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Post by ronbreznay on Jun 1, 2018 22:10:26 GMT
My name is Ron Breznay and I live near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I started collecting stamps in 1965, when I was 10. I took two lengthy breaks from collecting and got back into active participation about four years ago.
I have a worldwide collection, but I concentrate on classic U.S., U.S. possessions, Confederate States, classic Canada and provinces, local postal history (Wyoming Valley, Pa.), and a hometown collection (Wilkes-Barre). Also, I am developing a topical collection of horror on stamps.
My albums include Scott National, Scott U.S. Possessions, Kimbrough/Bush Confederate States, Scott Canada, and Harris Standard. I have a binder with stock pages for my local postal history/hometown collection, and one for my horror topical collection.
I joined the APS in 1988 (#151410). I live about a two-hour drive from APS headquarters in Bellefonte, and I’ve been out there several times. It’s a great place to visit.
I am also a member of the APRL, APS Writers Unit #30, U.S. Stamp Society, U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, Confederate Stamp Alliance, and Pennsylvania Postal History Society.
Almost three years ago, I organized a local stamp club, the Wyoming Valley Stamp Club. We have about two dozen members and meet twice a month. I am the president of the club and the editor of its newsletter, The Magnifying Glass. The club is an APS Chapter and a member of the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies.
My second lengthy break from stamp collecting happened because I was heavily involved in writing in the horror field. Since I got back into stamp collecting, my writing efforts turned to philately. In the past three years, I’ve had several articles published, including three in American Philatelist.
I haven’t been to very many stamp shows. I went to the APS Stampshow in Philadelphia in 1991 and in Richmond last year, and to World Stamp Show—NY 2016 twice (a day-trip each time). I also went to two smaller shows last year: SCOPEX and UNExpo, both of which were at the APS. I plan on going to SCOPEX later this month.
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zipper
Member 
Posts: 2,649
What I collect: Classic GB, QV, France Ceres/Napoleon, Classic U.S., Cinderella & Poster Stamps
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Post by zipper on Jun 1, 2018 22:31:48 GMT
Welcome to the World's Greatest stamp forum.
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tomiseksj
Moderator 
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,269 
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 Jun 1, 2018 23:47:37 GMT
Welcome, Ron! I'm glad you decided to join us and look forward to learning more about your collecting interests. For those who have enjoyed our National Air Mail Week thread, I recommend that you read Ron's informative article on the subject in the May 2018 issue of The American Philatelist. |
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Post by dgdecker on Jun 2, 2018 3:22:50 GMT
Ron,
welcome to the Forum. Looking forward to discovering more of your writing. Hope we can see a few of your favourites from your collection.
david
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dorincard
Member
Posts: 1,453
What I collect: My focus is on Wild Mammals on maximum cards. Occasionally, I get or create maximum cards with other animals, or any other topic.
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Post by dorincard on Jun 2, 2018 5:25:39 GMT
Welcome!
Being interested in horror stories, you must be already aware that the real Prince Vlad Dracula was much tougher than the fictional vampire Count Dracula...
Also, you already know that Transylvania is a real place, about a third of a certain country. I should know, too...😉
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,659
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Jun 2, 2018 6:15:29 GMT
Welcome to TSF, Ron! Please allow me to congratulate you on your philatelic writing and for your other activities to support our hobby. I read the article which Steve ( tomiseksj) mentions, and I enjoyed it very much--thank you! I am a worldwide classics collector, but it sounds like our interests are in fairly close alignment. I like to use the term "worldwide" to justify going off on tangents into virtually any area I choose, but at the same time I recognize that I have my particular favorites like classic U.S., Canada and Provinces, etc. By the way, I envy your living driving-distance from the APS HQ. It is, indeed, a great place to visit. When I lived in Ohio for 3 years, I managed to get there about once a year during that time, and I loved it. I ended up getting a pile of great stamps, and met lots of very nice, helpful staffers, too. Anyway, I hope to see some posts of your favorite material, and maybe even an article for the TSF Newsletter at some point! Welcome again, and enjoy your time with us! |
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Post by ronbreznay on Jun 2, 2018 15:12:37 GMT
Beryllium Guy, I much prefer worldwide stamps from the classic era. I've been thinking of getting the Scott International album for 1840-1940. Besides liking those older stamps better, I have no desire to try to keep up with all the new worldwide issues of recent decades.
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Post by 1840to1940 on Jun 2, 2018 15:26:24 GMT
ronbreznay, welcome. The Scott International has a lot of problems, but it is still my worldwide album of choice. Filling the Volume One is a lot easier now than it used to be, starting with Jim's checklist and blog (jkblue).
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bobby1948
Departed
Rest in Peace
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Sir Edmund Burke
Posts: 690
What I collect: WW to 1945; US mnh 1922-1990; US used and unused to 1922
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Post by bobby1948 on Jun 2, 2018 16:26:48 GMT
Welcome, Ron.  |
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,659
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Jun 2, 2018 16:36:34 GMT
Beryllium Guy, I much prefer worldwide stamps from the classic era. I've been thinking of getting the Scott International album for 1840-1940. Besides liking those older stamps better, I have no desire to try to keep up with all the new worldwide issues of recent decades. My feelings exactly, Ron! At one time, I used to collect WW from all eras, and I just became overwhelmed with all the new issues. So, I sold off all of my post-1940 material to a dealer, and became a classics collector. I also agree with 1840to1940 that despite its shortcomings, the Scott International Album, part 1, is still a pretty good way to go. I still have my "Big Blue" and put stamps in there, but my main WW collection is housed in a set of old brown-cover Scott International Albums which only cover up through 1929, hence my cut-off date of 1930. The key difference between these old brown-cover albums and the blue-cover ones, is that the brownies have spaces for all the stamps which were listed in the catalogues back at the time that they were printed. I liked that because I had complete sets of some stamps for which the blue-cover album just did not provide enough spaces, and I wanted to be able to put the complete set in the album. The downside, of course, is that my books have a lot of spaces for same design stamps with different watermarks, and some very high value stamps which I will never be able to afford. So, I prioritize and try to put my time and effort into the areas I enjoy most, but leaving open the option that if I can pick up some nice stamps from a "non-priority" country, I can do it knowing that there will be spaces in my albums for them. |
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Londonbus1
Moderator
Cinderella Stamp Club Member 3059
Posts: 4,884
What I collect: Cinderellas and some Ephemera from Great Britain, France and Israel plus a few beautiful bits from elsewhere !! Topical interests include Flags & Judaica, the latter with an emphasis on the Jewish National Fund.
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Post by Londonbus1 on Jun 3, 2018 19:27:42 GMT
Welcome Ron,  Have a great and Gou-ou-lish time on our Forum !! Londonbus1 |
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Post by ronbreznay on Jun 5, 2018 12:57:07 GMT
Check out the Wyoming Valley Stamp Club's Facebook group page. I posted info about TSF there.
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tomiseksj
Moderator
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,269
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 Jun 5, 2018 13:14:42 GMT
Thanks, Ron! This link should take members directly to that post. In case you haven't already stumbled across it, we have a board where members can create a thread to advertise their stamp club. EDIT: Apparently one can only see the Facebook page if they have an account with Facebook and are signed in -- below is a screenshot of the post. |
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