What areas do you collect?

[Cancelcollector]

Hoping to maybe kick a little life into the stamp collecting forum... if anyone still cares or is "listening!"

Let's start with the basics: What do you collect? Specific areas, or thematics... or general worldwide? Any specialised collections? When did you get started?

To kick it off-- I was introduced to stamp collecting when I was 5 years old, by my dad who worked at a firm that did a lot of international trading, so he brought home colourful stamps as a way to teach me about global geography, culture and history. So far, the hobby has "stuck" for 50 years!

I collect Scandinavia and the broader "Nordic" countries, also have a general France collection. Had a specialized Denmark collection for many years, but am in the process of selling it to pay for some unexpected expenses... grateful that stamps DO represent a "store of value." Still an early Swedish postmark collection. Also have small collection of "cats on stamps" and stamps postmarked on my birthday (any year).

~Peter

[tonyreddevil]

Peter think this is a Plug

[tony41]

Peter think this is a Plug

I definitely don't think it is a plug. He is asking what areas of stamp collecting interest other collectors. I can not see any attempt to plug any sales other than his signature and you have one of these.
If you are not a stamp collector or stamp seller (and I don't think you are) why are you even bothering to reply to this thread?

[cornishmaid1961]

I collect used stamps from all over the world.

My grandmother started me collecting when I was five years old too, so nearly fifty years of collecting for me as well, although I did lapse for quite a few years and have since started again. My grandmother was German so I had a lot of German stamps from both West and East Germany coming in on letters from relatives. I also had relations in South Africa so quite a good collection from there. I have about 30 stamp albums now in my own collection and a smaller collection that I started for my youngest son.

[Cancelcollector]

Peter think this is a Plug

Well Tony, that's an interesting perspective... however unrelated to my intent.

The above was actually intended as an attempt to kick some life into an otherwise "dead" part of the forums-- I happen to enjoy stamp collecting forums and exchanging information with other collectors and traders. I think it would be nice if there were a more active stamp collector community here, regardless of whether they are buyers, sellers or just visitors... which (if we want to explore the "plug" angle) might give more people a reason to visit eBid, which in turn would be good for the site, overall.

So I will probably post various stamp collecting topics, in hopes of stimulating some conversations-- nothing more, nothing less.

Cheers,
Peter

[sidthelamp]

i used to collect stamps , till a so called friend stole them, i had two albums , and boxes of them, my favorites i can remember were diamond shaped ones from Poland,

[HerMajesty]

That's sad, Sid!

When I was a kid, I collected stamps...............loved, and still do, how they are miniature works of art. Still have one or two of my small books back in the states...all just used, mostly US stamps. However, my dad's office got a lot of foreign mail, so I was always thrilled when he would bring home foreign stamps cut from the mail they received! Today I use generic used stamps (not old or rare) in some of my artwork. So, I collect, but in a different way now.