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Post by europe1840 on Dec 31, 2013 3:51:30 GMT
I returned to stamp collecting a year ago after a hiatus of about 30 years. Jim's Big Blue site, Keijo's Stamp Collecting Blog and this forum have been inspirational as have Mitchell's posts and awesome web-based collection. I collect France in depth and primarily Europe 1840-1940 though my interests also extend to the US, Canada, Japan and China. Working my way from the North of Europe to the South--The world awaits after I consolidate this foundation in the next 5 to 10 years. With a nod to both Jim and Keijo, I use stock books to house my collection with "Steiner" labels, cut and pasted from this remarkable collecting resource. I have to admit that I also derive enormous pleasure from perusing the hinged stamps in my three "feeder" albums. What I like about this forum and the aforementioned sites is hearing the collector's voice: the knowledge about the stamps of course but also discussion of the material challenges and logistics of this curious endeavor. I know that I will continue reading the forums and hope as well to have time to contribute to discussions from time to time.
Frank
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Post by jkjblue on Dec 31, 2013 4:02:45 GMT
Welcome Frank- a fellow WW classical collector with a focus on Europe.  Let the discussion begin.  |
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rod222
Member 
Posts: 11,057 
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Dec 31, 2013 4:05:28 GMT
"though my interests also extend to the US, Canada, Japan and China. C'mon Frank, fess up, you are a closet worldwide collector, now arn't you  Welcome, hope you enjoy your stay, you should be able to get most things here.  |
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firstfrog2013
Member
Posts: 3,276
What I collect: BNA Liberia St Pierre U.S. Bolivia Turkey
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Post by firstfrog2013 on Dec 31, 2013 4:25:43 GMT
welcome to the playground.Quite a break to take.Hope we can support you with knowledge and friendship.
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Post by jamesw on Dec 31, 2013 4:28:25 GMT
Welcome Frank! I too returned to the fold just 3.5 years ago after a hiatus of over 30 years. Trust me, this group will help make it fun!
OH, and be careful of that Rod guy. He's a bad (the good kind) influence! He'll talk you into all sorts (and I'm not talking licorice!)
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Zuzu
Member
Inactive
Self-Proclaimed Black Belt in Google Fu
Posts: 768 
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Post by Zuzu on Dec 31, 2013 5:33:09 GMT
It's great to have you here, Frank. |
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I.L.S.
Departed
Rest in Peace
I am in Clearfield, Pa. I love US Classic covers!
Posts: 2,113
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Post by I.L.S. on Dec 31, 2013 11:29:41 GMT
Welcome Frank! Glad to have you aboard! -Jeff
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tomiseksj
Moderator 
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,385
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Dec 31, 2013 14:23:37 GMT
Welcome to the forum, Frank! Like you, I was away for a few decades and have found that forums like this and the members that comprise them are a tremendous resource. I look forward to learning more about you and from you and seeing some of your collection.
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Post by 1840to1940 on Dec 31, 2013 16:01:01 GMT
Frank, you've chosen a great way to greet the new year. Always wonderful to have another Worldwide collector on board.
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Philatarium
Member
Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 1,032
What I collect: Primarily focused on Japan, but lots of other material catches my eye as well ...
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Post by Philatarium on Dec 31, 2013 17:07:50 GMT
Welcome, Frank! You've joined a nice group of people here!
Thanks to the resources you've mentioned, I've become a vicarious worldwide collector (even though I'm not one in actuality).
-- Dave
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Post by europe1840 on Dec 31, 2013 17:48:27 GMT
Well, thanks for the warm welcome. It may turn out that Rod is accurate in his assessment of my collecting interests, and I confess to being torn between the conflicting imperatives of horizontal coverage and vertical, in-depth exploration. Heck, one awesome collector who posts regularly to this forum wonders if he will even get around to "working on" his British empire collection/accumulation.
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antoniusra
Member
Inactive
Actively pursuing every stamp I do not have and continuing to expand my site.
Posts: 416
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Post by antoniusra on Jan 1, 2014 1:36:25 GMT
Frank, Welcome to the chat! It is good to see another WW collector getting back into the hobby. I would bet that most of us in our 50's and 60's will tell the same story about having a hiatus from collecting for a few decades.
Collecting the world or a large part of it can have it advantages. You say you are going to work North to South with Europe but, personally, I would do it a different way and not limit myself to a few countries. You never know what will come up from week to week on your choice of selling venues. If you are looking for something in particular you may have to wait a long time before it shows up and miss all the hot deals from countries you are not working on at present. I always have a few countries that I focus on more than the rest at any particular time but I still look at most of the other material from countries I collect. The way to do it without spending all your waking moments in searching is to have want lists for all of the countries you are collecting. Once you have these you can search very quickly and not miss the items you are likely to pay much more for in the future, when you are concentrating on a particular country. It takes along time to make the want lists up but since you are only collecting up to 1940, it should not take that long. Make want lists and search search search.
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Post by stoltzpup on Jan 1, 2014 3:12:13 GMT
Hi Frank. I'm glad you're aboard.
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ncbucki
Member
Inactive
Greetings to all! I really do like having individual forums based on global area. Many
Posts: 143
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Post by ncbucki on Jan 1, 2014 15:50:35 GMT
Welcome Frank! I look forward to hearing more from you about your collection and collecting. You will find this site to be a haven for philatelic knowledge, lore and wit!
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Admin
Administrator 
Posts: 2,676
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Post by Admin on Jan 2, 2014 1:51:45 GMT
Welcome Frank
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Post by europe1840 on Jan 2, 2014 19:26:59 GMT
Thanks for the three new "welcomes."
Mitchell: Sound recommendations all! The trick of course is not let the enthusiasm of the moment lead one to make a purchase falling completely outside one's collecting program, in my case, the in-depth part. Though I currently "only" collect 15-20 countries (notice the hesitation!), I hold onto all pre-1940/1950 stamps that cross my path. I enjoy this representative, horizontal coverage of world wide classic stamps as much as much as the core collection. (Currently searching for a 1997 Scott Int'l Part 1 to house this reference collection.) I do concur that purchasing individual stamps, even at auction prices of 6%-20%, is not the most cost effective way to build a collection.
I am still somewhat undecided on the respective virtues of a want list v. an inventory. Having read your remarks elsewhere on the mechanics of compiling a want list, I am thinking an annotated want list might be the way to go, noting stamps I need as well stamps that I would like to "improve" (for example, the heavily canceled stamp, the somewhat heavily canceled stamp,) Anyways... Thanks for your (and other forum member's) collections and prose.
Frank
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