I'm a newbie...

....well, not really - just new to this news group. I've collected
since 1941 but still have more questions than answers. My main
interest is staying current with US MNH issues and anything world
wide. I am a pure collector in that I don't keep duplicates and I
don't sell what I possess.

I dl'ed all 1984 available messages for this NG and found a lot of
interesting info - enough to make me post here. I'm sure my first
questions have been answered by the "old pros" a slew of times but
what good is being an "old pro" if not to share your wisdom?

My first problem is what to collect. It used to be easy to collect
everything but it's gotten tougher. I've just about given up on
booklets and coils because singles are sometimes tough to get. I
subscribe to most of the USPS offerings but a check of all 2003 issues
shows me I don't get everything from the PO.

Next I find that mounting is a problem because of the "large odd
sizes". I solved that today by purchasing 500 photograph corners -
clear, acid-free and self-adhesive. Is there a better way?

And album pages or supplements... The supplements I have seen either
don't have spots for stamps or have a number of spots for stamps I
don't collect. So, I design a very simple page once I find a complete
list of annual issues - neither the USPS or Scotts or the APS has
complete listings as I have seen them.

I did pick up a couple of web sites by reading the archives and I
added them to my list of favorites.

'nuff for now...

Hugh

J. Hugh Sullivan wrote:


My first problem is what to collect. It used to be easy to collect
everything but it's gotten tougher. I've just about given up on
booklets and coils because singles are sometimes tough to get. I
subscribe to most of the USPS offerings but a check of all 2003 issues
shows me I don't get everything from the PO.

I'm a newbie too so the responses will be interesting. I do new and
used simply because I'm trying to figure out just what I do and do not
like. Once I figure that out things will be much easier. So far I'm
leaning towards the odd stuff, like sets, Black Heritage for instance,
nondenominated, hidden images, microprinting, stamps on colored paper,
out of the ordinary stuff mostly.

Next I find that mounting is a problem because of the "large odd
sizes". I solved that today by purchasing 500 photograph corners -
clear, acid-free and self-adhesive. Is there a better way?

I use them for the larger sheets or bigger stuff. They work well for
me. My used stuff is hinged, MNH stamps go into Showgard mounts. Then
the album page goes into an acid free sheet protector from Staples, and
those into a 3 ring binder.

And album pages or supplements... The supplements I have seen either
don't have spots for stamps or have a number of spots for stamps I
don't collect. So, I design a very simple page once I find a complete
list of annual issues - neither the USPS or Scotts or the APS has
complete listings as I have seen them.

I make my own album pages so I can tailor them to what I want and like,
not what someone else thinks I should collect. Plus the idea of having
to buy an annual update annoys me, so I use MS Publisher for them.

As for the listing, I've searched high and low too and not found one
yet. Ideally I'd like a description with it but hey, beggers can't be
choosers.

Probably your best means of locating web sites is using the Google
search engine.

"J. Hugh Sullivan" wrote in message
...


...well, not really - just new to this news group. I've collected
since 1941 but still have more questions than answers. My main
interest is staying current with US MNH issues and anything world
wide.

You should collect whatever interests you. But staying current is going to
be darn near impossible if you are truly doing worldwide, unless you have a
neverending money supply available. Just buying one of every stamp issued
every year would be an extremely expensive undertaking.



Next I find that mounting is a problem because of the "large odd
sizes". I solved that today by purchasing 500 photograph corners -
clear, acid-free and self-adhesive. Is there a better way?

I would use commercial mounts instead or buy a hingeless album. You might
check out Lindner albums to see if they would meet your needs.


And album pages or supplements... The supplements I have seen either
don't have spots for stamps or have a number of spots for stamps I
don't collect. So, I design a very simple page once I find a complete
list of annual issues - neither the USPS or Scotts or the APS has
complete listings as I have seen them.


I don't think there is such a thing as a "perfect" album, laid out exactly
the way an individual collector prefers. If you design your own pages, I
would recommend buying the mounts if you want to concentrate on MNH stamps.



I did pick up a couple of web sites by reading the archives and I
added them to my list of favorites.

Publications like Linn's Stamp News are also very helpful for keeping
informed on new issues as well as other important collecting information.


Mike

On Tue, 06 Jan 2004 16:19:55 -0700, Grandpa jsdebooATcomcast.net
wrote:

J. Hugh Sullivan wrote:

[snip]

Next I find that mounting is a problem because of the "large odd
sizes". I solved that today by purchasing 500 photograph corners -
clear, acid-free and self-adhesive. Is there a better way?

I use them for the larger sheets or bigger stuff. They work well for
me. My used stuff is hinged, MNH stamps go into Showgard mounts. Then
the album page goes into an acid free sheet protector from Staples, and
those into a 3 ring binder.

At the moment I have both Showguard and Scott mounts. it's easier for
me to find and replace a mount in the Scott container and I can find
the remnant mounts easier. I put the large sheets in the acid free
protector but not the regular album pages.

And album pages or supplements... The supplements I have seen either
don't have spots for stamps or have a number of spots for stamps I
don't collect. So, I design a very simple page once I find a complete
list of annual issues - neither the USPS or Scotts or the APS has
complete listings as I have seen them.

I make my own album pages so I can tailor them to what I want and like,
not what someone else thinks I should collect. Plus the idea of having
to buy an annual update annoys me, so I use MS Publisher for them.

I've been using MS Word to design and print the sheets. I should
design shapes to fit all sizes of stamps and copy/paste to compose the
sheet instead of doing the pages from scratch each time.

As for the listing, I've searched high and low too and not found one
yet. Ideally I'd like a description with it but hey, beggers can't be
choosers.

Ed's Stamp Page, which was mentioned on one of the old posts, has what
I needed.

Probably your best means of locating web sites is using the Google
search engine.

I think this news group is what I'm looking for - time will tell.

Hugh

On Tue, 6 Jan 2004 19:25:08 -0500, "Doug Spade"
wrote:

"J. Hugh Sullivan" wrote in message
...

...well, not really - just new to this news group. I've collected
since 1941 but still have more questions than answers. My main
interest is staying current with US MNH issues and anything world
wide.

You should collect whatever interests you. But staying current is going to
be darn near impossible if you are truly doing worldwide, unless you have a
neverending money supply available. Just buying one of every stamp issued
every year would be an extremely expensive undertaking.

First, thanks for the interesting comments.

Collecting whatever interests me, as you say, must be compromised
since I didn't found Microsoft or WallyMart. My worldwide collection
is almost limited to donations from people who get a lot of foreign
mail but don't collect. A man recently gave me more than 1,000 stamps
- about 500 I didn't have. The rest will go to the local stamp club
for packets to be given to young people to get them interested in the
hobby; or sold to members with all proceeds going to the club for the
same purpose.

Next I find that mounting is a problem because of the "large odd
sizes". I solved that today by purchasing 500 photograph corners -
clear, acid-free and self-adhesive. Is there a better way?

I would use commercial mounts instead or buy a hingeless album. You might
check out Lindner albums to see if they would meet your needs.

I wouldn't want to start using a hingeless album in 2004. If stamp
collecting was my only hobby I might buy a hingeless for all US stamps
and transfer them. It bothers me that I already have pages from the
Scott 1943 bound album (removed, resized to 8 1/2 x 11 and punched for
a 3 ring binder), H. E. Harris, Lighthouse, White Ace, Internet
individuals and my own computers. That's messy and I don't like messy.

And album pages or supplements... The supplements I have seen either
don't have spots for stamps or have a number of spots for stamps I
don't collect. So, I design a very simple page once I find a complete
list of annual issues - neither the USPS or Scotts or the APS has
complete listings as I have seen them.

I don't think there is such a thing as a "perfect" album, laid out exactly
the way an individual collector prefers. If you design your own pages, I
would recommend buying the mounts if you want to concentrate on MNH stamps.

All my US stamps are in mounts - I even removed the hinges from the
earlier ones and put them in mounts.

I did pick up a couple of web sites by reading the archives and I
added them to my list of favorites.

Publications like Linn's Stamp News are also very helpful for keeping
informed on new issues as well as other important collecting information.

I susbscribed to Linn's for a year but I'm retired and didn't have
time to read them - seems like they came every other day! I'm
subscribed to Scott now - I like the frequency but too many ads and
not enough help for my ignorance. Although I've collected for 63 years
I am not very knowledgeable.

One of my problems is that I can't find a complete listing of stamps
for any year. I've compared the USPS site, the APS site, Scott's site
and paper, and Ed's Stamp Page - none list all the current year stamps
but Ed's is the most complete. Ed doesn't list the Edna Ferber or Geo.
Washington.. I prepared my own listing to see if I have all the stamps
for, most recently, 2003. I have 2003 mounted now - no telling when
supplements will be available. I'm missing 12 stamps because the PO
didn't send them as part of the subscription service.

Also I've about decided to quit collecting booklet stamps so, does one
spend a lot of time trying to find a single to fill a spot in a
commercial supplement? And how does one get a single stamp from a coil
of 10,000?

I think what I'm really saying is that the USPS has taken a lot of the
fun in philately and turned it into work. "Course that's just one
person's opinion...

Hugh

On Wed, 07 Jan 2004 13:42:19 GMT, (J. Hugh Sullivan)
wrote:


Also I've about decided to quit collecting booklet stamps so, does one
spend a lot of time trying to find a single to fill a spot in a
commercial supplement? And how does one get a single stamp from a coil
of 10,000?

This is where a stamp dealer can help. Yes, you pay more -
but then the dealer has to buy the whole coil.


I think what I'm really saying is that the USPS has taken a lot of the
fun in philately and turned it into work. "Course that's just one
person's opinion...
Hugh

This is why I quit buying US stamps some years back.
Topicals and covers can be collected any way you wish.

Blair



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