Would You Recommend Collecting Modern Australian Stamps (After 1990-S)

Seems Australia started to print a few hundred stamps annually since 1990s maybe?

Any recommendations on collecting modern Australia stamps? Is it worth it? Thanks.

Is it worth it as an investment? No.

Is it a fun and challenging endeavor to collect a postally used copy of every Australian stamp issued since 1990? Absolutely.

Depends on what "it" is.

On the collection side, it can be fun and addictive, but on the side of the stamps becoming valuable later on, no. Modern stamps are far too common and even if the collection was sold 100 years later it will not go up in value, whether mint unused or used.
Unless you had come across a significant variety or error, then the stamp(s) with this variety may earn you hundreds or even thousands of dollars, but the chance of that is very unlikely.

I do and find it a mixed blessing. Subscription provides almost all - getting the odd child, etc., can be a fun challenge. The real issue for me, though, is the sheer volume- W A Y TPO M A N Y.

I think most here would agree that you should collect what you like as it will provide the most enjoyment and satisfaction from stamp collecting. What are your concerns about collecting Australia since 1990?

If you are looking at stamps as an investment opportunity hoping to make a profit, you, likely, are going to lose money. If you want to collect stamps for fun, then it is up to you to determine whether that fun is worth it (money, time, frustrations when stamps do not arrive or you miss out on a new issue). It goes for modern Australia, but even for the wall papers issued by many African nations to make collectors part with their money.

Given the decline in conventional mail and the fact that mint stamps can be bought at as little as 30% of face value, I'm not convinced that a general collection of Australian decimals from 14 February 1966 onwards will do much.

However, stamps on cover from say 2015 may well be a different kettle of fish. Not much mail around. Stamps on cover are rarely received in your letter box.

Even better would be to collect flaws and variations on cover from around that time and onwards. Find the flaws and send them to yourself on cover; including registered covers and airmail covers. Try a few under-paid covers - see if AP does anything about the underpayment. Get good clear postmarks on the covers - especially from out-of-the-way places that still run a post office.

Thank you all for replying!

By `Is it worth it?`, I meant if the return of enjoyment and satisfaction over the time/effort spent on sorting/categorizing those stamps is worth it...

Some context: I bought an Australia stamp lot with close to 2000 pieces, and throughout the process to get them organized/sorted out, it's becoming a bit frustrating (due to the number that issued) and tiring to say the least. It took the joy and excitement out of me. Haha.

Sorry if it sounds that I am afraid of hard work... while maybe this is not the right way to get started for a beginner collector, like me?

Stamp collecting is like any hobby: it gives you pleasure or it does not.

No one might like what you like. Everyone might like what you do not like.




Only you can tell.

Only you can decide that.

AQ

Once again thank you all for the input! I guess I was just trying to get some justification if I should've stopped sorting the pile of Australian stamps out.

Looking back I think I was overly ambitious to even try to get them all done in a couple of weeks. Those stamps after the year 2000 are fairly challenging for my eyes. I will probably put them on the side and make it a relatively long term project to complete.

Some Australian stamps from the 1990s are nigh well impossible to find in used condition, so if the thrill of the chase is what's it's about, you'll get loads of enjoyment.

I stopped my collection at the end of 1988. For me there was too many unnecessary issues after that date.

I would parrot the others and even expand it to stamps published before 2000. For example, the 1930s US Zeppelin issues are highly sought by collectors but if you had purchased a full mint set in in 1945 they are worth almost exactly the same today (when factoring in inflation).

https://stampsmarter.org/learning/Z...gTrends.html
Some might note that there are indeed many examples of philatelic material that have been a good investments, including some modern issues too. But I think when you compare those examples against the sheer volume of other same-era material that has not been a good investment and it explains why many of us promote other great things about the hobby instead of investment.
Don

The only way for a collector to (potentially) make money on their stamps is to buy the stamps like you're a dealer. The implications of this might make for an interesting thread. I think Floortrader has figured out an approach along these lines.

Bobby De La Rue said:




I did the same. The Bi-Centenial flood of releases drove many new issues collectors away.