Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
I collect USA used singles and used coil pairs and line pairs and all the perforation and tagging varieties and I also include one bureau precancel example for those that were issued that way. The rest of the precancels are going into another binder until I decide whether or not I want to continue collecting them. I’ve been setting aside the perfins, too, but sadly an envelope of perfins that I gifted to another member here was one of the stolen mail pieces. Bummer! The plate number coils are a separate collection. I only collect regular and airmail issues, but I’ve been acquiring so much back of the book issues in the USA box lots that I’ve been winning in auctions that I’m not sure whether I’ll keep them or not. In the meantime those are just getting filed into yet another binder.
My question for all of you is organizational. I’m using Scott’s specialized and I did have everything in Scott’s order. But I decided to group the definitive sets instead of having them scattered by issue dates. I prefer the look and the ease finding certain issues. Do you prefer definitives grouped or by strict chronological order? How do you arrange your USA or do you follow an album only?
Also - if I didn’t have this jiffy ID tool I think the Washington - Franklins would drive me wackadoodle! Wish me luck with those! I wish I could find a spare to buy.
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White Ace has album pages for Regular Issues separate from their pages for Commemoratives. The longer I collect the more sense it makes to me.
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@philatelia
I gave up using an album 40 some years ago, now just use stock pages, for me much easier.
I'd suggest making up your own Jiffy ID tool. I made up my own back in the 1950's and still use it today, suggest using the IN number first then using the SN, works great and is the time saver I think
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I love my Scott National album.
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04:38:46pm
I'm a very old fashioned conventional collector using my 1972 purchased Harris Liberty album. It has separate areas for all the BOB categories and a supplement cutoff date of 1977. I prefer the way my Minkus Poland and Russia albums mixes in the normal BOB material but I will always keep my US album because the album is worth as much to me as the stamps in it. My late wife entered all the Scott's numbers and it brings back great memories whenever I put in new material. The prices she put next to the numbers are about 50 years out of date so I occasionally add new ones but almost always leave the old prices there as well. In many cases there is little change anyway.
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"if I didn’t have this jiffy ID tool I think the Washington - Franklins would drive me wackadoodle!"
Insure it for $1 million, and guard it with your life! They are hard to find.
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I've had this one for a few years, looks the same albeit with a different heading, but dreading starting to id the mass of stamps in stockbooks and glassines. Guess it is really a case of getting down to the task.
PS. Today, after a week of high 20's early 30's we hit 37.5c at 3pm, the next week is forecast as upper 20's.
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10:25:09pm
"dreading starting to id the mass of stamps in stockbooks and glassines."
Why spend time on something you dread? Sell it to somebody who would "love it" and buy something you love to handle!
Personally, I would take KGVI colonial issues over Washington-Franklins any day of the week!
Stamp collecting should never be a chore.
(This message not necessarily directed at Sheepshanks, but particularly for the benefit of any newbie collectors reading this thread).
Roy
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@sheepshanks
W/F Heads are difficult if you make them difficult.
I've ID thousands of W/F heads.
My advice, start with only one FV at a time. All the one cents, all the 2 cents etc. & etc.
Turn over all the stamps face down, pull out any with the offsett or set off ink colors, again all one cents, two cents etc. & etc.
This will help greatly.
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I store them by Scott number in my plastic stock pages. I wish Scott listed stamps in a little more organized fashion.
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08:07:54am
Most of those stamps, except for the more expensive ones, were picked up earlier in my stamp collecting days, when I had more patience and a co-collector to help!!
These stamps can prove difficult but if they really become a chore it's probably the mood you're in at the time. Put them away until you're ready to do them. I'm having the same problem with the Ukrainian trident overprints. They're difficult but eventually I'll be in the right mood to sort them out. If the mood never hits, well, I'll end up leaving them for someone else eventually. For most of us life is too short to do things we really don't want to do!!
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@Roy, you are quite correct in that if not enjoyable, don't do! Trouble is I would like to sort them, if only for the satisfaction of having so done.
I guess if I can sort out Machins and UK watermarks then It ought to be a breeze. Think it is more the volume of stamps than anything.
Maybe when I get time from gardening, house maintenance etc I will be able to get in the right frame of mind and get the blighters sorted. Summer is always a difficult time, grass cutting takes seven to eight hours, even with a ride-on. Weeding a never ending job and keeping the flowers and vegetables watered all takes time.
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Roy’s absolutely right - do what makes you happy! To each their own, eh?
Personally, I enjoy flexing my philatelic “muscles” trying to identify complex series and flyspeck certain issues. I learn so much when I dive in and study them so the time invested usually ends up being well spent. I do love a challenge and sorting, organizing and identifying is definitely my cup of tea. But I limit the scope of my collection to a dozen countries so I can specialize and learn the finer points - trying to master every area would be way too much for me. Although as my eyes age this approach to philately might become a struggle and thus not quite as much fun.
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Recently I have been suckered ( 
) into work on filling a Lighthouse USA hingeless album with mint stamps. Had a great time today at the Huntsville Philatelic Society's annual show and managed to acquire a number of coil pairs of definitive stamps from the 1970's mostly. My prior collections involving USA issues have tended to not include coil stamps in pairs as the albums either had spaces for singles (Scott Hingeless) or did not include coil stamps at all (International or International Junior). Got one particularly nice pair today as well, USA Scott #454 VF MNH with a certificate, in addtion to adding 18 other miscellaneous MNH coils to the second book of the album replacing seven coil singles from a feeder album with pairs.
Also filled in a number of more modern singles yesterday for the album during my first day's visit to the show where I had some holes. Mostly definitives but a few missing commemoratives as well. Not a lot of value but some very satisfying completed pages were the result!
I do find that I am enjoying working with the Lighthouse albums more and more as the pages are quite lovely and the albums themselves are easy to handle from a size perspective.
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I also have my US in a couple of Lighthouse hingeless albums with pages through 1975. I bought them 30 years ago used at a dealer's store. Both the springback binders and pages are as good as new. The overall quality and feel is pleasing. I had a Scott National (still use with a set of revenue pages) and I felt that the layout was actually better on the Lighthouse albums. They are also easier to handle.
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My USA collection is in 2 pocket pages since I collect singles, plate blocks and covers in the same space.
This format gives me the ability to add just about anything I come across. I probably have 6 or more pages for this Worlds Fair issue as l have included a plate block, a block of six in liu of a single and some interesting fair covers. The next few pages are FDCs with different cachets.
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I’m taking a break from selling over the summer months to make time to actually work on collections instead of handling duplicates. (Plus lots of other summer stuff going on). My collection is housed on Hagnar and Vario sheets and I just stuff new arrivals onto the stockpages until I have a chance to go through and cull duplicates, so after a while they become over stuffed and desperately need attention.
I collect USA used singles and used coil pairs and line pairs and all the perforation and tagging varieties and I also include one bureau precancel example for those that were issued that way. The rest of the precancels are going into another binder until I decide whether or not I want to continue collecting them. I’ve been setting aside the perfins, too, but sadly an envelope of perfins that I gifted to another member here was one of the stolen mail pieces. Bummer! The plate number coils are a separate collection. I only collect regular and airmail issues, but I’ve been acquiring so much back of the book issues in the USA box lots that I’ve been winning in auctions that I’m not sure whether I’ll keep them or not. In the meantime those are just getting filed into yet another binder.
My question for all of you is organizational. I’m using Scott’s specialized and I did have everything in Scott’s order. But I decided to group the definitive sets instead of having them scattered by issue dates. I prefer the look and the ease finding certain issues. Do you prefer definitives grouped or by strict chronological order? How do you arrange your USA or do you follow an album only?
Also - if I didn’t have this jiffy ID tool I think the Washington - Franklins would drive me wackadoodle! Wish me luck with those! I wish I could find a spare to buy.
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12:53:15pm
Auctions - Approvals
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
White Ace has album pages for Regular Issues separate from their pages for Commemoratives. The longer I collect the more sense it makes to me.
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01:41:09pm
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
@philatelia
I gave up using an album 40 some years ago, now just use stock pages, for me much easier.
I'd suggest making up your own Jiffy ID tool. I made up my own back in the 1950's and still use it today, suggest using the IN number first then using the SN, works great and is the time saver I think
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03:26:37pm
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
I love my Scott National album.
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This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
03 Jun 2023
04:38:46pm
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
I'm a very old fashioned conventional collector using my 1972 purchased Harris Liberty album. It has separate areas for all the BOB categories and a supplement cutoff date of 1977. I prefer the way my Minkus Poland and Russia albums mixes in the normal BOB material but I will always keep my US album because the album is worth as much to me as the stamps in it. My late wife entered all the Scott's numbers and it brings back great memories whenever I put in new material. The prices she put next to the numbers are about 50 years out of date so I occasionally add new ones but almost always leave the old prices there as well. In many cases there is little change anyway.
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09:29:21pm
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
"if I didn’t have this jiffy ID tool I think the Washington - Franklins would drive me wackadoodle!"
Insure it for $1 million, and guard it with your life! They are hard to find.
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Approvals
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
I've had this one for a few years, looks the same albeit with a different heading, but dreading starting to id the mass of stamps in stockbooks and glassines. Guess it is really a case of getting down to the task.
PS. Today, after a week of high 20's early 30's we hit 37.5c at 3pm, the next week is forecast as upper 20's.
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BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
03 Jun 2023
10:25:09pm
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
"dreading starting to id the mass of stamps in stockbooks and glassines."
Why spend time on something you dread? Sell it to somebody who would "love it" and buy something you love to handle!
Personally, I would take KGVI colonial issues over Washington-Franklins any day of the week!
Stamp collecting should never be a chore.
(This message not necessarily directed at Sheepshanks, but particularly for the benefit of any newbie collectors reading this thread).
Roy
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10:46:50pm
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
@sheepshanks
W/F Heads are difficult if you make them difficult.
I've ID thousands of W/F heads.
My advice, start with only one FV at a time. All the one cents, all the 2 cents etc. & etc.
Turn over all the stamps face down, pull out any with the offsett or set off ink colors, again all one cents, two cents etc. & etc.
This will help greatly.
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re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
I store them by Scott number in my plastic stock pages. I wish Scott listed stamps in a little more organized fashion.
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like this post.
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This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
04 Jun 2023
08:07:54am
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
Most of those stamps, except for the more expensive ones, were picked up earlier in my stamp collecting days, when I had more patience and a co-collector to help!!
These stamps can prove difficult but if they really become a chore it's probably the mood you're in at the time. Put them away until you're ready to do them. I'm having the same problem with the Ukrainian trident overprints. They're difficult but eventually I'll be in the right mood to sort them out. If the mood never hits, well, I'll end up leaving them for someone else eventually. For most of us life is too short to do things we really don't want to do!!
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this post
Approvals
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
@Roy, you are quite correct in that if not enjoyable, don't do! Trouble is I would like to sort them, if only for the satisfaction of having so done.
I guess if I can sort out Machins and UK watermarks then It ought to be a breeze. Think it is more the volume of stamps than anything.
Maybe when I get time from gardening, house maintenance etc I will be able to get in the right frame of mind and get the blighters sorted. Summer is always a difficult time, grass cutting takes seven to eight hours, even with a ride-on. Weeding a never ending job and keeping the flowers and vegetables watered all takes time.
Login to Like
this post
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
Roy’s absolutely right - do what makes you happy! To each their own, eh?
Personally, I enjoy flexing my philatelic “muscles” trying to identify complex series and flyspeck certain issues. I learn so much when I dive in and study them so the time invested usually ends up being well spent. I do love a challenge and sorting, organizing and identifying is definitely my cup of tea. But I limit the scope of my collection to a dozen countries so I can specialize and learn the finer points - trying to master every area would be way too much for me. Although as my eyes age this approach to philately might become a struggle and thus not quite as much fun.
Login to Like
this post
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
Recently I have been suckered ( ) into work on filling a Lighthouse USA hingeless album with mint stamps. Had a great time today at the Huntsville Philatelic Society's annual show and managed to acquire a number of coil pairs of definitive stamps from the 1970's mostly. My prior collections involving USA issues have tended to not include coil stamps in pairs as the albums either had spaces for singles (Scott Hingeless) or did not include coil stamps at all (International or International Junior). Got one particularly nice pair today as well, USA Scott #454 VF MNH with a certificate, in addtion to adding 18 other miscellaneous MNH coils to the second book of the album replacing seven coil singles from a feeder album with pairs.
Also filled in a number of more modern singles yesterday for the album during my first day's visit to the show where I had some holes. Mostly definitives but a few missing commemoratives as well. Not a lot of value but some very satisfying completed pages were the result!
I do find that I am enjoying working with the Lighthouse albums more and more as the pages are quite lovely and the albums themselves are easy to handle from a size perspective.
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10:42:58pm
Auctions - Approvals
re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
I also have my US in a couple of Lighthouse hingeless albums with pages through 1975. I bought them 30 years ago used at a dealer's store. Both the springback binders and pages are as good as new. The overall quality and feel is pleasing. I had a Scott National (still use with a set of revenue pages) and I felt that the layout was actually better on the Lighthouse albums. They are also easier to handle.
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re: Reworking my USA collection - how do you arrange yours?
My USA collection is in 2 pocket pages since I collect singles, plate blocks and covers in the same space.
This format gives me the ability to add just about anything I come across. I probably have 6 or more pages for this Worlds Fair issue as l have included a plate block, a block of six in liu of a single and some interesting fair covers. The next few pages are FDCs with different cachets.
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