cjoprey
Member 
Scanning stamps for my website...
Posts: 1,443
What I collect: Belgium (predominantly), British Commonwealth (older ones), WW (whatever comes my way...)
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Post by cjoprey on Apr 11, 2020 21:02:47 GMT
There are many ways of categorising your stamps - gum quality, cancellation quality and centering, print centering, perforation quality, borders, print errors, colour variations, paper variations, etc... I'd love to hear how others categorise their stamps. For myself - I follow a fairly simple guideline: - I always look for well-centered stamps with nice borders - I classify the stamps as "mint unhinged", "mint hinged", "used" or "CTO" - When used, I try to find the clearest, most legible cancel - I like stamps the have clear perforations - If I have nice strips or blocks, I usually keep these as well as single stamps... A couple of questions of the back of this: - How do you categorise a stamp with no cancellation, but also no gum? (I say "used" but do wonder if it should be a separate class of "mint, no gum"). - Do you keep both mint and used copies of a stamp? I do, but only for Belgium (as my major collection interest). - Blocks and strips - I've read that horizontal pairs and vertical pairs are considered of different value, as are 2x2 blocks... What about sheets, or larger strips / blocks? Looking forward to reading what others do and think! (I suspect we have as many variations as members!!!  ) |
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anglobob
Member
Posts: 2,425
What I collect: France and French Colonies,French cinderellas British Commonwealth QE2
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Post by anglobob on Apr 11, 2020 22:58:08 GMT
In my French colonies collection,I have both mint and used.All of the omnibus series,from 1930 to 1956,with one exception,are mint never hinged.The one exception has all hinges removed and you can barely see where they were hinged.My main interest now is in used copies.I always look for good centering with a nice cancelation and no missing perforations.
I also look for strips or pairs and blocks,especially with good ,clear cancellations.I also look for interesting or unusual postmarks,where sometimes the condition or appearance of the stamp is not as important.
Anglobob
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Apr 11, 2020 23:00:15 GMT
I haven't really spent much time (or put much thought into it) as far as the stamps I have, especially I am just beginning to place the "keepers" on pages. Mint stamps are nice, but I really nice clear canceled stamp tells a better story. from the perspective of selling/describing for a trade-
mint never hinged, mint hinged, mint/unused- no gum ( I had quite a few 'bricks" of stamps that had found enough moisture to glue everything inside the glassine firmly together, and many were 'formally' mint H and NH)... Then there are stamps that have been postally used , but missed the postmasters wrist.... so same as a soaked mint, so unused/no gum is probably the best category for any that appear uncanceled, but have no gum. Used stamps, I look for four sound edges/perfs. I have started pulling all stamps with missing corners, scissor trims, obvious trims , unless a valuable stamp or the only example I have, go in a pile that is for my wife's artistic decoupage moments (and I moved many many penny reds, rather than send them back out into the community.
It was hard to do, but i know the annoyance of buying a study lot and a good percentage have flaws.
CTO's haven't thought much about as I cut off in most country's before they become prevalent, and pre-cancels I look at something still aimed for postal use, whereas (my understanding) was a means of selling to collectors, but keeping them from being used for mail.
Often I will keep a mint stamp with used stamps, or (plans) place canceled copies on a separate page, ket for the cancellation.
pairs, strips, blocks... i have quite a few and really haven't thought that out, likely another pager just for them. As I collect shades/nuances, this is a good opportunity to show a mint stamp or two alongside cancelled stamps.
And value i have not really considered, though like anyone it is a delight to come across a a higher value stamp! I keep hoping one of my Grandkids will take an interest.... but no luck yet
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Post by smauggie on Apr 11, 2020 23:05:40 GMT
A couple of questions of the back of this: 1- How do you categorise a stamp with no cancellation, but also no gum? (I say "used" but do wonder if it should be a separate class of "mint, no gum"). 2- Do you keep both mint and used copies of a stamp? I do, but only for Belgium (as my major collection interest). 3- Blocks and strips - I've read that horizontal pairs and vertical pairs are considered of different value, as are 2x2 blocks... What about sheets, or larger strips / blocks? Looking forward to reading what others do and think! (I suspect we have as many variations as members!!! ) 1 - Normally I don't call them anything as I do not keep any such stamps in my collection. 2 - I do not collect both mnt and used. In some cases I focus only on used. In others I will collect a mint stamp if it is pretty. 3 - For the most part catalogs do not value multiples, though there are exceptions. to that rule. I will pay whatever I think they are worth if I am looking for a block/strip/sheet. |
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blaamand
Member
Currently creating custom pages until 1940.
Posts: 1,459 
What I collect: Worldwide - Stamps and Postmarks - not enough time...
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Post by blaamand on Apr 12, 2020 11:35:34 GMT
Nice thread cjoprey . I use the categorizations already suggested, however with the addition of the category 'Lux'. This is my favorite condition, and refers to a very fine used stamp with legible SOTN postmark or even a sharp 'killer' cancellation. Perfect centering is not very important to me, fresh colors, paper and attractive postmarks is of more priority when I choose which stamp to keep. But I tend to find it more and more difficult to decide and select which copy to keep in my album - it's often a matter of wanting to keep several, like a bigamist  - CTO's? I avoid them, and only keep them unless impossible to find a postally used or unused stamp. I'll rather have a beaten up postally used than an otherwise perfect CTO. I collect both used and mint, but don't have a separate storing solution for both - I just stack them overlapping in my album, normally with used at front if the cancellation is ok. - Blocks and strips? I have a separate collection of blocks of 4 because I simply love the appearance of those, had about 2000 different blocks of 4 at last count. Keeping larger multiples as well if somehow out of the ordinary. For smaller multiples, pairs etc I normally don't collect them, unless for classics or less common stamps. |
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,346
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Apr 12, 2020 11:41:28 GMT
For my worldwide, I generally just have 3 categories: Mint NH, Mint Hinged, Used. There is no assessment for heavy or lightly hinged, cancellation, or even centering. I inventory everything in Stamp Manage and use VF even when not VF. If I really run across a filler, I may mark it VG but use a simplified approach. Most of my purchases are collections so condition is always mixed but prefer Mint hinged. I do not have a problem with some CTO but do not seek them.
I do not proactively collect sheets, blocks of 4, etc, unless it was as assigned a major catalog for it like many souvenir sheets, I collect based upon Steiner pages (generally organized by Scott) The odd size stuff goes into a separate binder.
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