General Philatelic/Gen. Discussion : This might help, it does with me!
Author
Postings
Harvey I think, therefore I am - I think! 09 May 2021 12:13:20pm
There are several areas I collect that, after my normal cut off of 1955, don't involve more than a couple hundred stamps. For example, Ireland, Australia, St. Pierre & Miquelon, North Borneo, etc. With these, and a few other areas, along with my want list, I go to my Scott's catalog and mark the stamps I have, or in some cases, don't have. I find it easier to use this as a reference when checking to see if I need a stamp I see on line - assuming, of course, that I keep everything up to date. I have bought stamps, forgot to mark them off, and re-bought the stamp. But if the stamp is expensive I always double check, when you collect as many areas as some of us do you can't always remember every stamp we have. In the series about the stamp collecting hit man by Lawrence Block, Keller carries a Scott's catalog with him to use as a want list. Does anyone else do this?
EDIT: For my major areas (Russia, Poland, US and Canada), when I get a chance, I'll probably just mark what I am missing. For Canada, if you eliminate the a's, b's, etc. I am only missing 11 stamps (2,3,5,8,9,10,13,16,31,32(!!),33) and only 5 of those (2,5,8,9,33) are affordable (under $1000 in 2016 Unitrade). Obviously that doesn't include BOB!
I use a Scott Classic and circle the stamp numbers in pencil as I acquire them. I'm the type who does not like to write in books, but the amount of effort to maintain other want lists is to me worth more in my time than just writing in the catalog.
I use an old World Pocket size Catalogue which works for me. It doesn't just have stamps but also stationary in it. Prizes are irrelevant, but if I want them I soon find them elsewhere.