,this doesn't have to be a cash killer there is enough good stuff that doesn't get a lot of attention ,sort of a fun project but still sticking with my goal of having a decent size collection .

Some day I should write a article about Philippe Von Ferrary and me . I can write it about him and me having a pissing contest about our stamp collections and comparing both . Sure he did have the greatest and most expensive collection the world ever seen but it could be a interesting read it would be just for laughs of him and me sitting around B.S. each other .

Agreed on your point about mixtures. Some collections that collectors dismiss as cheap are actually scarce. Sometimes I see collections with zero bids or minimum bids that when I go look for a similar collection on ebay or hip, there is not one. And no one bid on it because they assumed that it was just a bunch of cheap stamps.

The cto packets of the 70's were frustrating when they would consistently be missing the high denomination.

Worst are mixes with one or two stamps per set which with Steiner is one or two stamps per page.

Agree that many ww collections have few complete sets and fewer complete pages. Complete becomes all stamps with cat value under say $2. I like the comment here on the value of getting sets.


Filling holes in sparse collections seems to require rebuying most of the commons already owned. I am moving away from the cheap mixes hoping to fill holes approach.

Quanah ---- My progress has been the same as millions of other stamp collectors who at the same time as me was to start with mixtures and kilo lots ,the change for me was after 2 years of college and returning to Chicago and getting a job . Work was hard and a mental challenge like no other . I needed a escape and time to relax and unwind . Since my stamp collection was my escape from my 8 brothers and sisters in a 3 bedroom house ,it was natural to escape other people and noise by working on stamps .
The Bible talks about the importance of being still and a quiet time. So I already had my quiet place with stamps ,plus the importance of "it was mine " not to be shared with anybody else .

This same thinking served me well 40 years later , when my company was putting in asphalt parking lots at shopping centers or fast food places . Getting the team started and gave directions ,then walking over to the pick-up truck or dump truck and pulling out a Linn's stamp newspaper or a up coming stamp auction catalog and walk over to a spot of grass and /or under a tree to watch the guys work and relax with stamps dancing around my head .

That is when and how I planned to continue building the stamp collection during retirement .

Sounds pretty nice!

gvol21 ----- I know it sounds strange but do understand it was hard work and being tired and dirty all the time . I need down time and stamp collecting let me focus away from it ,with the stamp newspapers ,stamp catalogs and auction catalogs behind the seats in various trucks to relax with .

My wife called it a "VICE " but to me it was a escape .

That's what I meant when I said it sounds nice - not that it's an easy job, but that you have a respite from the work with the hobby. That's what it's all about!

Austria -Vienna , a fake essay . For my Cinderella collection .

Floortrader, a fun addition to the collection. Love to see these early classic Cinderellas.

gvol21 ---Glad you liked the above Cinderella .

Nice to see this chapter of pages has hit 185,000 views ,maybe half was my views ...lol.

Always love the colors in complete sets!