I consider this somewhat of a double standard. I do not collect eras that include a lot of CTOs but I have some and treated the same. You could start with the basic premise that many stamps are manufactured (CTO or not) just for collectors. For example, I do not like Disney stamps that started showing up in the 80s.
One aspect of FDC's is the maker of the FDC. They show more originality than the stamp itself.
I also have a collection of US souvenir pages. These are pure collectible items too.
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Pure CTOs reflect a collector preference for one-new-one-used. Despised as they may be, it can be ridiculously tough (and expensive) to find many small country stamps GPU (Genuinely Postally Used).
Part of this problem is legitimate: stamps issued for the local domestic rate, for example, are gonna be hard to find on, say, bargain box covers being sold in other countries.
Part of this problem is less legitimate: many stamps are being issued for denominations that do not match rates, or for rates that are rarely used, and will not be seen in your lifetime as anything other than CTO.
If you are collecting a topic, in particular, CTOs may be your only alternative to a life of empty album spots.
FDCs are, one can fairly say, a subset of CTO. Seems sad to own the remnant of an expensive 'collectible', but perhaps most sans-FDC stamps come off unsold inventory, in which case they are a happy example of the 3rd 'R' (Reduce Reuse Repurpose Recycle).
Pure CTOs and post FDCs are an immensely practical choice if you want your 'used' collection to fill-out in your lifetime, even if they are not very used.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
I wonder if in the past we were a little unfair about 'cancelled to order' (CTO) material from Eastern Europe. I have noticed that the British dealers who make it out here to Thailand often have pieces with modern GB sets which are ex-first day covers (FDC). It makes a lot of sense if we are looking for clean used copies and there was an excess of FDCs produced to use these. Of course as with CTOs there is little postal history to be gleamed from them, but I for one am happy to put them in my collections.
re: CTO versus FDC
I consider this somewhat of a double standard. I do not collect eras that include a lot of CTOs but I have some and treated the same. You could start with the basic premise that many stamps are manufactured (CTO or not) just for collectors. For example, I do not like Disney stamps that started showing up in the 80s.
One aspect of FDC's is the maker of the FDC. They show more originality than the stamp itself.
I also have a collection of US souvenir pages. These are pure collectible items too.
re: CTO versus FDC
.
Pure CTOs reflect a collector preference for one-new-one-used. Despised as they may be, it can be ridiculously tough (and expensive) to find many small country stamps GPU (Genuinely Postally Used).
Part of this problem is legitimate: stamps issued for the local domestic rate, for example, are gonna be hard to find on, say, bargain box covers being sold in other countries.
Part of this problem is less legitimate: many stamps are being issued for denominations that do not match rates, or for rates that are rarely used, and will not be seen in your lifetime as anything other than CTO.
If you are collecting a topic, in particular, CTOs may be your only alternative to a life of empty album spots.
FDCs are, one can fairly say, a subset of CTO. Seems sad to own the remnant of an expensive 'collectible', but perhaps most sans-FDC stamps come off unsold inventory, in which case they are a happy example of the 3rd 'R' (Reduce Reuse Repurpose Recycle).
Pure CTOs and post FDCs are an immensely practical choice if you want your 'used' collection to fill-out in your lifetime, even if they are not very used.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey