New Undecided Collector

Gentlemen, without further ado Ill share what brings me to this great site of philatelist. I am a seasoned (retired) Navy Chief and Numismatist who recently fell off my bar stool and here I am. I was at an estate auction on the Eastern Shore of Virginias Chesapeake Bay looking to buy some old coins, but fate had something else in mind. I bought what I thought was a stamp collection but to my surprise he turned out to be a dealer.

I have jumped into stamps with both feet learning about the nuances of stamps, using a catalog, tweezers, perf gauge and the internet. To the point where now I have questions about identifying varieties not easily answered with the resources at my disposal and/or at my current capabilities.

Thanks in advance for assistance!
r,
ChiefC

Welcome Chief,


Peter

In philately the term of art is "tongs" for holding stamps. Similar to what you wrote but always smooth on the inside of the surfaces which touch the stamp.

Only in the United States. The English is "tweezers".

I also collect coins but I find stamps a better hobby. I do not like the over priced minor die defects they are pushing today. Now they are pushing new currency notes with serial numbers. WOW what a chance you are taling to pay over face for them. I can not see the error coin market holding on to the prices they are wanting collectors to beleive. I think they are going to be a lot of people disappointed. I find stamps a better investment with knowledge than coins at present. You can build a very nice stamp collection now without braking the bank. Plus you will find as much verity as in coins with bargains still out there to be found. I beleive the hunt and the finding of a bargain keeps stamps an enjoyable hobby. I collect both coins and stamp and I have found myself more into United States stamps than I am into coins. Coins have got to the point it is out of reach to complete a set at a price with out substantial investment of time on money far beyond stamps. Just my thoughts.

Hello Peter, Parcel, Geoff, UKnjay, Thank you all for the welcome aboard. To me Tongs are used at a BBQ :-). With regards to coins or stamps I believe it's a matter of getting acclimated to your specific pursuit which could be collecting anything. I have collected coins for well over 40 years and unfortunately, I agree the hobby has taken a different twist (varieties & grading) which to me is not attractive and extremely subjective.

That said, getting back to why I'm here, what I thought was a stamp collection has taken me about 6 months to catalog while learning the basics. I find stamp research just as interesting and relaxing as coins and I wholeheartedly agree it's a heck of a lot cheaper.

As I began going through the albums (12) and boxes (7) the first question that came to mind is why did this individual have multiple albums of the same stamps? Then I got into the wooden boxes, where I found neatly stored, numbered and cataloged were envelopes of stamps in all conditions by either Scott catalog # or country identification #. This is why I believe this gentleman was filling albums and selling them while also purchasing stamps to supply his inventory. I could be dead to nuts wrong, but it is what I have deduced. This is where my questions will emanate from, thanking you guys in advance for the help. Here is a high-level inventory after cataloging items:

- 12 partial US Reg Issue & Commemoratives and few foreign stamp albums.
- Box of Used Bulk Stamps Scott 158 thru 1058
- Box of much better used US Stamps Scott 26 thru 807
- Box of Used US Stamps Scott 803 thru 1188
- Box of New US Stamps Scott 319 thru 2598
- Box of New Modern Stamps 1940s to Now
- Box of Misc US Stamps, E, C, J, etc. , Pre Cancels, Perfs, Blocks, Seals
- Box of World Stamps New and Used

That is a lot of stamps, where do I start and/or should I just stick to coins?

Perhaps leaf through the material and see if any of it appeals in an aesthetic sense. And then consider whether you want to focus on US stamps or move into more exciting worldwide philately. Don't be overawed by the remarkable obsessiveness with which some collectors approach quite limited areas - you can have fun without specialising or chasing rarities.