Hi everyone,
My name is Sara and I've been a member since 2007 and stopped collection because my ex thought it was a waste of time. I'm now divorced and find myself starting to look forward to re-start this hobby I liked so much. I like to collect stamps from my birth year 1978, Latin America, Ireland and pretty much anything. Currently I'm living in California but in June I'll be moving to Ferguson, Missouri. Looking forward to meeting new friends and starting my collection again
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 15 Apr 2014 06:41:15am
re: A returning member...
Welcome Sara! You picked a good place to kick start your new beginning. In addition to Stamporama's auction board and its unique Approval Books feature, you'll find no end of enthusiastic collectors eager to assist you with knowledge, trades and (occasionally) some common sense answers to perplexing collecting conundrums.
Enjoy yourself here!
Bobby
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
I still have more questions than answers 15 Apr 2014 09:42:31am
re: A returning member...
Sara,
My wife tolerates (sometimes barely) my collection. She does tell everyone that after I am gone she will have a huge bonfire. I'm hoping my friends will rescue my collection, and who decided I am going anywhere? Good luck. You will find good advice and friends here.
Pat
so, not to take anything away from our welcoming Sara, which I just might want to do again,
HEY SARA, WELCOME
but now I'm scared. Maybe we need to develop a rescue tree to save our collections from spousal retribution. S/he who is closest, and still mobile, gets the emergency call to rescue the remains (postal, I mean) when one of us kicks the bucket of kiloware.
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
lol thanks everyone, Amsd I like your way of thinking. Imagine everyone can exchange number and when you hear the code word, help will be on the way lol I just have to save my pennies to restart my collection. I was able to save my albums and covers but unfortunetaly lost everything else
Welcome back, Shaparra. I'm sure it can't have helped your relationship to have your ex disapprove of your stamp collecting. Non-collectors seem to have two primary misperceptions of collecting:
• It's a complete waste of time and money.
• It's something only for kids
Your ex apparently believed one of both of these things. Too bad for him!
(There is another group who has another misperception, that any stamp they have never seen is valuable, which means that almost any stamp collection they see must be very valuable!)
I collected stamps until I was in my later teens, and took up collecting again in my mid-30s. My wife, who had briefly collected stamps when she was a young girl, didn't blink, not just because she thought stamp collecting was worthwhile, but more because she believe strongly that individuals in a relationship have to respect the other person's needs and desires, as long as those needs and desires aren't harmful to the individual or the partner or anyone else.
There's another factor that explains our marital success despite my stamp collecting: My wife believes that money helps to make a relationship succeed, and we have always agreed that each of us should have a monthly allowance to spend as we wish, without being judged. She might raise an eyebrow when I tell her that I've spent enough money on a cover to finance a trip to Vegas, but she understands that that cover is more important to me than…a trip to Vegas! While she wouldn't spend that much money on a dirty old envelope, she doesn't begrudge my own expenditure. In addition, she's always been willing to listen to my "stamp stories," and sometimes even helps me with research, edits my exhibit sheets, and helps to decipher old letters. Just last night she mentioned that she's learned more history from me, as a result of my collecting, than she ever learned in high school or college.
Anyway, welcome back to Stamporama. I hope your collecting goes well.
I still have more questions than answers 17 Apr 2014 07:31:22am
re: A returning member...
I see you are moving to Missouri. I know there are great stamp clubs in St. Louis. Stamp shows and bourses are a good source for material. I have no idea what part of MO you are going to, but if you are near a populated area I'm sure you can find a club. Most have auctions or bourses and can be a great source for stamps. If you tell people you are getting back into it there may even be stuff to give you.
" I like to collect stamps from my birth year 1978, Latin America, Ireland and pretty much anything. Currently I'm living in California but in June I'll be moving to Ferguson, Missouri. "
@ Patches,Hi I was just thinking of you and wondering if you were still around. I still have some of the auctions I purchased from you.
@Thanks Postmark and cocollectibles, I'll be living about 20 min away from St. Louis so I'll look to see if there are any clubs around.
Sara, if you are a country collector, you can often go to stamp shows and talk to dealers about albums they will sell. I bought a nice US collection that way. While it didn't have Scott 1 and 2, it had many $100 stamps in good condition, with many study pages (a page for the columbians, one for 3c Washington of 1874, etc). I paid about $90 for it, and it includes good pages through about 1950. So, for less than the cost of a single stamp, I got a good start on a US collection, PLUS the album pages for the first century.
you can probably do that for most countries, and be well ahead of the game.
if you're a cover collector, well, the Lord smiles on all his little lost sheep
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"