I have just joined, having been a visitor for a while. This seems like a friendly and well-informed discussion forum.
I have collected since I was seven or eight years old and am now 'retired'. I collected the whole world, but in my teens I specialised in British Commonwealth, though never having anything especially valuable - though all stamps, however 'common' were of interest to me. I kept the collection up rather erratically until retirement, when I have spent more time on it. I have returned to a whole-world collection and have been completely reorganising the collection onto a geographical basis, region by region. I would, ideally, like to attain a reasonable sample of stamps from every stamp-issuing country (I am not a completest or purist). I particularly collect up to 1970 and am very much more selective after that date, collecting mainly what takes my interest - or what I just happen to acquire.
I am fascinated by almost all stamps, except disney, sport, most Christmas, and the extremely obvious 'wallpaper' issues. I accummulate a lot of Cindetella and other 'back of the book' items, which I try to position alongside the postal issues as appropriate.
I have nothing of great financial value and often remark that the mounts and albums are worth more than the stamps they contain. However, they are of great value to me as objects of inteterest. I go along with the philosophy that Hunter Davies set out in his book The Joy of Stamps.
I heartily concur with your thoughts about the relative value of stamps and albums. However as a typically tightfisted Yorkshireman I go further. I collect on 4-ring leaves and find that Commercial sample binders are cheaper than album binders!
Q. Why is a 50pence piece the shape it is ( to our overseas visitors it is seven sided).
A. So you can screw it out of a Yorkshireman's hand with a spanner ( wrench?).
Malcolm
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