U.S. Commemoratives -Post 1940

A.A.A. Issue

50th Anniversary of the Formation of the American Automobile Association

1952,Mar.4 - Scott # 1007

Lafayette Issue

175th anniversary of the arrival of Marquis de Lafayette in America.

1952,June 13 - Scott # 1010

Newspaper Boys Issue

1952,Oct 4 - Scott 1015

National Guard Issue

1953,Feb.23 - Scott 1017

Louisiana Purchase,150th Anniversary.

1953,Apr .30 - Scott # 1020

American Bar Association 75th Anniversary.

1953,Aug.24 - Scott # 1022

Beautiful scans, Bombadil!  The post 1940 commemoratives of the USA are greatly underappreciated; I guess because they were printed in such vast quantities and are so common. 

Bumping this thread to indicate that the preceding post has just been moved here from the "Peace" thread.

I would not say the stamps of the postwar era to the late-80s are worthless (not that it matters when collecting to worry about financial return decades down the road from the initial cost to buy the stamps, once you factor in the years of enjoyment you have from owning the stamps). Too many collectors seem too hung up on the financial aspect and discount the value of the mental benefit of being able to partake in a hobby that can provide not only an escape from the pressures of modern life for years to come, but also increase ones knowledge of the world around them.

Re contemporary stamps, especially those issued after the switch to forever stamps, they indeed will be much harder to fill gaps for in collections for future generations, since they always retain validity to pay first class, and what little extra might have been put away can easily be used for postage. Because so many older collectors did get " burned" socking away new issues in the 1950s-1980s era, once postal rates starting in the early-90s became something more than pocket change fewer collectors and dealers put extra aside, so that now newer collectors wanting to fill the gaps on this material are going to find some items that indeed have a good amount of premium over face value. I know when I returned to active collecting in the mid-2010s after about a decade away, trying to fill the gaps post-2001 took several years due to cost and availability, and I still have a few gaps remaining

As someone on another forum often says, most countries stamp issues after 2000 are "liquid gold" retail wise and, for the most part do not sell at fractions of face because supplies in the marketplace are much more limited. Exceptions would be pre-Euro stamps from European countries that demoetized pre-euro stamps, like Germany and Netherlands. Those are now strictly for the collectible market. UK Machines definitives are also likely to end up like this now that Royal Mail demonetized all non-barcoded ones.

djcmh

agree with both of  opinions given -  but when you collect a certain species (Country), you collect !! I rarely will do it based on CV unless it is a negative (which is rare) factor to having a "full" classic group (Country) but it it is still fun to have "holes" and being able now/future.....to add them.....

Collecting has nothing with "financials" - it is a different sport, unless your budget permits to have them all 

It will always remain a choice !

René