50 years of collecting stamps

[Slingshot]

I have been collecting stamps for 50 years now. It began as a fun activity with a Majestic stamp album, gathering stamps from old letters, soaking them, and trading my duplicates for stamps I needed. In several years I had the US "complete", or at least I thought I did untill another collector patiently explained perforation, engraving, and watermark varieties to me. I upgraded to a Minkus album, and went through the mint stamp phase, then lost interest after about 20 years of active collecting and sold everything. It had ceased to be fun, and had become an investment activity, and was more like work.
A few years later I realized I had been accumulating interesting stamps I had taken from covers, and I began collecting again. This time I am doing it for fun, and really enjoy the hobby again.
In US stamps I collect SOTN's - Socked on the nose - cancelled stamps, which have the date and location circle cancel on the stamp itself. These are a bit unusual, and can be difficult to find, which makes the thrill of the chase very enjoyable, and they only cost a few cents at most when I do locate them.
In foreign I collect worldwide from 1840 - 1930. Why? Because I acquired an old Scotts International album from 1930 inexpensively, and the stamps are not hard to find, nor for the most part expensive either and it's fun to collect old stamps from all over the globe.
I also collect the Canadian Centennial issues, including interesting varieties, and SOTN's. The British Machin issues of Queen Elizabeth, which are an entire hobby in themselves. Then I collect France, Germany, Holland, and Belgium - just whatever tickles my fancy.
How about you - what do you collect?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[hombre_de_plata_flaco]

In foreign I collect worldwide from 1840 - 1930. Why? Because I acquired an old Scotts International album from 1930 inexpensively, and the stamps are not hard to find, nor for the most part expensive either and it's fun to collect old stamps from all over the globe.

You didn't buy that album recently at a McDonalds off of Friendship road by any chance, did you?

 

[Slingshot]

No, I didn't get it from a McDonalds on Friendship road. Did you sell one there?

 

[hombre_de_plata_flaco]

No, I didn't get it from a McDonalds on Friendship road. Did you sell one there?

Yeah... I thought you might have been the guy lol!

 

[Slingshot]

Hey Hoss;
Thanks for sharing! It looks like you have an interesting collection, but most importantly you are having fun collecting stamps! Keep up the good work.

 

[leslie(nova scotia)]

From the land of the Bluenose.....good read me bouy. Collector here for 49 years.....great winter hobby for me.

 

[abbynormal]

I collect Great Britain, Commonwealth, and Dominions. Have been collecting for 35 years. Have had various albums, but the only ones I've stuck with have been my Gibbons GeoSix album and my own printouts from stampalbums.com. Also have some very simple hand-made ones, pretty much just stamps on Harco quadrilled pages in order by years of issue.

 

[Dozer D]

When I was a young boy (8-10 yr) [now 66], my sister's boyfriend at the time got me interested in US& foreign stamp collecting. I enjoyed for some time, until I too lost interest after a while. At around 1961 I started coin collecting, and have done so since then. However I still have the stamp collection (Scott's 2-binder blue albums), have not touched it in decades. I guess it's time to clear the cobb webs off and see exactly what I have so as to leave my heirs something of value, I hope. I hope one of my young 12 grandchildren might get involved in stamps, if so they will have a big head start in a hobby that is very time consuming.

 

[Mackaydon]

In the 50s I collected heavily; 50 years later I found a shoebox of singles, sets, blocks, etc. that I had never placed in albums. I chose not to go through that drill -so donated the stamps to the local counselor for the Boy Scout Stamp Collecting Merit Badge. That gave me great pleasure and I never thought twice about what I may have just given away.
Don.....