Until about 1970 the vast majority of stamp collectors were world wide collectors. They often concentrated (mostly in this country in American and Canadian stamps) but the large majority of collectors in that generation maintained world wide collections as well, usually buying box lots. They sorted these box lots out over time adding to their world wide collections when obtaining items for their specialized collections slowed down or got too expensive. Most collectors of this earlier generation got as much joy and excitement form sorting out their box lots as they did from their more specialized collecting. The reason was simple. It’s nice to buy valuable stamps. But it’s also nice to buy not so valuable ones too. And to sort and categorize large groups of world wide stamps. And to learn the geography and history which was the original lure of this hobby.
Many collectors today are returning to the way that their father’s
collected. They have specialized collections that they concentrate on but they also buy a carton lot or two every now and then to sort out. These lots contain old album collections, stamps on stockpages or dealer counter cards, sometimes covers and who knows what. It’s the “who knows what” that makes these lots so appealing. Sorting and playing is for collectors who like the fun of never knowing where the next stamp may take them, what country it may be from and whether it may be of value. It is not the kind of collecting that everyone enjoys in our too fast, too serious world, but you might consider acquiring a box or two if you want to experience some old time fun.