Hey everyone. Like the subject line says, I'm looking for a new challenge with regards to collecting. Over the last two decades I've concentrated on collecting Germany (mostly Reich and Bund), but I feel it's time I branch out to a new country. Just not sure which one, and that's where you hopefully come in. It would make sense to start collecting my home country, but Dutch stamps just don't have the right appeal to me. Thought about something exotic as well; but only a country that I've been to. So Tuvalu, Australia (that one may not that exotic), or one of the Baltic countries maybe. But lately I'm leaning towards a country with a lot of classics (in my view at least) like the USA. Thing with that is that it appears to me that the older stamps might be too hard to come by. Or am I mistaken in that? Please help me, I can't seem to make up my mind...
If you looking for alot of classic stamps, United States or Great Britain might be the way to go. You can find a good many of them on ebay or other sites, without breaking the bank. I know this because I collect both of these countries. There might be some other classic stamp countries, I just wouldnt know.
Sorry for answering with a question but how do collect ? Collecting Bund stamps is straight forward unless you go into varieties - Error, flaws. Reich has hardly limitations, collect their Colonies - South West Africa comes to mind and is exotic. Exotic could be Lithuania or Ceylon, Lichtenstein or Bangladesh. I collected Greece for 20 Years after 1964. it fascinated though not been able to read it was a handicap. Collect what you can understand because when you get to specifics literature is not always in english, especially via the net . It also depends on how you intend to acquire the exotic stamps, go to Togo and you may find less there than at the local Stamp show. Go for another multi Country Continent like Afrika - Botswana I would recommend, beautiful stamps and good issuing policy with lots of history when it was called Bechuanaland. Good luck
If you interested in british stamps i can send you aload from pre- Decimal until recent as i have a large surplus. Just send me your shipping details via inbox and i will sort some for you
I like the classic stamps of central and south america. Interesting countries to collect include Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Brazil and Argentina are more straightforward in terms of varieties, minor listings, etc..Mexico can get really complicated and interesting if you like to put in the time collecting a country like this. Mexico is a popular collecting area in the US and older stamps are not hard to come by I would think, even outside the US.
A few questions to help focus recommendations: 1. Is this going to be a new major collecting focus or just an occasional diversion from your primary collection(s)? 2. I don't mean to get personal, but what kind of budget? Are you a high-end collector, a dumpster-diver (nothing negative implied; I'm a bargain scrounger myself), or something in between? 3. Do you tend to prefer mint, used, postal history? From a bang-for-the-buck perspective, if you want to get a lot out of your collecting dollar, I would suggest Latin American countries. Much of the 19th-century material is VERY inexpensive and readily available. It's only when you start getting into postal history where cheap stamps mint can turn into insanely scarce legitimately used. Conversely, because the material is so common, unless you specialize in one narrow area, it is unlikely to be a good investment, so enjoyment would have to be the overriding motivation. I've always liked the early El Salvador and Nicaragua stamps, as many were printed by companies here in the U.S., so many of the engravings share identifiable characteristics and allegorical figures. Brazil is another interesting country to collect. U.S. material is readily available, but material prior to 1900 can get QUITE expensive if you're a completist. Have you ever considered revenues? Does it have to be a single country? What about worldwide 19th century postal stationery cut squares? World revenues? 19th century CDS cancels? The surface-printed issues of 19th century Great Britain are all sorts of fun, especially if you get into all the plate number combinations. Another area that is inexpensive to collect are Eastern European countries like Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, etc. Pre-World War II Austria is also fairly fun and inexpensive. France is like Germany in that the specialization can be incredibly overwhelming. Reading through a Maury catalog set will make your head spin... it's like the Michel specialized. I could run on forever...
I'm kinda partial to some of the south and central American countries (early). I like the detailed engraving and sometime s the multi-color aspect. View attachment 1954 View attachment 1955 View attachment 1956
No they come in many shapes and sizes try looking up the stamps of Tonga here is a heart shaped stamp from France View attachment 2050 You can also get foil stamps, Holographic stamps, stamps that smell
They are indeed stamps West! The USA has some triangular issues also. Look - These are all that I know of from America. Maybe more but I can't find any amongst my collection.
These were print in English or Afrikaas in sheets of 60 View attachment 2051 View attachment 2052 Note the Watermark ! View attachment 2053 Shown to those who do not believe these can found used !
I want some George V stamps that are not oblong. Is there such a thing and what countries are they from? I have yet to master how to look these sort of things up and rely on my friend Exchangers to help me
Most are 'Keytypes' as they are called and are in the same format as the ones you have shown. We have seen on this site some Falkland Is., Ascension and St Helena KGV stamps and you get this shape:- View attachment 2056 View attachment 2057
View attachment 2083 View attachment 2082 Oh, stamps come in all shapes and sizes . . . mostly to perturb the semi-serious stamp collector. Yeah, there are triangular stamps. And there are circular stamps. And there are pentagonal stamps (see attachment - only pentagonal stamps I've ever seen issued). And there are holographic stamps, and embossed, and . . .
then you have something like this sheet which has 24 carat/22 carat Gold and 99.9% Silver attached to the stamp (it was the 1st in the world to have all 3 metals) the latest (for the Queens Diamond Jubilee) which I can not afford has a actual Diamond embedded in the stamp View attachment 2084
I do not see a value on this stamp No wonder stamp collector figures have shrunk, up to the royalists to empty their pockets and the Lords and Sir will be happy to support their charity
Thank you for that Erich, it was a birthday gift from my partner Now if you read the sheet it states a value of £12 and that is £3 per stamp Unfortunally Gold/silver has a habit of not showing up very well when scanned but the value can be seen quite well on the top left hand stamp
