Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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Choose the album that most closely matches your end goal at the beginning. It is a royal pain to switch albums and can take a year or more to accomplish once you get a strong start on a collection. 
Personally I really like the International albums although many collectors who become really advanced world wide collectors become quite frustrated with the omissions especially in the Part 1 1840-1940 and Part 2 1940-1949 albums. On the other hand there is NO better affordable album for coverage of these time periods and collecting to the album is still a very significant challenge to reach high levels of completeness. Many will supplement the International albums with selected albums from the Scott Specialized album series for countries in which they develop a stronger interest. Note that a high level of completion even of the representative collection of the first two International Parts will require thousands of dollars and man hours to be invested. A plus associated with the International albums is that there are a lot of world wide collectors pursuing these collections which can increase the amount of personal interaction associated with the collection.
Check out Jim Jackson's web site at http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/ and the similar site http://globalstamps.blogspot.com/ for reviews of albums in more detail as well as some simply outstanding content related to world-wide collecting.
I recommend acquiring the book World History Stamp Atlas by Rossiter, Stuart, and Flower as a fascinating resource on the history of postal use with lots of detail about the impact of political changes on geography, dead countries, etc.
There are some fascinating DVD based collections of older stamp collecting related publications available through eBay and other sources often with 200+ publications for $10 or so.
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On a less than serious note, my advice is simple:
1. Don't
2. Don't
3. See 1 & 2
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J Baxter - I had given some though to Albums - I was thinking Steiner pages - I think that is what they are called- the site where you can subscribe and print your own
Dave you made me laugh
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If you are collecting worldwide, I recommend buying collections initially since they will give you a lot of work with. This is the least expensive method to acquire.
I use Steiner pages for my worldwide because I do not want to be locked to an album vendor with non-standard size pages and expensive binders. I collect lower value stuff so not investing all that money in expensive albums. I can design and create custom pages that blend.
I stop using hinges and now use clear mounts (split small sizes in half).
Decisions:
1. Album - purchased or Steiner
2, Hinging vs mounts (clear or black) or mix hinging/mounts
3. Catalog system - Scott, SG, etc.
4. Is NH hinge stamps important or do not care as much as what back of stamp looks like? NH will drive up cost.
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1.Enjoy the hobby. Do not get caught up in ‘treasure hunting’, the hobby has much more to offer than constantly looking for something ‘rare’.
2. Always buy for enjoyment and do not buy anything as an investment. If you consider each purchase as entertainment then any amount that you might get when your collection is sold is all windfall.
3. Do not listen to anyone else about what to collect, collect what appeals to you. It is like buying artwork; if you purchase stamps/covers that appeal to you, you will always get enjoyment from it. Make the hobby your own.
4. Do not use ‘print-your-own’ album pages thinking you will save money. It is only less expensive if you cheap out on the paper and printing. ‘Print-your-own’ pages are great if you want to customize them or if you want to make your own family heirloom.
5. Consider using Vario pages in the beginning. These allow you to arrange/re-arrange the pages and give you maximum flexibility; there is always time later to invest in specialty albums.
Don
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I do disagree about the cost of print your own. One key factor for me was when I had a Scott National and each supplement cost $15 for a some pages and ended up having to replace several existing ones. You are locked. You can buy more than a few sheets of quality paper for that price. In print you own the cost is only what we you need and you control your destiny.
A Scott National is now over $500.
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I would definitely buy a set of catalogs. I bought a set of Scott Worldwide (6 volumes) for a small fraction of what new catalogs sell for simply by buying older catalogs. They are invaluable for identification and pricing info. Check with your local library to see if they carry those as reference and ask when they replace them. My set is from 2015 and answers 99.9% of all the questions I have. The 2015 catalogs sell in the $20 range, each. The 2019 catalogs sell in the $100 range, each. Big difference. After I got my 2015 catalogs, I gave away my 1998 set for the cost of shipping, so if you initial focus is 19th and 20th Century, you might pick up an older set (circa 2000) for well under $50, if you look around. I update Worldwide every 10 or 20 years and Specialized US every 5 years, but my Worldwide is limited to a topical and a One From Every Country collection.
But Dave has the best advice.
Lars
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Hats off to world wide collectors. It seems like a life long endeavor. If I were to undertake anything with a world wide scope I would collect maybe a set or two (or three) that best represented that region.
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Most people who don't buy a starter collection for their world wide interest do start by collecting sets or stamps for each country in their chosen album. The World Wide Stamp Album by John W. Nicklin lists sets in its country descriptions that the author considers representative of the issues for each country. Unlike the general world wide albums I have been familiar with it really targets the idea of collecting samples for each country. Some of the other albums in the past would include descriptive title pages with descriptions for the countries and blocks with no example stamps pre-selected as an encouragement for this type of collecting. I have run into a few nice leather bound albums where the collector built a world wide collection of individual blank or quadrilled pages using this approach as well.
Another suggestion, if you really think you might build a starter collection and shift later into a large scale printed or Steiner self-printed album use either stock books or mounts on pages during your initial collection building. It is probably a good idea in order to make sure you are serious about the cost in money and time for a large scale collection.
UPDATE: As mentioned by a later post, a world wide stamp collection should not be viewed as an investment as the likelihood of returns is low in today's world. I consider it an investment in the sense of learning more about the world and building relationships and increasing personal contacts not from a financial sense.
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"It is probably a good idea to just to make sure you are serious about the investment in money and time for a large scale collection."
It is not an investment of money, but rather a cost. There is definitely an investment in time over an endeavor that will never be completed. Scott lists approximately 700,000 stamps in its catalogs. A world wide collector has to be aware of that, and not go OCD over empty spaces. Also, a world wide collection requires alot (and I do mean "alot") of space to house all the albums.
There is, however, a satisfaction watching the collection grow. Many countries will, in fact, be completed, and many others will be substantially completed. It all depends how the collector concentrates on the acquisition process. There is good advice written above, especially when starting out.
My collection began with one torn stamp in 1962. It contains stamps from 1840 to date. It is housed in 80 five-inch binders. when considering the Scott stamp tally, it is about 43% complete, and the search for stamps continues.
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Thank you everyone who has answered so far as some of these tips/answers are wonderful
Angore
I was going with Steiner pages but I had not thought about Hinging vs mounts - so I will have to clarify in my mind what I want to do on that point
As to catalogue I am using SG because I found a 2016 set on ebay at a price I could afford, I am in Australia and that is what people here seem to use (so copies are in the library)
51Studebaker
Your advice about ‘treasure hunting’ and investment buying sounds really valuable. Also when you said " Do not listen to anyone else about what to collect, collect what appeals to you." This really struck a cord. I am a returning collector and one of the reasons I think I drifted away from stamps was at the time that everyone at the local club collected one country and implied if you collected too many you would never be complete...I don't think I care about being complete but at the time (in the 80's) to say that it sounded like herasy. The tip about using Vario pages is really very good! I will implement that one for sure!
JBaxter your advice "It is probably a good idea to just to make sure you are serious about the investment in money and time for a large scale collection." Is I guess what I am pondering over and have been for about 6 months now. I am going to concentrate on a cluster of countries and see how things develop - what is fun etc before committing to a full on WW collection
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One of the pieces of advise that I was given on another forum was to make sure that you move from accumulation to collection. As a WW collector it's very easy to accumulate thousands of stamps and have them in envelopes, glassines, stock pages, shoe boxes, banker boxes, spare rooms, storage units . . . I haven't decided on an album yet. What I've done is use stockbocks where I arrange by catalogue number. I've sorted out my Mongolia, Iceland, Greenland, and Tannu Tuva so far and I'm working on Malta and Trinidad and Tobago. I started off by buying some super cheap off paper mixes on ebay just to become more familiar with the more popular stamp producing countries. I moved to nicer lots and now am buying either WW or country collections at auction. I also buy a bunch here on stamporama when I see something that catches my eye, I see something very cheap, or I just want a new batch of stamps to work with. The best advice was already given, collect what you like and don't worry about the rest.
Have fun!
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Sharon, if Steiner pages existed when i began collecting ...that would be my choice...If you look at the cost of modern albums...you will see they are a dying breed. Ansd there are many countries in the world wide albums that i am just not that interested in such as several Eastern European countries and modern Africa. But the choice is ours alone. Have Fun.
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I also remember walking into a few stamp shops in the 1970s and being looked at in disdain when I proudly said that I collect the world. I look at it this way. If I specialize in just one thing, I miss out on all of the rest. Stamp collecting is a worldwide hobby, so why not collect the world?
Of course that attitude is not for everyone, and the specialists do make great collections too.
I am also in model railroading, and I constantly get asked when will I change from analog control to digital. My answer is simple, "When you buy me the digital system." My layout is still analog and runs just fine!
So, never worry about what others think about how you approach any hobby. A hobby is for relaxation, and if you can learn a little bit more from it all the better. But, you set your own boundaries and goals, take it from there, and have fun!
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I "collect worldwide" in a sense, but only for my thematic/topical collections, and only if I actually like the stamps that are available for purchase.
I (mostly) gave up on albums years ago. Too often I would collect varieties, multiples, BOB, covers, and stamps with nice cancellations that were not represented in albums. My "albums" now are Lighthouse stock books, Vario sheets, and binders with pages that I make with my Apple computer using Apple's word-processing program called Pages.
For a time I tried for completeness in my Ireland collection, but gave up when I realized that I was wasting my money buying new issues and even older stamps that I didn't like, not to mention annual sets of new album pages.
Bob
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Lots of wonderful tips here
JKC I really took notice of your comment "make sure that you move from accumulation to collection." Yes - this prompted me in a good way as I signed up for the Steiner pages and immediately started to sort out what I had of New Zealand on to Vario pages. I can see it would be easy to accumulate and not settle down to actually doing it! So I jumped.
michael78651 - you said "Stamp collecting is a worldwide hobby, so why not collect the world?" Oh that would make such a good signature tag!
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"I can see it would be easy to accumulate and not settle down to actually doing it! So I jumped."
Enjoy your swim. The water is fine!
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1. Decide what you want to be your cutoff date for countries. 1900, 1940, 1950 are popular end dates. 1940 is nice because you only need one catalog (Scott Classic Specialized). Only problem with that is that it leaves out WWII. Collecting much past the 1980 is pretty insane due to the number of stamps printed in later years
2. Buy the best set of used Scott internationals, with stamps, that you can afford. This will give you a good base to build on. I don't reccomend Minkus Globals because the numbering system is different than Scotts and it's a big hassel converting numbering systems. If there are some countries you'd like to have all the spaces for then buy used Scott Specialty albums or go with Steiner.
3. It takes a lot of time but make a need list of what you do not have. This will make searching easy and keep you from buying the same stamps over again.
4. Buy from auctions at a low percentage of catalog 5-20%. If you buy at auction then you know someone else was willing to pay a little less which means there is a good chance you can get your money back when you go to sell.
5. Since you are collecting the whole world find the best deal (lowest percentage of cat) of the week for any country and get them, the others will turn up eventually. If you are set on buying a certain stamp or set at any given time you are likely to spend more than you would if you had waited for a good deal to turn up.
I decided to collect mint or used realizing that if I limited myself to one or the other it would greatly reduce the level of completion. I try to upgrade to mint whenever possible.
That's basically the way I built my collection and it worked out good for me.
You can see my WW collection by following the link below.
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Sorry for chiming in this topic bit late; was away for work most of the week.
Below are my three tips:
1) Educate yourself
When I started getting "serious" with worldwide collecting (15-20 years back) everybody laughed at me and told it's impossible to collect from 1840 to date. I was told me there's millions of stamps, it would be impossible to collect them all, I would have to cut back etc.
Ever since I've spent quite a lot of time in studying, learning and writing about the limits of worldwide collecting (see my website for 500+ writeups and number of digital tools). There are not millions of stamps if collecting simplified; just 600-800k major number issues depending on catalogue used. And it's not expensive; only 1840-1900 can get expensive (but even for that half is pocket money budget), and ever since 1900 >90% of stamps are cheap stuff you can by in bulk. And the storage part - it will all easily fit in single small room (all you need is about 40 shelf meters to fit the stamps and albums/stockbooks).
Educate yourself. Use libraries, buy books, read magazines, participate on forums and social media, learn foreign languages... It all adds up and makes the stamps more enjoyable in ways you likely never imagined.
2) Find your way
It's great to have advice from more (or less) experienced peers, but in the end it all comes down to finding your way. Catalogs, storage, cutoff dates etc - they are all personal choices. If I would have followed all the advice given, I would have likely given up somewhere along the way. It is all about finding your way and those things that keep your spark.
Follow your instincts, trust your gut and above all have fun. Those are the base elements that will take you on a lifelong journey.
3) Keep track of your collection and progression
One of my first things as kid was to keep track of how many stamps I had. Now 40+ years later I'm still doing that - except with modern technology. It is not just about counting how many stamps you have, but learning and understanding the "anatomy" of worldwide collecting as well as where you are at it now. You will easily see the strong parts and well as the weak spots of your collection once you have the data, and it will take out the "guesswork" from your buying, exchanges etc. And of course it is somewhat satisfying to see the numbers go up as you advance.
Have fun
-k-
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AntoniusRa and Scb I have paid attention to your advice on tracking what I do and dont have - I joined Colnect and have started checking off what I have and what I need - as I can export the info as CSV file I can put the lot in excel which I think will work.
As to dates I was thinking of starting at 1900 (because many earlier issues are expensive) and having a cut off date of 2000 - the 20th century is more than enough to interesting and keep me busy
Thanks for everyone tips - I am thinking constantly about what many of you say.
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Hi Sharon,
Not three suggestions as they have mostly been covered already, but here is something for your consideration:
You could have a "One From Each Country" collection to help with your worldwide interest and in addition use the Steiner pages to have more indepth collections of various countries that interest you.
For the One From Each County you could instead have "One Series From Each Country" or "Favorites From Each Country"
Dave N.
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Lots of sage, heart felt advice here! I read every word, and cannot disagree with anyone. Do what feels good for you, this is a personal journey. If there's a country that you have a personal connection to or just makes you happy, collect it. If there's a country you dislike for any reason, nobody is making you collect it, so ignore it!
Focus on this being fun. It should be a labor of love, not a chore. Concentrate on enjoying the stamps you have rather than harping over the empty spaces! Be the lord and master over your collection, it should be 100% your way. It's good to be king... or in your case queen!
I found a formula that works for me. I do it completely different than the norm but that's me! When I first took some of my albums to stamp club meetings, people were aghast! and argued with me that I was doing it all wrong. Wrong for them, but right for me!
My USA and many cover collections are all in Ultra Pro two pocket pages. They reside in US standard pages and 3 ring binders.
As with my good friend Bob, I don't want to be limited to collecting just singles since I love covers and blocks too! So here's my solution....
I have one page per stamp issue, or set as I choose. There are two 5.5x7" 60 lb card inserts in the pockets, which give them rigidity and a background for my stamps and covers. For the 1949 Minnesota Centennial stamp, I collected a plate block, a single with selvage and an Anderson Cachet first day cover. Note that even the cover is unique with a corner pair of stamps with selvage. I like selvage and especially corner stamps! So I choose them for my collection.
My Curtis Jenny page, the very first US airmail stamps. C1, the 6 cent value is represented with a very cool cover mailed to Alvin Filestrup, who was an early stamp collector I have studied in other areas. So when I saw the cover on eBay I just had to have it. The C2, is just a nice single. C3 is another trophy piece I saw and had to own... a super plate block of 4. I wanted something special for that iconic stamp!
My World War Two era album also includes related covers that reflect the mood of the era. I especially liked this common commercial cover with the patriotic meter slogan. I've also included a lot of patriotic covers and soldier mail in this album.
And the album allows me to include large blocks like this one I found in a lot, and a registered mail cover just because I found it attractive and unique.
Here's a page for the George Washington Bicentennial series I've included a stock card to display the entire set. And the couple of blocks are neatly tucked into the top pocket. There are pages that follow, with covers that I wanted to include. So for any stamp issue that grows beyond it's page, I can add as many pages as my heart desires.
Here's the Ultra Pro pages I use. They can be expensive if you buy them per 1 or per 10. I have purchased them, 5 boxes of 100 for $80 postage included. That's 16 cents a page.
And here's a photo of one of my shelves. I like the thin binders because they are easy to maneuver and I like to take one to my favorite chair just to go through it and enjoy my stuff. Also notice that my pages focus on what I have, and there are no spaces for what is missing. That means my collection always looks complete. When I acquire something, I just add the page.
I hope this is helpful for someone... it's just a completely different way from the traditional norm.
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Ben and all I really enjoy the way this group keeps re-enforcing that what ever way a person collects - if they enjoy it - it is OK
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My piece of advice is to not worry about the stamps you do not have, look after and appreciate the ones you do.
In my opinion "completeness" is the scourge of a worldwide collector. It inhibits your enjoyment and causes stress.
I am a worldwide collector ( and being a glutton for punishment I collect postmarks too!), and I collect beyond the simplistic. Every new stamp is a journey to be taken. Is it identical to the one I have or not ? Does it have an interesting postmark? Is it a different shade/watermark/perforation? I collect all these but the difference is that I don't chase them ( completeness again ! ), just add them when they come along.
That is my approach but do your own thing. You might find that along the way you wish to become more specialist. I have - I now collect GB Machin stamps in some depth. However I have not abandoned my world collection. Sometimes specialisation can become too intense, so I have a rest and I always have something else to look at until I am ready to start again. It is easy to become stale.
Malcolm
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12:31:39pm
I would say you must have a cut off date, there are way too many stamps being produced now! The older stamps are by far the most interesting, so a cut off at 1900 would eliminate some really exciting stuff. I sort of collect world wide, I mainly collect a handful of countries. But every once in a while I see some interesting stamps from other areas and pick them up. I mostly buy whatever interests me - never buy as an investment! I hope I'm wrong, but I think the hobby will eventually (almost) die and the more expensive purchases may lose value. You need a set of catalogs - you can usually get a set a couple years old for a good price. I think you need an album. I have the first 3 Scott International albums which gives a 1955 cut off.I'm actually much more interested in the first volume which has a 1940 cut off. The are many omissions so buy some spare pages. My main advice - don't worry about the money (buy only what you can afford) and have fun!
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This is an old thread (Dec 2018), however I had one
thought that I didn't really see mentioned here;
Make sure you have enough room for collecting the entire world!
I don't collect WW, only US and a small handful of other philatelic areas,
however my stamp room is still full and I would have to have an entire
other room if I were to even begin to collect everything!
This is an 8'X13' room, but as you can see there would be no room here
if I were to start collecting everything!
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World Wide, one would have to go Topical/Thematic.
Pic a a Theme, there is NO WAY one would ever be able to assemble a complete Worldwide Collection of all issues(my thoughts)
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Randy, get rid of all that baseball stuff, and you'd have room for a WW collection! 
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Michael,
No way/not a chance/not gonna happen!
Even though the stamp collecting bug bit me when I was 12,
baseball fever hit when I was 7;
the 1968 Detroit Tigers are responsible for that!
Along with my Tigers baseball card collection (I ONLY collect Tigers cards),
I also collect commemorative baseballs from all over.
My card collection runs from current year back to 1934...so far!
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It is best to start with the rarest stamps you can afford. They will only go up in price in the future.
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08:48:43am
Here are my 3 tips or a Worldwide Collector:
1. Bring lots of money. There are a lot of stamps out there.
2. Have lots of time and space.
3. Consider a time range rather than trying to accumulate everything.
Good luck. I used to be a worldwide collector, but found the British Colonies interesting and started specializing in them.
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For those with the experience what 3 top tips would share with a newbie? What do you wish someone had told you? What advice do you have to share about building a WW collection?
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Choose the album that most closely matches your end goal at the beginning. It is a royal pain to switch albums and can take a year or more to accomplish once you get a strong start on a collection.
Personally I really like the International albums although many collectors who become really advanced world wide collectors become quite frustrated with the omissions especially in the Part 1 1840-1940 and Part 2 1940-1949 albums. On the other hand there is NO better affordable album for coverage of these time periods and collecting to the album is still a very significant challenge to reach high levels of completeness. Many will supplement the International albums with selected albums from the Scott Specialized album series for countries in which they develop a stronger interest. Note that a high level of completion even of the representative collection of the first two International Parts will require thousands of dollars and man hours to be invested. A plus associated with the International albums is that there are a lot of world wide collectors pursuing these collections which can increase the amount of personal interaction associated with the collection.
Check out Jim Jackson's web site at http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/ and the similar site http://globalstamps.blogspot.com/ for reviews of albums in more detail as well as some simply outstanding content related to world-wide collecting.
I recommend acquiring the book World History Stamp Atlas by Rossiter, Stuart, and Flower as a fascinating resource on the history of postal use with lots of detail about the impact of political changes on geography, dead countries, etc.
There are some fascinating DVD based collections of older stamp collecting related publications available through eBay and other sources often with 200+ publications for $10 or so.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
On a less than serious note, my advice is simple:
1. Don't
2. Don't
3. See 1 & 2
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
J Baxter - I had given some though to Albums - I was thinking Steiner pages - I think that is what they are called- the site where you can subscribe and print your own
Dave you made me laugh
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
If you are collecting worldwide, I recommend buying collections initially since they will give you a lot of work with. This is the least expensive method to acquire.
I use Steiner pages for my worldwide because I do not want to be locked to an album vendor with non-standard size pages and expensive binders. I collect lower value stuff so not investing all that money in expensive albums. I can design and create custom pages that blend.
I stop using hinges and now use clear mounts (split small sizes in half).
Decisions:
1. Album - purchased or Steiner
2, Hinging vs mounts (clear or black) or mix hinging/mounts
3. Catalog system - Scott, SG, etc.
4. Is NH hinge stamps important or do not care as much as what back of stamp looks like? NH will drive up cost.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
1.Enjoy the hobby. Do not get caught up in ‘treasure hunting’, the hobby has much more to offer than constantly looking for something ‘rare’.
2. Always buy for enjoyment and do not buy anything as an investment. If you consider each purchase as entertainment then any amount that you might get when your collection is sold is all windfall.
3. Do not listen to anyone else about what to collect, collect what appeals to you. It is like buying artwork; if you purchase stamps/covers that appeal to you, you will always get enjoyment from it. Make the hobby your own.
4. Do not use ‘print-your-own’ album pages thinking you will save money. It is only less expensive if you cheap out on the paper and printing. ‘Print-your-own’ pages are great if you want to customize them or if you want to make your own family heirloom.
5. Consider using Vario pages in the beginning. These allow you to arrange/re-arrange the pages and give you maximum flexibility; there is always time later to invest in specialty albums.
Don
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
I do disagree about the cost of print your own. One key factor for me was when I had a Scott National and each supplement cost $15 for a some pages and ended up having to replace several existing ones. You are locked. You can buy more than a few sheets of quality paper for that price. In print you own the cost is only what we you need and you control your destiny.
A Scott National is now over $500.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
I would definitely buy a set of catalogs. I bought a set of Scott Worldwide (6 volumes) for a small fraction of what new catalogs sell for simply by buying older catalogs. They are invaluable for identification and pricing info. Check with your local library to see if they carry those as reference and ask when they replace them. My set is from 2015 and answers 99.9% of all the questions I have. The 2015 catalogs sell in the $20 range, each. The 2019 catalogs sell in the $100 range, each. Big difference. After I got my 2015 catalogs, I gave away my 1998 set for the cost of shipping, so if you initial focus is 19th and 20th Century, you might pick up an older set (circa 2000) for well under $50, if you look around. I update Worldwide every 10 or 20 years and Specialized US every 5 years, but my Worldwide is limited to a topical and a One From Every Country collection.
But Dave has the best advice.
Lars
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10:21:30pm
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Hats off to world wide collectors. It seems like a life long endeavor. If I were to undertake anything with a world wide scope I would collect maybe a set or two (or three) that best represented that region.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Most people who don't buy a starter collection for their world wide interest do start by collecting sets or stamps for each country in their chosen album. The World Wide Stamp Album by John W. Nicklin lists sets in its country descriptions that the author considers representative of the issues for each country. Unlike the general world wide albums I have been familiar with it really targets the idea of collecting samples for each country. Some of the other albums in the past would include descriptive title pages with descriptions for the countries and blocks with no example stamps pre-selected as an encouragement for this type of collecting. I have run into a few nice leather bound albums where the collector built a world wide collection of individual blank or quadrilled pages using this approach as well.
Another suggestion, if you really think you might build a starter collection and shift later into a large scale printed or Steiner self-printed album use either stock books or mounts on pages during your initial collection building. It is probably a good idea in order to make sure you are serious about the cost in money and time for a large scale collection.
UPDATE: As mentioned by a later post, a world wide stamp collection should not be viewed as an investment as the likelihood of returns is low in today's world. I consider it an investment in the sense of learning more about the world and building relationships and increasing personal contacts not from a financial sense.
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12:59:55am
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
"It is probably a good idea to just to make sure you are serious about the investment in money and time for a large scale collection."
It is not an investment of money, but rather a cost. There is definitely an investment in time over an endeavor that will never be completed. Scott lists approximately 700,000 stamps in its catalogs. A world wide collector has to be aware of that, and not go OCD over empty spaces. Also, a world wide collection requires alot (and I do mean "alot") of space to house all the albums.
There is, however, a satisfaction watching the collection grow. Many countries will, in fact, be completed, and many others will be substantially completed. It all depends how the collector concentrates on the acquisition process. There is good advice written above, especially when starting out.
My collection began with one torn stamp in 1962. It contains stamps from 1840 to date. It is housed in 80 five-inch binders. when considering the Scott stamp tally, it is about 43% complete, and the search for stamps continues.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Thank you everyone who has answered so far as some of these tips/answers are wonderful
Angore
I was going with Steiner pages but I had not thought about Hinging vs mounts - so I will have to clarify in my mind what I want to do on that point
As to catalogue I am using SG because I found a 2016 set on ebay at a price I could afford, I am in Australia and that is what people here seem to use (so copies are in the library)
51Studebaker
Your advice about ‘treasure hunting’ and investment buying sounds really valuable. Also when you said " Do not listen to anyone else about what to collect, collect what appeals to you." This really struck a cord. I am a returning collector and one of the reasons I think I drifted away from stamps was at the time that everyone at the local club collected one country and implied if you collected too many you would never be complete...I don't think I care about being complete but at the time (in the 80's) to say that it sounded like herasy. The tip about using Vario pages is really very good! I will implement that one for sure!
JBaxter your advice "It is probably a good idea to just to make sure you are serious about the investment in money and time for a large scale collection." Is I guess what I am pondering over and have been for about 6 months now. I am going to concentrate on a cluster of countries and see how things develop - what is fun etc before committing to a full on WW collection
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06:37:57am
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
One of the pieces of advise that I was given on another forum was to make sure that you move from accumulation to collection. As a WW collector it's very easy to accumulate thousands of stamps and have them in envelopes, glassines, stock pages, shoe boxes, banker boxes, spare rooms, storage units . . . I haven't decided on an album yet. What I've done is use stockbocks where I arrange by catalogue number. I've sorted out my Mongolia, Iceland, Greenland, and Tannu Tuva so far and I'm working on Malta and Trinidad and Tobago. I started off by buying some super cheap off paper mixes on ebay just to become more familiar with the more popular stamp producing countries. I moved to nicer lots and now am buying either WW or country collections at auction. I also buy a bunch here on stamporama when I see something that catches my eye, I see something very cheap, or I just want a new batch of stamps to work with. The best advice was already given, collect what you like and don't worry about the rest.
Have fun!
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Sharon, if Steiner pages existed when i began collecting ...that would be my choice...If you look at the cost of modern albums...you will see they are a dying breed. Ansd there are many countries in the world wide albums that i am just not that interested in such as several Eastern European countries and modern Africa. But the choice is ours alone. Have Fun.
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10:22:09am
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
I also remember walking into a few stamp shops in the 1970s and being looked at in disdain when I proudly said that I collect the world. I look at it this way. If I specialize in just one thing, I miss out on all of the rest. Stamp collecting is a worldwide hobby, so why not collect the world?
Of course that attitude is not for everyone, and the specialists do make great collections too.
I am also in model railroading, and I constantly get asked when will I change from analog control to digital. My answer is simple, "When you buy me the digital system." My layout is still analog and runs just fine!
So, never worry about what others think about how you approach any hobby. A hobby is for relaxation, and if you can learn a little bit more from it all the better. But, you set your own boundaries and goals, take it from there, and have fun!
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
I "collect worldwide" in a sense, but only for my thematic/topical collections, and only if I actually like the stamps that are available for purchase.
I (mostly) gave up on albums years ago. Too often I would collect varieties, multiples, BOB, covers, and stamps with nice cancellations that were not represented in albums. My "albums" now are Lighthouse stock books, Vario sheets, and binders with pages that I make with my Apple computer using Apple's word-processing program called Pages.
For a time I tried for completeness in my Ireland collection, but gave up when I realized that I was wasting my money buying new issues and even older stamps that I didn't like, not to mention annual sets of new album pages.
Bob
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Lots of wonderful tips here
JKC I really took notice of your comment "make sure that you move from accumulation to collection." Yes - this prompted me in a good way as I signed up for the Steiner pages and immediately started to sort out what I had of New Zealand on to Vario pages. I can see it would be easy to accumulate and not settle down to actually doing it! So I jumped.
michael78651 - you said "Stamp collecting is a worldwide hobby, so why not collect the world?" Oh that would make such a good signature tag!
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10:15:49am
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
"I can see it would be easy to accumulate and not settle down to actually doing it! So I jumped."
Enjoy your swim. The water is fine!
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
1. Decide what you want to be your cutoff date for countries. 1900, 1940, 1950 are popular end dates. 1940 is nice because you only need one catalog (Scott Classic Specialized). Only problem with that is that it leaves out WWII. Collecting much past the 1980 is pretty insane due to the number of stamps printed in later years
2. Buy the best set of used Scott internationals, with stamps, that you can afford. This will give you a good base to build on. I don't reccomend Minkus Globals because the numbering system is different than Scotts and it's a big hassel converting numbering systems. If there are some countries you'd like to have all the spaces for then buy used Scott Specialty albums or go with Steiner.
3. It takes a lot of time but make a need list of what you do not have. This will make searching easy and keep you from buying the same stamps over again.
4. Buy from auctions at a low percentage of catalog 5-20%. If you buy at auction then you know someone else was willing to pay a little less which means there is a good chance you can get your money back when you go to sell.
5. Since you are collecting the whole world find the best deal (lowest percentage of cat) of the week for any country and get them, the others will turn up eventually. If you are set on buying a certain stamp or set at any given time you are likely to spend more than you would if you had waited for a good deal to turn up.
I decided to collect mint or used realizing that if I limited myself to one or the other it would greatly reduce the level of completion. I try to upgrade to mint whenever possible.
That's basically the way I built my collection and it worked out good for me.
You can see my WW collection by following the link below.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Sorry for chiming in this topic bit late; was away for work most of the week.
Below are my three tips:
1) Educate yourself
When I started getting "serious" with worldwide collecting (15-20 years back) everybody laughed at me and told it's impossible to collect from 1840 to date. I was told me there's millions of stamps, it would be impossible to collect them all, I would have to cut back etc.
Ever since I've spent quite a lot of time in studying, learning and writing about the limits of worldwide collecting (see my website for 500+ writeups and number of digital tools). There are not millions of stamps if collecting simplified; just 600-800k major number issues depending on catalogue used. And it's not expensive; only 1840-1900 can get expensive (but even for that half is pocket money budget), and ever since 1900 >90% of stamps are cheap stuff you can by in bulk. And the storage part - it will all easily fit in single small room (all you need is about 40 shelf meters to fit the stamps and albums/stockbooks).
Educate yourself. Use libraries, buy books, read magazines, participate on forums and social media, learn foreign languages... It all adds up and makes the stamps more enjoyable in ways you likely never imagined.
2) Find your way
It's great to have advice from more (or less) experienced peers, but in the end it all comes down to finding your way. Catalogs, storage, cutoff dates etc - they are all personal choices. If I would have followed all the advice given, I would have likely given up somewhere along the way. It is all about finding your way and those things that keep your spark.
Follow your instincts, trust your gut and above all have fun. Those are the base elements that will take you on a lifelong journey.
3) Keep track of your collection and progression
One of my first things as kid was to keep track of how many stamps I had. Now 40+ years later I'm still doing that - except with modern technology. It is not just about counting how many stamps you have, but learning and understanding the "anatomy" of worldwide collecting as well as where you are at it now. You will easily see the strong parts and well as the weak spots of your collection once you have the data, and it will take out the "guesswork" from your buying, exchanges etc. And of course it is somewhat satisfying to see the numbers go up as you advance.
Have fun
-k-
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
AntoniusRa and Scb I have paid attention to your advice on tracking what I do and dont have - I joined Colnect and have started checking off what I have and what I need - as I can export the info as CSV file I can put the lot in excel which I think will work.
As to dates I was thinking of starting at 1900 (because many earlier issues are expensive) and having a cut off date of 2000 - the 20th century is more than enough to interesting and keep me busy
Thanks for everyone tips - I am thinking constantly about what many of you say.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Hi Sharon,
Not three suggestions as they have mostly been covered already, but here is something for your consideration:
You could have a "One From Each Country" collection to help with your worldwide interest and in addition use the Steiner pages to have more indepth collections of various countries that interest you.
For the One From Each County you could instead have "One Series From Each Country" or "Favorites From Each Country"
Dave N.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Lots of sage, heart felt advice here! I read every word, and cannot disagree with anyone. Do what feels good for you, this is a personal journey. If there's a country that you have a personal connection to or just makes you happy, collect it. If there's a country you dislike for any reason, nobody is making you collect it, so ignore it!
Focus on this being fun. It should be a labor of love, not a chore. Concentrate on enjoying the stamps you have rather than harping over the empty spaces! Be the lord and master over your collection, it should be 100% your way. It's good to be king... or in your case queen!
I found a formula that works for me. I do it completely different than the norm but that's me! When I first took some of my albums to stamp club meetings, people were aghast! and argued with me that I was doing it all wrong. Wrong for them, but right for me!
My USA and many cover collections are all in Ultra Pro two pocket pages. They reside in US standard pages and 3 ring binders.
As with my good friend Bob, I don't want to be limited to collecting just singles since I love covers and blocks too! So here's my solution....
I have one page per stamp issue, or set as I choose. There are two 5.5x7" 60 lb card inserts in the pockets, which give them rigidity and a background for my stamps and covers. For the 1949 Minnesota Centennial stamp, I collected a plate block, a single with selvage and an Anderson Cachet first day cover. Note that even the cover is unique with a corner pair of stamps with selvage. I like selvage and especially corner stamps! So I choose them for my collection.
My Curtis Jenny page, the very first US airmail stamps. C1, the 6 cent value is represented with a very cool cover mailed to Alvin Filestrup, who was an early stamp collector I have studied in other areas. So when I saw the cover on eBay I just had to have it. The C2, is just a nice single. C3 is another trophy piece I saw and had to own... a super plate block of 4. I wanted something special for that iconic stamp!
My World War Two era album also includes related covers that reflect the mood of the era. I especially liked this common commercial cover with the patriotic meter slogan. I've also included a lot of patriotic covers and soldier mail in this album.
And the album allows me to include large blocks like this one I found in a lot, and a registered mail cover just because I found it attractive and unique.
Here's a page for the George Washington Bicentennial series I've included a stock card to display the entire set. And the couple of blocks are neatly tucked into the top pocket. There are pages that follow, with covers that I wanted to include. So for any stamp issue that grows beyond it's page, I can add as many pages as my heart desires.
Here's the Ultra Pro pages I use. They can be expensive if you buy them per 1 or per 10. I have purchased them, 5 boxes of 100 for $80 postage included. That's 16 cents a page.
And here's a photo of one of my shelves. I like the thin binders because they are easy to maneuver and I like to take one to my favorite chair just to go through it and enjoy my stuff. Also notice that my pages focus on what I have, and there are no spaces for what is missing. That means my collection always looks complete. When I acquire something, I just add the page.
I hope this is helpful for someone... it's just a completely different way from the traditional norm.
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Ben and all I really enjoy the way this group keeps re-enforcing that what ever way a person collects - if they enjoy it - it is OK
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06:36:14pm
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
My piece of advice is to not worry about the stamps you do not have, look after and appreciate the ones you do.
In my opinion "completeness" is the scourge of a worldwide collector. It inhibits your enjoyment and causes stress.
I am a worldwide collector ( and being a glutton for punishment I collect postmarks too!), and I collect beyond the simplistic. Every new stamp is a journey to be taken. Is it identical to the one I have or not ? Does it have an interesting postmark? Is it a different shade/watermark/perforation? I collect all these but the difference is that I don't chase them ( completeness again ! ), just add them when they come along.
That is my approach but do your own thing. You might find that along the way you wish to become more specialist. I have - I now collect GB Machin stamps in some depth. However I have not abandoned my world collection. Sometimes specialisation can become too intense, so I have a rest and I always have something else to look at until I am ready to start again. It is easy to become stale.
Malcolm
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This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
04 May 2019
12:31:39pm
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
I would say you must have a cut off date, there are way too many stamps being produced now! The older stamps are by far the most interesting, so a cut off at 1900 would eliminate some really exciting stuff. I sort of collect world wide, I mainly collect a handful of countries. But every once in a while I see some interesting stamps from other areas and pick them up. I mostly buy whatever interests me - never buy as an investment! I hope I'm wrong, but I think the hobby will eventually (almost) die and the more expensive purchases may lose value. You need a set of catalogs - you can usually get a set a couple years old for a good price. I think you need an album. I have the first 3 Scott International albums which gives a 1955 cut off.I'm actually much more interested in the first volume which has a 1940 cut off. The are many omissions so buy some spare pages. My main advice - don't worry about the money (buy only what you can afford) and have fun!
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
This is an old thread (Dec 2018), however I had one
thought that I didn't really see mentioned here;
Make sure you have enough room for collecting the entire world!
I don't collect WW, only US and a small handful of other philatelic areas,
however my stamp room is still full and I would have to have an entire
other room if I were to even begin to collect everything!
This is an 8'X13' room, but as you can see there would be no room here
if I were to start collecting everything!
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01:41:54am
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
World Wide, one would have to go Topical/Thematic.
Pic a a Theme, there is NO WAY one would ever be able to assemble a complete Worldwide Collection of all issues(my thoughts)
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02:26:57am
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Randy, get rid of all that baseball stuff, and you'd have room for a WW collection!
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Michael,
No way/not a chance/not gonna happen!
Even though the stamp collecting bug bit me when I was 12,
baseball fever hit when I was 7;
the 1968 Detroit Tigers are responsible for that!
Along with my Tigers baseball card collection (I ONLY collect Tigers cards),
I also collect commemorative baseballs from all over.
My card collection runs from current year back to 1934...so far!
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re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
It is best to start with the rarest stamps you can afford. They will only go up in price in the future.
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Collecting King George VI from all countries, and King Edward VII and King George V from the West Indies.
26 May 2019
08:48:43am
re: What 3 tips would you give a WW newbie
Here are my 3 tips or a Worldwide Collector:
1. Bring lots of money. There are a lot of stamps out there.
2. Have lots of time and space.
3. Consider a time range rather than trying to accumulate everything.
Good luck. I used to be a worldwide collector, but found the British Colonies interesting and started specializing in them.
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