With or without postal cancellation?

For me the collecting bug means “hunt” “search” chase” and the thrill is finding the elusive in the dross.

That means the nice used specimens SON, clear date, or slogan complete on piece or cover. Wavy lines, messy cancel , unreadable date are easy and never a challenge.

Collecting mint from a philatelic bureau or as a set from a dealer is too easy, and requires little effort .....no thrill of the hunt and no triumph in the find!

I actually prefer used over mint, though I have both in my collection. I look on every used stamp as having a story to tell. Sometimes it’s clear what that story is, but often it’s more of a mystery. I love clear interesting cancels, but rarely find them these days.

I have always, and always will, prefer a used stamp over a Mint stamp. A used stamp has done it's job, where as, a mint stamp is like that lazy cousin we all have, that has never done a days work, he just lays around, and looks good. I understand that some mint stamps are harder to find, especially the classics. But, in some cases, the used stamps are even harder to find than mint ones, and are worth much more.

Everyone has their own idea of what a nice stamp is, whether it is a perfectly centered, mint, with full gum, US #1 stamp, or last years Forever Flag stamp, with a smeared, wavy line cancel. It doesn't really matter which stamps you collect, mint or used, just as long as you collect stamps. You have to collect what you like and can afford, not what anyone tells you that you should collect.

Everyone also has their own way or collecting, sorting, and displaying their own stamp collection. Some people have to have every stamp perfectly mounted, in store bought stamp album, trying to fill every space with a stamp, so the pages look complete. There are people who just keep all their stamps in stock books, so their collection can be fluid, and can be changed any time they get a new stamp. Personally, I have some books with stamps hinged to pages, I have some hingleless albums full of mint stamps, hingeless albums full of used stamps, and I have some albums that are just Vario pages, laid out to look good, the way I like them. But most of all I have envelopes, stock books, and boxes full of stamps. Some that I have to sort through, and some that are just extras, but they are all "MY" stamps.

Collecting stamps is not like collecting other things, it isn't always about how much something is worth, or how much you can sell it for. To a comic book collector, a perfect looking, unread comic, is always what they want, no matter who you are. But to a stamp collector, the old used stamp may be more desirable than the perfect mint stamp. To most stamp collectors it is about the chase, finding that elusive stamp, the one that no one else can find, but you are determined to find it, for as cheap as possible, but in as good of condition as possible. We all have that "Holy Grail" stamp, you all know what I am talking about. That one stamp you have always wanted to find. You know it is out there, it calls your name every time you start looking for stamps, but you just can't hear which direction it is calling to you from. You know that you just have to find it some day, and be able to afford it. LOL.

The camaraderie that comes with collecting stamps, and engaging with other stamp collectors, is what it is all about. This Forum is what has made collecting stamps fun for me again. I have no stamp shows to go to anywhere near me, I have no stamps shop anywhere near me, I don't even know one stamp collector that lives near me, so all I have is the internet. I can buy stamps anywhere online, but I can't find knowledgeable people, who are nice, and helpful just anywhere, but we have all found that here, in this forum.

So, whether you collect mint or used stamps doesn't really matter, just so long as you enjoy collecting stamps. Collect what you like, whether it be mint or used, but never let anyone else tell you what you should collect, because there is no "Should Collect", just "COLLECT".

I hope everyone has a great day today.

Mike.

I recently purchased a stamp online that was mailed to me, and as most suppliers do that I'm finding. He had mailed it with a stamp but he had sent it to the wrong address. Thankfully the address he sent it to was non-existent so it was sent back to him. He then placed the envelope with the stamp in a new envelope, along with some extra stamps as an apology, and mailed it to me with the proper address. I had removed the stamp from the envelope not realizing that sometimes the canceled mark on the paper could be important. I read into this after the fact. The cancellation Mark was clear and the stamp for return to sender was also extremely clear. Was that a huge mistake on my part or not a big deal? It was a stamp from this year.

Now that I find modern stamps are either not cancelled or are defaced with a marker, I pay more attention to postmarks. I do my best to save those that interest me or I save for a friend who enjoys sorting through postmarks.  I collect both used and mint as my budget allows but I have limited space so I must be selective. I do pay more attention to pre 1950 marks.

David