Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Given the vast pile of stamps I had (most of which I would not keep) I realized that I could just sell for a year or so and mount (or at least organize) those I would. I never understood why the person I bought THE HOARD from (actually his deceased wife was the collector) just kept piling up so many stamps.
But then I got interested in Germany. And as I printed off some Steiner Pages and started to organize things I discovered "Germany" actually included DDR, and Berlin. And Officials, Airmail, and Semi-Postals. And States, Colonies, Occupations, Plebiscites, and .... uh, you get the idea. Now it's an obsession!
Instead of piling up cash, I started spending every cent made (mostly on SoR but also eBay) on piling up huge batches of stamps. In the past two weeks I have filled up countless pages of Germany (in its infinite permutations and combinations) and now find myself with probably two long "red boxes" of glassines stuffed with duplicates.
OK, I have a degree in Behavioural Psychology but I need someone to explain to me...
WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO ME??? AND HOW DO I STOP BUYING??? IS THIS NORMAL???
Anyway, I need to find something to sell to use up more time and keep from the urge to buy.
Dave.
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Sounds familiar, I started collecting only Great Britain. I then discovered how interesting colonial Africa was, and how horrific -- now THAT was insanity. Shout out to Leopold II and others.
Like you, I am printing out Steiner pages. Places lost in time: Stellaland, Basutoland, Nyassa, and on and on and on. It is an education.
Eric
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Anyone infected by the "philatelium bacillus" is doomed.
It is just a matter of time before the urge overcomes the brain.
No known remedies.
And research has found contagious side effects, such as "philatelium kalendaeaspergo" the most serious grabber of free space know to those afflicted, (ask Roy).
rrr...
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Dave, be happy that you don't also do model railroading, or another hobby that involves accumulating "things". We are, to put it simply, "organized hoarders".
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I dunno Dave, but I'm a victim of the same set of problems! We are not hoarders like the folks on "THAT show" because we don't accumulate rotting food and rats, and we can walk through our homes.
I was happy when it was just me and my Franklins. The purchases were few and far between, so it was fine when I found a $25 cover to add to the collection. Then I decided to sort out my childhood mess of stamps into a USA collection. I just wanted to see how much of a collection I really had, and didn't anticipate adding to it. Next thing I know I'm buying big lots of stuff to fill in holes, and like you, winding up with tons of duplicates!
Next thing? I find my box of NJ covers and innocently think I can put these into an album with no repercussions.... but nooooo I now can see how many towns I DON'T have and started to buy these... rapidly. This one has taken on a life of it's own!
Then I came across my old George Washington Bicentennial collection... ditto! I'm building an album and guess what came in today's mail? Covers for this collection!
And yes Michael, a model car collection takes about the same room as a train collection! 
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I too am a hoarder or accumulator or whatever you want to call it. I have gone up and down, I started out with everything, then cut it down but kept finding neat things I couldn't resist until I was back to everything again. I was actually doing mint and used of everything as they are different. In my current state I collect everything but only used. Unfortunately in my collection of British, French and Portuguese colonies, I keep finding things that I need but they are mint and not used and I have started collecting the mints because in my twisted reasoning, I might not see it used and I want it so here we go again. Then I found Roy's BuckaCover and CoverBox and now iam getting into Souvenir sheets on cover. Night before last, I couldn't sleep and spent several hours on his sites buying covers. In addition, I got hooked on SOR's auction and just for the heck of it, I put in minimum bids and get things. I take tables at 5 - 6 shows a year and get rid of some of the excess there but not all. I told my wife that I was taking the tables for that purpose but when I take 10 rubbermaid bins of stuff to sell and bring home 11 bins, she says, "I don't think you have the concept down yet of selling". She is out of town for a week, returning tomorrow, and I think I have bought something everyday. Help, I need an intervention.
Jack
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Tom, I was thinking about you when I wrote my reply.
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Amen Michael!
and to answer the "WHY" of collecting for me...
I believe it has something to do with my military roots. As a child we moved every two or three years. I had no consistency. As an army brat you knew there would be an end to your friendships. In fact one of the first thing you'd ask a prospective friend was "What's your DEROS?" That's your "date of rotation of service", when they'd be leaving. As such I had no life long friends, no stable place of residence. When we did live in civilian communities, I would envy the kids there who knew each other since birth.
What I could control were my possessions. And when we lived in places like Turkey in the 1960s where there was nothing to buy, I learned to cherish and take care of my things because they couldn't be replaced. A collector was born!
I had my Matchbox car collection early on, progressed to model cars and coins and stamps. I still have the collection of hats from every country we visited. And I have a great many things I collected as a kid today. Anyone want to see the Weekly Reader from Apollo 11? I saved it.
Still I also had to have the collectors gene. My father had a foot locker full of old audio and electronics magazines and books he dragged around the world with us. After he died my family wanted to toss it all, but out of respect for him, I sold each and every one of those books on eBay one at a time so they'd live on in someone's collection. And the good part was that I had no idea what they were worth! That foot locker brought in over $1000, $10 at a time!
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Velcome to the club...back in the 90s i paid 200 bucks for a filing cabinet full of the most ordinary stamps in bulk...oh there were a few decent ones ..but i still have 90 percent of them. I guess its like addiction..i can wake up in the morning i can say never again...but then something that looks too good to be true pops up ! I guess its like the folks on American pickers that just keep on buying ! And then there was Campbell Hall...6 thousand dollars worth of stamps for a hundred bucks...that was a shocker..6 thousand bucks catalog of Eastern European and African C.T.O. s !
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For 2 years I filled Approval Books with extras, hoping to make room on my shelves. Guess what? FAILED. 
"Sad"!
Not only it had no impact, but I filled 2 filing drawers with Approval books, now partially depleted, that I need to update some time. But my shelves are just as full! "so sad"
"It is just unbelievable" but it is is "great". "You will love it"
Don't try to build a wall! "fail" Won't work unless numismatic collectors pay for it.
"We don't want them. It is going to be huge".
People say, "very important people people" say... "it's ridiculous". but "let's make philately great again" Collect US stamps..they are the greatest!
rrr (t)
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Hoarding is an ugly word. I prefer to say "broadening my horizons". Or "expanding my holdings".
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My horizons keep getting broader as well ,I started off collecting Australia,then trains ,don't collect either now.
Moving on I started to collect PNG which then included German New Guinea ,NWPI ,BNG ,papua then PNG stopped at 2011 still got a fair few holes to fill though.
I then and I don't know why?? started a collection of Tannu Tuva ,still need some of the more expensive O/P.
Then the Malay Tigers caught my eye,so I started to collect the Federated Malay States leaping tigers,now that area has expanded to include all the Malay states tigers.
Will it never end ???
Brian
Oh and I forgot my Christmas seals and Hutt River Province!!!!!
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Ben Franklyn1902 said ... Then I came across my old George Washington Bicentennial collection... ditto! I'm building an album and guess what came in today's mail? Covers for this collection!
In case you don't have enough on your plate, you might consider looking at coil paste-up pairs!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/381670445645?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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I've been doing this for about a year. I have taken over the dining room. I am always looking for more space. I was wondering if I was the only one who kept everything. Is there a way to pick a country and trade all my extras for all someone else's extras? Maybe switch back when we are done?
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Hey Wes, I think you have a great idea...
I'll sell you my stamp hoard for $1M and buy your stamp hoard for $1M. We'll keep our stamps and call the transaction a "philatelic credit derivative swap transaction".
We can then tell our wives the following...
@ We sold all the stamps in the dining room (and in my case also my downstairs home office, and upstairs actual stamp room, plus my oldest daughter's bedroom when she's away at University...)
@ We got $1M and can now justify taking a mere $1,000 (a miserly 0.1% expense ratio - cheaper than any other financial instrument such as a mutual fund) from the joint savings account or retirement fund.
@ Rather than spend this money on a nice single malt we will agree only to reinvest it in the highly lucrative new investment instrument we have discovered.
If they ask any pointed questions (for example, "why the heck are the stamps still in the dining room then?") we can always say "Managed futures contracts such as this subset provide for deferred delivery dates I thought I explained that to you once anyway it's very complicated so I don't expect you to understand it honey even the other guy who I know is involved with these transactions just says it's a pure money-maker by the way what's for dinner tonight and can you tell me more about your sister's kids...)
Then, we can put up our stamp hoards on eBay as having a retail value of $1M, and issue each other certificates to that effect, noting our expertise as having been involved in facilitating such financial transactions previously.
At some point we can also then revise our listing and agree to accept 40c on the dollar (BIN with free shipping!) noting we have reissued the previous straight retail offering as a new "mezzanine reverse-financing philatelic credit-facility option"). Further, we can offer (for an insignificant 5% wholesale buyer's commission - much less than usual Auction-house rates) that once we receive the proceeds we will be willing to make an introduction to our previous buyer, who we understand has already started to accumulate more stamps and may be very interested in this opportunity.
Paying $400K for $1M in this awesome investment area should bring us plenty of interest from motivated buyers (likely kind-minded Europeans or Icelanders who view Americans and Canadians as free-market geniuses). After all, there is a built-in profit margin of 60% for them; and it is risk free since the catalog value of any stamp listed by leading authority Scott's has never gone to zero in the history of such evaluations, even through The Great Depression.
We'll have to make sure they clearly understand that this is all subject to their funds clearing our bank, of course, as we - like them - are risk-averse investors who strive to the highest levels of trust, transparency, and professionalism. Much like the well-regarded "British Cartel".
Hey, this is how the big U.S. Brokerage firms managed the sub-prime market back in 2008. And that worked out OK, right? Maybe it's time for more innovation, and the timing has not been better in the past 8 years. {Moderator: Not a political statement, please do not redact...}
Let me know, Dave (Free Market Capitalist, Top-1%-Wannabe) LeMaven
U-S-A, U-S-A ... Ca-Na-Da, Ca-Na-Da !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Dave, thanks for the grin ... turned broad smile ... turned belly-laugh!
How did you get a copy of the Goldman-Sachs memo?
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Carl:
Glad I could help lighten up the day. (We are having a tough go of it up here in Canada today - aligning our sense of superiority over our supposedly less-tolerant and gun-happy American neighbors with our own "terrorist" shootings in Quebec last night). 
{Moderator: Not implying anything political or controversial...}
I was a brokerage firm manager in the late 1990s when Merrill Lynch made their second disastrous attempt at bringing their management style to Canada. I was on my way out to another firm (a client, not a competitor) so they offered me a 6-month bonus, plus allowed me to keep and exercise my three years of unvested Director's share options, if I stayed another 3-months during the takeover to help recruit and transition my replacement. My new employer had already given me a one-year signing bonus, but it was the heady days of the stock market so everyone wrote cheques with ease to keep things going smoothly. About 18 months later the tech bubble burst, and Merrill sold the firm to a bank for about 40c on the dollar, and left Canada.
Not believing my luck (and their stupidity) I have been obsessed ever since with following the constant prat-falls of the arrogant, greedy, and generally stupid "free-market leaders" of the capital markets. I just re-read Liar's Poker and The Big Short (both brilliant!) over the weekend, so this was good timing.
{Moderator: Again, not implying anything political or controversial...}
Cheers, Dave.
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Just over a year ago I joined SoR. My intentions were to learn more about collecting and which areas I might want to keep to actually have displayed on nice pages.
Given the vast pile of stamps I had (most of which I would not keep) I realized that I could just sell for a year or so and mount (or at least organize) those I would. I never understood why the person I bought THE HOARD from (actually his deceased wife was the collector) just kept piling up so many stamps.
But then I got interested in Germany. And as I printed off some Steiner Pages and started to organize things I discovered "Germany" actually included DDR, and Berlin. And Officials, Airmail, and Semi-Postals. And States, Colonies, Occupations, Plebiscites, and .... uh, you get the idea. Now it's an obsession!
Instead of piling up cash, I started spending every cent made (mostly on SoR but also eBay) on piling up huge batches of stamps. In the past two weeks I have filled up countless pages of Germany (in its infinite permutations and combinations) and now find myself with probably two long "red boxes" of glassines stuffed with duplicates.
OK, I have a degree in Behavioural Psychology but I need someone to explain to me...
WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO ME??? AND HOW DO I STOP BUYING??? IS THIS NORMAL???
Anyway, I need to find something to sell to use up more time and keep from the urge to buy.
Dave.
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re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Sounds familiar, I started collecting only Great Britain. I then discovered how interesting colonial Africa was, and how horrific -- now THAT was insanity. Shout out to Leopold II and others.
Like you, I am printing out Steiner pages. Places lost in time: Stellaland, Basutoland, Nyassa, and on and on and on. It is an education.
Eric
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Approvals
re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Anyone infected by the "philatelium bacillus" is doomed.
It is just a matter of time before the urge overcomes the brain.
No known remedies.
And research has found contagious side effects, such as "philatelium kalendaeaspergo" the most serious grabber of free space know to those afflicted, (ask Roy).
rrr...
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10:32:18pm
re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Dave, be happy that you don't also do model railroading, or another hobby that involves accumulating "things". We are, to put it simply, "organized hoarders".
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re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
I dunno Dave, but I'm a victim of the same set of problems! We are not hoarders like the folks on "THAT show" because we don't accumulate rotting food and rats, and we can walk through our homes.
I was happy when it was just me and my Franklins. The purchases were few and far between, so it was fine when I found a $25 cover to add to the collection. Then I decided to sort out my childhood mess of stamps into a USA collection. I just wanted to see how much of a collection I really had, and didn't anticipate adding to it. Next thing I know I'm buying big lots of stuff to fill in holes, and like you, winding up with tons of duplicates!
Next thing? I find my box of NJ covers and innocently think I can put these into an album with no repercussions.... but nooooo I now can see how many towns I DON'T have and started to buy these... rapidly. This one has taken on a life of it's own!
Then I came across my old George Washington Bicentennial collection... ditto! I'm building an album and guess what came in today's mail? Covers for this collection!
And yes Michael, a model car collection takes about the same room as a train collection!
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01:43:09am
re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
I too am a hoarder or accumulator or whatever you want to call it. I have gone up and down, I started out with everything, then cut it down but kept finding neat things I couldn't resist until I was back to everything again. I was actually doing mint and used of everything as they are different. In my current state I collect everything but only used. Unfortunately in my collection of British, French and Portuguese colonies, I keep finding things that I need but they are mint and not used and I have started collecting the mints because in my twisted reasoning, I might not see it used and I want it so here we go again. Then I found Roy's BuckaCover and CoverBox and now iam getting into Souvenir sheets on cover. Night before last, I couldn't sleep and spent several hours on his sites buying covers. In addition, I got hooked on SOR's auction and just for the heck of it, I put in minimum bids and get things. I take tables at 5 - 6 shows a year and get rid of some of the excess there but not all. I told my wife that I was taking the tables for that purpose but when I take 10 rubbermaid bins of stuff to sell and bring home 11 bins, she says, "I don't think you have the concept down yet of selling". She is out of town for a week, returning tomorrow, and I think I have bought something everyday. Help, I need an intervention.
Jack
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01:48:46am
re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Tom, I was thinking about you when I wrote my reply.
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re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Amen Michael!
and to answer the "WHY" of collecting for me...
I believe it has something to do with my military roots. As a child we moved every two or three years. I had no consistency. As an army brat you knew there would be an end to your friendships. In fact one of the first thing you'd ask a prospective friend was "What's your DEROS?" That's your "date of rotation of service", when they'd be leaving. As such I had no life long friends, no stable place of residence. When we did live in civilian communities, I would envy the kids there who knew each other since birth.
What I could control were my possessions. And when we lived in places like Turkey in the 1960s where there was nothing to buy, I learned to cherish and take care of my things because they couldn't be replaced. A collector was born!
I had my Matchbox car collection early on, progressed to model cars and coins and stamps. I still have the collection of hats from every country we visited. And I have a great many things I collected as a kid today. Anyone want to see the Weekly Reader from Apollo 11? I saved it.
Still I also had to have the collectors gene. My father had a foot locker full of old audio and electronics magazines and books he dragged around the world with us. After he died my family wanted to toss it all, but out of respect for him, I sold each and every one of those books on eBay one at a time so they'd live on in someone's collection. And the good part was that I had no idea what they were worth! That foot locker brought in over $1000, $10 at a time!
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Auctions
re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Velcome to the club...back in the 90s i paid 200 bucks for a filing cabinet full of the most ordinary stamps in bulk...oh there were a few decent ones ..but i still have 90 percent of them. I guess its like addiction..i can wake up in the morning i can say never again...but then something that looks too good to be true pops up ! I guess its like the folks on American pickers that just keep on buying ! And then there was Campbell Hall...6 thousand dollars worth of stamps for a hundred bucks...that was a shocker..6 thousand bucks catalog of Eastern European and African C.T.O. s !
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
For 2 years I filled Approval Books with extras, hoping to make room on my shelves. Guess what? FAILED. "Sad"!
Not only it had no impact, but I filled 2 filing drawers with Approval books, now partially depleted, that I need to update some time. But my shelves are just as full! "so sad"
"It is just unbelievable" but it is is "great". "You will love it"
Don't try to build a wall! "fail" Won't work unless numismatic collectors pay for it.
"We don't want them. It is going to be huge".
People say, "very important people people" say... "it's ridiculous". but "let's make philately great again" Collect US stamps..they are the greatest!
rrr (t)
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re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Hoarding is an ugly word. I prefer to say "broadening my horizons". Or "expanding my holdings".
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like this post.
Login to Like.
Auctions
re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
My horizons keep getting broader as well ,I started off collecting Australia,then trains ,don't collect either now.
Moving on I started to collect PNG which then included German New Guinea ,NWPI ,BNG ,papua then PNG stopped at 2011 still got a fair few holes to fill though.
I then and I don't know why?? started a collection of Tannu Tuva ,still need some of the more expensive O/P.
Then the Malay Tigers caught my eye,so I started to collect the Federated Malay States leaping tigers,now that area has expanded to include all the Malay states tigers.
Will it never end ???
Brian
Oh and I forgot my Christmas seals and Hutt River Province!!!!!
Login to Like
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re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Ben Franklyn1902 said ... Then I came across my old George Washington Bicentennial collection... ditto! I'm building an album and guess what came in today's mail? Covers for this collection!
In case you don't have enough on your plate, you might consider looking at coil paste-up pairs!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/381670445645?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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09:27:12am
re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
I've been doing this for about a year. I have taken over the dining room. I am always looking for more space. I was wondering if I was the only one who kept everything. Is there a way to pick a country and trade all my extras for all someone else's extras? Maybe switch back when we are done?
Login to Like
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re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Hey Wes, I think you have a great idea...
I'll sell you my stamp hoard for $1M and buy your stamp hoard for $1M. We'll keep our stamps and call the transaction a "philatelic credit derivative swap transaction".
We can then tell our wives the following...
@ We sold all the stamps in the dining room (and in my case also my downstairs home office, and upstairs actual stamp room, plus my oldest daughter's bedroom when she's away at University...)
@ We got $1M and can now justify taking a mere $1,000 (a miserly 0.1% expense ratio - cheaper than any other financial instrument such as a mutual fund) from the joint savings account or retirement fund.
@ Rather than spend this money on a nice single malt we will agree only to reinvest it in the highly lucrative new investment instrument we have discovered.
If they ask any pointed questions (for example, "why the heck are the stamps still in the dining room then?") we can always say "Managed futures contracts such as this subset provide for deferred delivery dates I thought I explained that to you once anyway it's very complicated so I don't expect you to understand it honey even the other guy who I know is involved with these transactions just says it's a pure money-maker by the way what's for dinner tonight and can you tell me more about your sister's kids...)
Then, we can put up our stamp hoards on eBay as having a retail value of $1M, and issue each other certificates to that effect, noting our expertise as having been involved in facilitating such financial transactions previously.
At some point we can also then revise our listing and agree to accept 40c on the dollar (BIN with free shipping!) noting we have reissued the previous straight retail offering as a new "mezzanine reverse-financing philatelic credit-facility option"). Further, we can offer (for an insignificant 5% wholesale buyer's commission - much less than usual Auction-house rates) that once we receive the proceeds we will be willing to make an introduction to our previous buyer, who we understand has already started to accumulate more stamps and may be very interested in this opportunity.
Paying $400K for $1M in this awesome investment area should bring us plenty of interest from motivated buyers (likely kind-minded Europeans or Icelanders who view Americans and Canadians as free-market geniuses). After all, there is a built-in profit margin of 60% for them; and it is risk free since the catalog value of any stamp listed by leading authority Scott's has never gone to zero in the history of such evaluations, even through The Great Depression.
We'll have to make sure they clearly understand that this is all subject to their funds clearing our bank, of course, as we - like them - are risk-averse investors who strive to the highest levels of trust, transparency, and professionalism. Much like the well-regarded "British Cartel".
Hey, this is how the big U.S. Brokerage firms managed the sub-prime market back in 2008. And that worked out OK, right? Maybe it's time for more innovation, and the timing has not been better in the past 8 years. {Moderator: Not a political statement, please do not redact...}
Let me know, Dave (Free Market Capitalist, Top-1%-Wannabe) LeMaven
U-S-A, U-S-A ... Ca-Na-Da, Ca-Na-Da !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Dave, thanks for the grin ... turned broad smile ... turned belly-laugh!
How did you get a copy of the Goldman-Sachs memo?
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re: THE HOARD (and hoarding behaviour) revealed...but not explained...
Carl:
Glad I could help lighten up the day. (We are having a tough go of it up here in Canada today - aligning our sense of superiority over our supposedly less-tolerant and gun-happy American neighbors with our own "terrorist" shootings in Quebec last night).
{Moderator: Not implying anything political or controversial...}
I was a brokerage firm manager in the late 1990s when Merrill Lynch made their second disastrous attempt at bringing their management style to Canada. I was on my way out to another firm (a client, not a competitor) so they offered me a 6-month bonus, plus allowed me to keep and exercise my three years of unvested Director's share options, if I stayed another 3-months during the takeover to help recruit and transition my replacement. My new employer had already given me a one-year signing bonus, but it was the heady days of the stock market so everyone wrote cheques with ease to keep things going smoothly. About 18 months later the tech bubble burst, and Merrill sold the firm to a bank for about 40c on the dollar, and left Canada.
Not believing my luck (and their stupidity) I have been obsessed ever since with following the constant prat-falls of the arrogant, greedy, and generally stupid "free-market leaders" of the capital markets. I just re-read Liar's Poker and The Big Short (both brilliant!) over the weekend, so this was good timing.
{Moderator: Again, not implying anything political or controversial...}
Cheers, Dave.
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