vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Mar 18, 2022 20:20:31 GMT
It has always amused me on this forum and on others similar, to see a relatively common mid 20th century stamp from 1940 described as “classic”.
Several threads are titled “classic …….1840-1940”. Is that due to the over riding influence of that cut off point in the specialised Scott catalogues on the North American psyche?
Here in Europe where Scott has much less currency than in the Americas, there is less significance in the 1940 date,…though it is the first 100 years of stamps, and so my concept of “Classic” is much earlier than 1940, in fact it is largely confined to the 19th century issues
It must to do with my age, since I was conceived in 1940, if not actually arrived on this planet until 1941.. so does that make me a “classic”?
I remember the GB stamps of George VI 1937-1952, but as they were the first stamps I collected I have never regarded them as “classic” and would never have considered them as such.
My mental cut off point of the classic era is around 1914-1918. Just over 100 years ago. Though I probably have to concede that the 1935 George V jubilees with Windsor castle have a classic design, or do I mean “iconic” ? (another overworked adjective these days)
so I have been wondering what really makes a stamp classic? In Antiques when does Retro (1970s)segue into Vintage (1930s)and further to Antique. (Pre 1920)
Is it simply age or are there modern stamps which have a classic design?
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hdm1950
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Posts: 1,887 
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Mar 18, 2022 20:58:14 GMT
I tend to agree that pre 1920 is the true classic period. When it comes to what is 'iconic' I find it varies between generations and regions. For me the Canada .50 Bluenose stamp is iconic. The Great Britain penny black is both a classic and iconic.
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stainlessb
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qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
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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 Mar 18, 2022 21:06:56 GMT
Although most headings I see regarding "Classic" stamps has the 1940 cut-off I have often thought that either WWI (and then we have to decide beginning or end...) or maybe push the 1940 envelope to the end of WWII. When I was much younger, "classic" cars were generally 40 years or older, which would now mean cars from the 80's would fall into this category... which doesn't seem all that classic, though cars such as the 56 /57 Chevy, first Corvettes and Mustangs are now considered classics, my first car (1968) was a 1958 Chevy Nomad, now a classic... then it was just a used car. I remember a friend of mine's grandparents commenting about all this interest in 'antique furnature" which they thought rather amusing, as to them it was just old/second-hand furniture. And yes vikingeck , you are a classic my friend!!!! |
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brightonpete
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Post by brightonpete on Mar 18, 2022 23:55:47 GMT
I have always looked at pre-Elizabethan as Classic, at least for Canada. Stamps, mainly definitives took on a different path with QEII. The stamps strayed from mostly engraved to all other types of processes, and the definitives became a jumbled mess.
There are modern classic "looking" stamps, but hardly classifiable as classic.
In my idea of what a Classic is, you are definitely a "Classic", vikingeck !
Peter
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cursus
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Posts: 2,011
What I collect: Catalan Cinderellas. Used Switzerland, UK, Scandinavia, Germany & Austria. Postal History of Barcelona & Estonia. Catalonia pictorial postmarks.
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Post by cursus on Mar 19, 2022 8:15:28 GMT
Being from Europe, and very "European minded", I tend to agree with Alec, but placing the limit on 1900. After that, and up to 1940, I call the stamps "semi-classics" and later issues, just"Modern". Although, I've seen some "Modern Philately" exhibitions placing the range as such on 1970 and beyon.
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hrdoktorx
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What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on Mar 19, 2022 8:54:21 GMT
In France, I have found that "classics", depending on the context, refers to either pre-1900 or pre-1940 stamps. And semi-classics to the period up to 1960. But I guess this is all a matter of taste.
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Beryllium Guy
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 19, 2022 10:39:24 GMT
It has always amused me on this forum and on others similar, to see a relatively common mid 20th century stamp from 1940 described as “classic”. Several threads are titled “classic …….1840-1940”. Is that due to the over riding influence of that cut off point in the specialised Scott catalogues on the North American psyche? so I have been wondering what really makes a stamp classic? In Antiques when does Retro (1970s) segue into Vintage (1930s) and further to Antique. (Pre 1920) Is it simply age or are there modern stamps which have a classic design? Thanks for your post, Alex. I suppose I should respond to this on some level, since I know I have started more than one thread that uses the term "classic" in its title. Well, I am not sure about the "overriding influence" of Scott Catalogues on my psyche (!), but I will admit that I grew up in the hobby using the Scott publications, and I still use them today. Thanks to TSF, whose members have clearly broadened my philatelic perspectives, I now use other catalogues, too. And despite its drawbacks, as a collector of pre-1930 WW stamps, I do find the Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue to be a rather handy, compact reference for my collecting era of interest. Two or three years ago, a thread was started on this same subject to collect opinions on what the term "classic" means to different collectors. I have generally used it describe pre-1940 stamps, but I can certainly understand and accept that others may see it differently. I suppose for me, it is quick way to indicate in a thread title that the content will be about older material rather than more modern stuff. Perhaps it is redundant to use "classic" and "1840-1940" in the title, and the word "classic" could simply be removed. All of that said, I am glad, at least, that you find all this amusing rather than irritating!  |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Mar 19, 2022 11:12:21 GMT
As I get older my perspective changes I guess, policemen look younger and my doctor looks like she should still be in High school.
At 30 , 60years seemed elderly , at 60, 80 was old , and now at 80 I guess I have to admit it ,😟
How often have we been approached with an enquiry about a stamp with the comment……”it is very old , it must be valuable”. ( like a 3c eagle definitive from 1945! or a George VI. 2d orange ,or a Franco definitive from Spain etc etc)
Age is relative . To a European where 17th centuries buildings are all around us , pre 1900 architecture is mundane . I recall attending a concert of Mozart music in a hall in Vienna with a young friend from Indiana whose comment was “ I have just sat on a chair that is older than me, in a hall older than my home town , on a street older than my State, listening to a violin that is older than my country”
I guess “classic” is a bit like that …. as with all collecting there is no hard and fast rule ….no right or wrong , it is whatever you decide , but whatever the cut off point , the older it is , the more classic it becomes !
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salentin
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collecting Germany,where I live and about 20 more countries,half of them in Asia east of the Indus
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Post by salentin on Mar 19, 2022 11:37:51 GMT
The cut point for my little worldwide collection of classic stamps is 1870.There are exceptions,like Japan (1875) or US (bank notes) and all stamps what were issued later than 1870,but were produced in the same design as earliar ones. Semi-classic ends (for me) with WW I.In any case,it is a question of personal choice.
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Admin
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Post by Admin on Mar 19, 2022 11:45:07 GMT
Some might find this article from the U.S. National Postal Museum interesting. It breaks the 1847-present timeframe into three periods: Classic (1847-1893), Bureau (1894-1939) and Modern (1940-present). |
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docphgeek
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What I collect: PNCs, US-Definitives, Machins, BOB, Israel, Engraved
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Post by docphgeek on Mar 19, 2022 12:23:31 GMT
I like using the 1840-1940 time frame. I guess its just a personal thing, but it is the first century of postage stamps and after 1940 stamps seem to change a lot. New printing methods become more dominate, and the look and feel (subject matter) all seem to change. There also seems to be an explosion of issues after WWII.
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kasvik
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What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Mar 19, 2022 20:54:36 GMT
Nah, I don’t get it. The Scott line of 1940 is meaningful; roughly when post offices opened the commemorative flood gates. It fits. Facit catalogues use it, too. But it’s so arbitrary. At least we can agree when Scott makes Alex vikingeck a classic.
Classic to me suggests a standard for permanent comparison, a complete period, before rapid development of alternatives. In music the classic period ends with the Romantic movement in the 1820s.
With stamp design that gets us to the early 1900s, when limited Nineteenth Century possibilities gave way to radical designs, seemingly everywhere. So I overlap with Haimann and Saadi even if I don’t get their logic. My road forks when suddenly every post office is having great fun banging out stuff. Like the Austrians going crazy with decoration and the Danes doing the exact opposite with the wavy lines, and pictorials everywhere will-nilly.That’s the end of stamp classism.
Franzl is impressive, radical (for the only time in his entire life), but a classic? Or am I just being pedantic?
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brightonpete
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Post by brightonpete on Mar 20, 2022 0:50:34 GMT
In the post war era, things changed. Canada ended up having low value definitives that looked the same, and medium-high values scattered about willy-nilly with no commonality between them. Then commemoratives started flowing out. The definitives for the War issue was the last of the defined definitives, until the Centennial's.
Now it is heaps of Far and Wide self-adhesives! At least that has stopped for now.
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angore
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What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Mar 20, 2022 10:27:31 GMT
I see the 1940 cut-off as a statement of the beginning of World War II since the aftermath led to a significant change in colonialism. The term classic will never get universal agreement.
Then you get clever people with terms like early classics and modern classics.
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