Ken Knecht wrote:
I collect the world to 1990.

Since I have so very many holes in my collection I get auction lots with
lots of stamps. If I choose the right year range there are generally a
fair number of cheap stamps I don't have. I have no expectation of
completing my collection. My enjoyment comes from sorting stamps,
checking stamp identifications, and filling a few blanks in my
collection. I enjoy the time spent, not buying a few stamps for the same
amount and putting in my album in a few minutes.

"S.Waever" wrote in
:


I too collect the world usually up to around 1990, but it
depends on the country. The best auction house was the
Bournemouth Stamp Auction in England. Unfortunately it
became quite expensive and eventually went out of business.
My strategy in bidding is the following:
1. I mark all lots that interest me and set the price
I would be willing to pay (usually 20% below estimate)
2. About a week before the auction, I get a list of current
bids on the lots that I selected. I scratch all those
where the bids are higher than those on my list.
3. On the remaining lots I select a subset such that even
if I get all, my expenses will not exceed my budget.
4. I submit my bids on those lots, but bid only one tick
higher that the current bids.