I have obtained almost 1000 US covers that range from about 1930 to 1990. They have been stored away in an attic and are dusty and moldy smelling. I noticed airmail, advertising, military and just general correspondence covers. I do not collect covers and before I dump the whole lot in the trash (GASP), I thought that I would give all you cover collectors an opportunity to tell me what you may need or want. I will sort the whole lot and look for your wants. Let me know what I should look for and if I find any, I will send to you free of charge.
Ok, my mind is starting to work...are there any first flight covers or airmails with the 1928 beacon airmail stamp ? i would not want them free..would at least pay shipping ! phil
Thank you for this generous offer - I will take any over with single US stamp used as postage. Will pay postage costs as I live in India. If there are any such covers please keep 'em for me.
Kind regards
SALEEM
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"Experience is the name you give to the mistakes you made yesterday."
If you want to clean them up a bit, put them into a plastic box that has a good lid, put a layer of ordinary, ( NOT CLUMPING ) kitty litter under and on top of the covers or in layers between them and let them sit for awhile. That should absorb any musty oders. Might have to let them sit for a few weeks though.
Of course that can be done by the person who gets them as well. If you are just planning on tossing out what no one wants, then not much sense working with all of them.
Don't forget to look for any contents in the envelopes as well. Letters, receipts, etc. They could be worth listing in the auction. Could be some intersting mail in some of them. Never know!
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"Stamp collectors don't go crazy, they just become unhinged."
Thanks to everyone that has responded. Since I will be socked in today by rain, it will be a good time to start the process. I will check for contents. May be some interesting stories. When finished, I will let everyone know what to expect.
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 16 Sep 2013 11:34:01am
re: Sorting Almost 1000 Covers, What Do You Need?
Should you come across any that were posted by Coast Guardsmen from any of the very numerous Pacific islands where we had bases, or from Japan, Korea, Okinawam or the Philippines I would be interested. Also any that were sent from Coast Guard Cutters anywhere.
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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
Thank you for the offering.
I am looking for any IOOF covers and also any military covers mailed by soldiers plus any WWII patriotics.
Thanks again,
Bruce
Sorthing is through. Couple of long days and nights. Once I started it was hard to stop. I said almost 1000 covers, that was a guess. Turned out to be just a little over 700, but still a lot. Tried to find something for everyone, but I am not able to fill all the request, due to lack of material. For those that I did find something, you have been contacted via the message system. There was a lot of just ordinary everyday mail with very common stamps. What I did find interesting was reading some of the contents.
From time to time I obtain large bulk lots of covers. With that in mind, I will keep all the names of all who responded and what they are looking for. Next time I will just pull the wants and mail. Hopefully, someday, you may get a suprise in the mail.
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 18 Sep 2013 06:35:23pm
re: Sorting Almost 1000 Covers, What Do You Need?
I have on several occasions been a beneficiary of Mel's largesse. If every collector were as generous and conscientious as Mel in promoting stamp collecting, our hobby would be expanding through the roof! To one who talks the talk and walks the walk - THANKS MEL!
Bobby
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
I posted my request here, so I should post my amazed thank you letter too. Mel, your lot arrived full of great stuff, the kinds of things I would pull out of my cover dealers' boxes and put in my keep pile. Great stuff, seemingly chosen especially for me. I'm glad you didn't want the postage stamps returned; they were utterly mangled, but i'll be sending you a check to cover the cost. thanks for this great offer, Mel.
David
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
Wow! Nice offer! -- I collect the Beacon Airmail (C-11) on cover, as well as any U.S. stamp used in a block of four or more. I'd love to receive either of these, and happy to respond with something you need and/or postage for what you send.
If you still have any covers left, I am always interested in machine cancels for the Machine Cancel Societies Database and the Postmark Collectors Club (both non-profits - so tax deductible
Richard E. Small
12349 Coleraine Court
Reston, VA 20191
That is very generous of you. I don't collect covers so I don't have any needs, but I will still like to add my voice to those who applaud such conduct. I sent some hinges that I had from decades ago and didn't need to a SOR member who wanted them and almost immediately afterward was the recipient of a very interesting oddity that will fit nicely in my collection from a different member here. This attitude of "Hey, if you need it, it's yours" reminds me of ... family!
Lars
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"Expanding your knowledge faster than your collection can save you a few bucks."
I know this is an old thread, but I'd love to see some Minnesota covers in the Auction or the Approvals. Our friends Pat (postmarks) and Antonio (smauggie) have led me to the dark side and now I'm interested in collecting Minnesota Cancels - along with everything else.
My memory is fast failing....I have a dozen banker boxes full of covers that have been packed away for so many years, what I remembered as a Minnesota PH collection is actually a Wisconsin hoard......only found a smattering of ho-hum Minn....
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 10 Mar 2014 09:13:25pm
re: Sorting Almost 1000 Covers, What Do You Need?
Members, you need to petition the VC to once again modify the rule regarding self-promotion to permit a member to announce when he/she intends to post certain material before he/she will be permitted to do so. Discussions were conducted last year wherein it was decided that a simple announcement that you were going to post certain material on the auction board (and that would apply to the approval books as well) is "self promotion" under the current rules (and the recent amendment did not change this); and this form of self promotion is not permitted. While I am not enthusiastic about this rule, I do see its necessity.
I have had private conversations with Michael and he agreed that he would not post this information on the discussion board. By requesting him to do so, you are putting him between a "rock and a hard place" (suborning a DB misdemeanor ?) Why not communicate with Michael via SOR message where he is free to provide this information?
Thanks,
Bobby
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"