New Experiences and Interesting Choices

A small update to my post here, i have i think extended my own collecting to around 2009 or so. I found some wonderful sets of stamps that I really like and wanted to add, including the wonderful annual sets of the Shikoku 88 Temples, from 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. I hope to collect them all but at this point have maybe 80% of the series. The stamps of the National Treasures and historic buildings are also of interest to me as are the sets of the Mountains, National Themes and such. I have to obtain the needed suppliments to my Scott Specialty Albums, as of now i have them up to around 1998 or so i think. anyway a lot to look forward to, work on other projects has me occupied but I was fortunate enough to find a very good Japanese dealer in good quality stamps, and has been a big help to my planning and selections. All the best to everyone happy April.



Chris

OK i need some advice from other collectors of stamps from Japan.

I see in more recent years a number of issues that are inside of a block, ie a series of unique stamps but locked up in a block> I am not sure if we can collect and save them as individual stamps as far as the Scott Albums are concerned. i know we can save anyting we like in stock sheets and blank pages but i like using the printed pages of Scott. So i am wondering if I need to widen my gals to focus on those special blocks as well, for there already so many issues for Japan in more recent years. I do not plan to go far beyond say 2012, tho i just did have to get some from 2020, that were too beautiful to pass up. So I am wondering about advice from others.

I managed to finally get the two older Scott Specialty square post books open and the pages adjusted, but still need to add pages from 1995 onwards, i see the sets are not cheap, so will go as far as 2012 at this point, and i suspect i wont be able to fit all of those pages into the two older albums i was able to purchase on auction. I did find a new binder with the square posts so i think i can fit all of the rest into that.

Then i can start adding the new purchase and finds, i will be using good quality covers, clear with no black backing...so it will take time, quite a lot of it to do well. I think i found some covers for the National CPark special sheets and other blocks, but will have to see it is hard to find large enough covers for the big special blocks. As i proceed i am learning what the sorts of issues are, national parks of course but then prefecture and flower series, special issues for national treaures, and structures like Castles and Temples, events, bridges, transport, and the like. I like anime and collect it so will try for those series back in the early 2000s. step by step. but advice on those block issues would be welcome.


Chris

thanks hdm1950 i would for sure do that if i had them but for some like the anime series, i can only at this time get the actual stamps not the complete cover sheet. So i guess i will have to wait until i can update my Scott Albums to see how Scott manages that in the images they print on the page, older ones they have the stamp by itself and then the Cover sheet but there are SO MANY newer cover sheets for Japan, whoever runs the stamp department has gone mad with huge issues I probably wont go much far into the 2000s because of that maybe to 2010. Sad because such nice stamps have come out along with the torrent of others. step by step byt thanks.. I love that image of the schooner on your avatar stamp hdm1950 . Very nice stamp.

Finally got the first two volumes of my albums set, had to get help from a very skillful friend of mine to get the Scott 2 Square Post books closed again once i had selected what pages to go in each, The first book has start to around 1968, and the second 1968 to 2004. The third is planned to go thru around 2015 I think, i am still looking for another older Scott 2 Square Post Specialty album to use that is in decent enough shape to take that final set of pages, it will be quite a stack. I do have one of the Binders that Scott makes now, i dont like much but at least it has the 2 square posts that are a lot more stable than the round ones. Stpe by step. And I ah having a little time from work and other things to finally start putting in the stamps i have been able to collect so far. Doing the early years first and it is a lot of fun to learn what the early issues looked like and to choose from a number of sets which are the best and most likely authentic.

Onwards.

I have managed to find a third Scott Old style Square post bound (Not a binder) Speciality Album. It contains a rather specific collection of Air Mail Stamps it appears from any and all co untries. I will sell or auction off those pages and be able to add my 2004 to 2011 Japan pages to complete my set of planned collectioons of Japan stamps. Was not easy to find a volume in good condition and I am very glad for I do not like the new binders that Scott sells at all. I am sure it is not easy to find a printer who can make the old style bound books anymore with the sad decline of the publishing industry due to digital media. But it will make a handsome book for me to work with. I am pretty firm in my choice of not going into more modern japanese stamps for they have gone rather wild with so many releases per year that it is just not feasible for me to try to collect everything up to 2022, and for that matter i dont like many of the new issues they are rather wild and odd, and not to my taste at all.

On with the journey.

Chris