I know that a number of collectors, in addition to having 'standard' stamp collections, also like to study certain issues in depth, AKA flyspecking. The Australian KGV & Kangaroo issues come to mind in this regard. I already personally know of at least 2 members here who enjoy this aspect of the hobby and the issues that they are interested in.
My question is what other members have similar flyspecking collections and what issues they are doing it with. By knowing this information, hopefully, some members may be able to create swap situations for those old glasines of their unwanted material with someone who is actively looking for it and would enjoy the thrill of going thru some new material.
This is a GREAT idea, Mike! A list like that would be very helpful!
I flyspeck Ireland and am very interested in glassines full of the super common stuff like the first definitive issue - the 1p red and 2p green etc. Almost any Ireland except recent self adhesives.
Mike - what are your flyspecking interests?
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"Just one more small collection, hun, really! LoL "
Hi Theresa. Your interest in Irish issues was one of the 2 that I knew about. Hopefully, as I go thru my stack of shoeboxes and stock books, I will find more that we can trade with you.
Personally, I do not do flyspecking as such, but have keep some pre-1900 stamps which had something odd about them within my country collections. My main reason for posting this topic was to have people who do flyspeck let our other members know about their interest and possibly create some trading activity between members.
Flyspecking can take several forms. A collector could concentrate on a particular series of stamps, such as Australia KGV or kangaroo issues. They can also expand that to include a particular time period, such as all the issues of the KGVI's reign. This last example would cross into the specialist area but with all the varieties I believe it can also be counted in the flyspeck arena.
I do a bit of flyspecking, not with whole collections but with individual stamps or sets of stamps. Currently I'm working on the 1930 Spanish Lindbergh airmail commemorative, which was unofficially reprinted in a bewildering number of intentional "varieties". Here's an image of the five stamps I have in my collection:
The dark green stamp at the upper left is the original stamp, all the others are unofficial reprints. It appears that the private society which created the stamp (which was authorized for use for three days) continued reprinting it, using poor-quality yellowish paper and different ink shades, and purposely creating and "errors" and "varieties" for the stamp-packet trade. Scott says that the reprints are worth 1/10th of the value of the original stamp, but that isn't borne out in dealers' listings. I've spent as much as $40 on some of the reprints. (Yeah, I know, lousy investment, but you gotta buy what you gotta buy!)
I suppose that I'm not truly "flyspecking" this issue, but I'm certainly looking more closely at it than I do at most stamps.
Other stamps I have flyspecked are Eire Scott #120 (Easter Rebellion commemorative) and the first stamps of the People's Democratic Republic of Algerial (overprinted French stamps with a huge number of overprint varieties).
A former member of my stamp club claimed that stamp details he couldn't see with his naked eye weren't worth worrying about. Perhaps he had microscopic vision, but I doubt it; I'm pretty sure that he was missing a lot, considering that he had what he called a complete Canada collection.
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 05 Jan 2015 12:19:42pm
re: Do you flyspeck stamp issues??
Do Machins and Wildings count ?
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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. .... "
Charles, personally, I would say that they do, especially if you also include the non-catalog listed plate and printing flaws. If the collection only includes the recognized varieties such as watermark, perfs, etc., I would lean more towards describing it as a specialist type of collection.
That is my personal definition, others should feel free to chime in. Sometimes, the line between a specialist and a flyspecking collection can be a little fuzzy or blurred. To each their own as to their collecting interest is my feeling on this.
I do with respect to my British Omnibus sets, in particular the KE7 Silver Jubilee. I look for the printing errors on the design. I'm not sure if this is really "flyspecking" (I take that word to mean looking for non-error variations in a stamp series, but I could easily be too restrictive in that definition).
Otherwise, I do look for special cancels on QV related material (e.g., Boer War cancels on Natal; British Treaty Port cancels on HK; etc.).
Flyspecking Rules!
I flyspeck USA definitive issues from the 32 cent issues forward, as well as the transportation coils, and my favorite, British Mandate Palestine stamps. Another great area for flyspecking is Nicaragua, although I haven't touched that collection for awhile.
Besides the always hope of a major discovery (I haven't found one yet) the hours spent are relaxing and interesting.
Terry
I don't normally do a lot of that stuff, until I encountered the Machins. I bought a 2-3 kilo of on-paper stuff about 25 years ago, and just over half of it was Machins. Just a few months ago I was sorting and found a color missing variety. I at first thought of selling it (valued at only $260+), but decided that was the cheapest color-missing variety that I could ever afford. So it is mounted in my Scott's specialty album for Great Britain.
So I can understand how much you enjoy looking for odd things mixed in with ordinary stamps.
My flyspecking has been limited as well. There is one US issue that I bought dozens of used copies of (probably close to 100) and a half dozen mint plate singles as well. I want to see if I can see any kind of progression from Type I to Type II on the 2c 2nd Bureau 319 and 319F. Conventional wisdom says there is a distinct, identifiable difference between the early and late plates, but I have seen a lot of variability in the two "key" tells on Type I and Type II. I only have preliminary results, but it has been interesting thus far.
I'm busy with some other projects right now, so I don't know when I will get back to it. (Apparently it's not THAT interesting)!
Of course, I just cheated and used plate singles in my collection:
Lars
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"Expanding your knowledge faster than your collection can save you a few bucks."
30+ year member APS; member of ATA, ISWSC, ATA, PSS, MSS, PMCC, FDCS 12 Jan 2015 12:44:26am
re: Do you flyspeck stamp issues??
I flyspeck the first definitive issues (the castles) of Czechoslovakia... there are many more perf varieties known than listed in Scott... Michel's is a good source of info on the various perfs. I keep a "generic" collection of these issues in my Scott Specialty Czech albums and maintain a separate specialized collection of these issues in a three ring binder.
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"Never take yourself too seroiusly... that way you won't be too disappointed when noboby esle does either."
Beware all who enter this domain! It is an easy fall into the grasp of the EFO(Errors,Freaks,Oddities) where once in there is no exit! I speak with personal knowledge of this unfortunate state, having arrived there through the portal of flyspecking.
The pull of the black holes of the Universe are as nothing compared to what befalls the unfortunates who explore into the EFO borders. Be warned! Be afraid!
I most recently tried to flyspeck the France "Peace with Olive Branch", 50 Centimes Rose Red.
I need to try harder as it is difficult to identify the four types.
My "monstrousity" of a flyspeck (that I had to put away or I was gonna go nuts) are the Green 5 Ore Christian X Denmark stamps. (And that's just image flyspecking, not including the perforations - When I get that iHobb gauge.. heaven help me.).
... and with heavy postmarks It's a PAIN to get through.
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 13 Jan 2015 06:33:47pm
re: Do you flyspeck stamp issues??
Stamp collecting and coin collecting have one thing in common. Both treat a defective issue as a treasure.
Buy a new auto with a cracked windshield and it is back to the dealer.
Select a nice shirt at any major store only to discover a stain on the collar and is is not framed and mounted on the living room wall.
Choose an apple at the local farm stand and suddenly notice a squiggly worm poking its head just where you were about to bite (At least I hope it was the head ! ) and no one posts a scan on eBay along with a high opening bid.
But find a stamp made from a cracked plate, an ink smear or a flyspeck in the image of the Queen's nose and we open the Expedia site to start pricing the Admiral's suite for the next round the world cruise.
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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. .... "
Looks like those Canadians need to clean their presses more often heh?
After reading all of this thread more stuff is coming to the surface of my alien mind. I
found a Scott, type A115 Franklin with a tumor the size of a small apple growing from
the poor fellows forehead. He appears to be in dreadful pain and I'm sure someone
in this galaxy would give a King's ransom to have it.
So I'll probably just let it go for a few bucks.
Keep on finding those Easter eggs....
TuskenRaider
The Thirkell position finder!!! LOL! I do like to flyspeck when I have the time. I had a wonderfully annotated and painstakingly flyspecked collection of the Canadian map stamp of 1898, but I lost that collection in a divorce. Not really lost it as in lost custody, but as in my ex was a @#%# and destroyed it to get my nettles.
But now I look at Wildings, Machins, and South Africa definitives when I get the hankering.
What all microscopes are folks using these days? I was thinking of a digital scope and wondering which ones are any good for this task.