Hello forum, newbie just purchased a kenmore worldwide album to introduce myself to stamp collecting and have a question. Are the bulk stamp stamp collections that kenmore and mystic sell worth my time or do you have any other suggestions on similar bulk stamps from other vendors? The reason world collecting interest me is due to my other hobby ham radio and making contacts all around the world. I'm not so much interested in the value of a collection but the learning about a country while organizing and placing stamps in a album.
Hi Smiggy,
I have never got into bulk purchases like you are suggesting, but I would ask, what countries are catching your attention at the moment? Go with what is interesting to you and catching your attention. You will find that this moves around a lot, but over time it will settle down and you'll discover what areas/countries you want to dig further into.
If you want to amass the greatest number of stamps quickly and cheaply, buy used albums from dealers; that's a great way to start AND it gives you album pages on which to house more. You'll find you can do that once or twice per country, after which you are buying the same stamps over and over. That's the reason that albums are better than kiloware, at least initially, because kiloware tends to be high on duplication. Later, you use more highly refined kiloware (Estonia from 1993 on, for instance) to supplement things.
Don't be afraid to aks your ham acquaintances to save stamps for you AND ask if they or their friends collect. I'd wager that the two groups have decent overlap, far more than say philatelists and Formula 1 drivers.
Join a club.
Ask us to put up accumulations of X or Y.... most of us will jump at chance to find home for our dupes.
David
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
" I'm not so much interested in the value of a collection but the learning about a country while organizing and placing stamps in a album. "
In my opinion, one of the best ways to accomplish your goal is to buy packets for a few cents (or less) per stamp. This is the classic way (i.e. when us old-timers were kids) of beginning a stamp collection.
This will expose you to the stamps of the countries that interest you, in chunks that are manageable and won't swamp your interest. You will spend a few dollars per country. You won't be buying an asset -- the stamps you get will all be the commonest for the country -- but you will be buying hours of enjoyment doing exactly what you say you want to achieve. You will also learn about stamp collecting from the ground up.
A selection of 100 or 200 different of a country will get you started.
I would start right here on Stamporama, and ask members to send you (by private message) priced offers of country packets. Stay with the relatively small packets, because too many stamps to mount can quickly become a chore and burn out your enthusiasm.
I will start you off. I have several packets of 100 different Malta (made up in Malta -- lovely stuff). I will send you one free if you send me your mailing address. (for any other members reading this, you can have one for $3 postpaid in US/Canada or $4 international - send private message only please.)
And yes, for this purpose, you can safely stay away from the big companies and make your money go much further by finding a few small suppliers whose packets you have "tested" and found you like from a condition and price standpoint.
Roy
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