Soaking Stamps Off First Day Covers.hear Me Out

I mainly collect used stamps, and in Canada used stamps, especially the more recent issues are hard to come by through the mail as fewer and fewer people use stamps.

Now, I would never consider soaking a first day cover to get the stamp if it was an older item. However, for new issues where it is difficult to obtain used items, I wonder what the thoughts are on doing this?

Cost wise if I wanted to collect a new stamp in a used condition, would it make sense to order the first day cover from Canada Post and soak the stamp off or is it best to buy the actual stamp and mail it to myself or a relative? Cost would be comparable for the low value issues at least, but I'm curious what others thoughts are on collecting a used stamp with the first day of issue cancel on it? These cancels typically don't show the date, but they are usually identifiable as a first day cover cancel. Would this ruin the collectability of the stamp?

Thanks
Chris

It diminishes the collectability. You could let time pass, then buy up the covers when they surface cheap on ebay.

I have, in the past, sent myself envelopes with current postage on it, just to have an actual postmarked copy. But I get the FDC thing too. I have a bunch of modern(ish) US FDC's I am considering doing the same thing to.

It beats throwing them in the trash which is what I have done with boxes of cheap FDC's I picked up in large lot auction purchases.

Salvaged FDCs will not likely give the satisfaction of stamps with real cancels.
I would suggest you buy the stamps you want at the PO, and affix them to good stiff white paper and have a cooperating clerk hand cancel them for you with various devices, positions, rotations, etc, so they don't have the regular appearance of CTOs and dont risk the damage of actual processing.
I can readily buy pre-forever stamps in the US for 60% and get them cancelled to create used copies of the more elusive commemoratives.

If you can buy them cheap enough ......I do it all the time . My story is that for many years when I attend a stamp bourse or a stamp show , I find a dealer selling FDC for 25 cents each. at that point if the covers have sets on them ,then it is worth the time to soak off the set .

My father used to buy new issues from the post office and if he didn't get a decent used copy in the mail then he would use the desired stamp on a letter to relatives freinds or where an SAE was required. it didn't always work, but usally it did. Nowadays I think you have to get a freindly helpful post office worker to cancel the stamp for you, but then you know it's Cancelled to order or soak an FDC. I have some stamps off First day covers in my collection. I put a small mark in my catalogue to show its off a FDC and then if I come across a good postally used specimen I replace the FDC specimen.
Another solution is don't collect used stamps issued after 2000 or 1990.

I would reccomend you go to a local stamp fair or show and talk to the dealers and sellers there. A friend in PEI used to get all his used on part cover from a great source but has been cut off for the past couple of years. Security and confidentiality of info no doubt. He used to collect 2 used of each and the rest went to charity. So he went to a fair in New Brunswick and talked to several persons at tables selling there wares. One person agreed to save him 2 copies of each different New Canadian issues , irregardles of face value, washed off paper with reasonable cancelations for a price of .25ea.
Very reasonable and saves you the time and trouble of hunting down the material and the labour. Otherwise, mail some letters and get the receiver to save the envelope, but believe me its a challange to get people to get on board with that, especially relatives! Go figure.

Crikey I've been doing it wrong all this time. I thought part of the fun was hunting down that elusive stamp and making sure it was clean and sparkle-y to put in your album!

It is so sad. They are not even recyclable. Some collectors and a few dealers are stuck with mountains of these FDCs. Wehave not even seen the majority of the worthless "priceless" bit of Americana hit the market. At stamp shows I agree to take boxes of these in exchange for a pity payment of $25, hoping for stamps placed inside the envelopes. Oh sadness! Oh sorrow!

Used modern stamps? They are hard to find!

Here's what I like to do. I sell stuff on ebay. Usually larger items which ship in boxes instead of envelopes.

When an item sells and I can reasonably ship by USPS (like, Federal Express isn't substantially cheaper), then I'll ask the buyer if they'd be willing to return the stamps I use on the package in a stamped return envelope I'd include in the package. If they say they will, I'll use lots of stamps on the package and send the envelope with instructions for removal. If not, I'll just use a meter strip (or the "label" that ebay sells).

I've gotten entire sheets neatly cancelled (my postal clerk at the small P.O. I use lets me cancel with her red CDS. I've tried to talk her into a black ink device, but she don't want to get one.) as well as plenty of nice used singles.

I paste the stamps to typing paper which I tape at the edges to the package. The recipient simply cuts the taped edges, folds between the stamps and mails to me.

Perhaps you could try this if you sell on ebay or elsewhere or otherwise ship to customers. Does Canada allow stamps to pay postage on packages? I know they were putting out hi-val stamps like the $10 Whale recently.

Even if you don't sell, if you ship gifts to family and friends this holiday season, maybe ask the recipients if they'll do this for you. Go to a smaller Post Office if you don't already and build a relationship with the clerk(s) there. They might let YOU hit those recent Canadian issues with the rectangular canceller. Would you call that a(n) RDS??!! :-} :-} :-} I wish the US had something like that :-}

Please give this a try!

Josh

Thanks for the replies everyone. Still not sure what I will end up doing. For now I will hang on to my covers and mail out newer issues to get proper cancels. (My local post mistress is sympathetic to stamp collectors!!)