Most collectors feel that specializing in a single country qualifies them to state that they are a “specialist” when it comes to their philately. But many collectors go even further than just one country and collect a single issue such as the Washington Franklin issue of the United States. Some go even further than that […]
When EBay first began to gain in popularity some ten years ago, there were predictions that it would ultimately mean the demise of mainstream stamp dealers. Events have played out rather differently. On any given day, the philatelic part of the EBay empire has over two million stamp lots listed for sale in either the
Traditional Stamp Dealer and EBay Read More »
Bullying, the cruel treatment of someone who has caused you no harm, is not just limited to political candidates and school boys. It intrudes in our hobby as well. About twenty years ago there was a very prominent and wealthy United States collector-Jerry. Jerry came to our office once to view an auction and the
There are many aspects of United States Philately that simply don’t exist with the stamps and the collecting of other countries. Certainly, the emphasis that American collectors have placed on Revenue collecting is unparalleled in the philatelic world. Revenues are stamps that are issued by governments for tax paying rather than postal purposes. United States
Private Proprietary Stamps (Match and Medicine) Read More »
The three different kinds of collecting have different strengths right now and differing market futures in my opinion. Mainstream Philately will continue with its strength largely determined by the number of new collectors who come into the hobby. Over the next decade or two we should continue to see relative strength as the Baby Boomer
Three Philatelies Part II Read More »
We tend to think of Philately as one hobby when it is really three separate and distinct endeavors, each with its own goals, problems, future and marketplace. The three are Mainstream Philately, High-end Philately and Aspirational Philately. Mainstream Philately is what most of us engage in from the youngster enjoying his first packet to the
Three Philatelies Read More »
Philately has always been a cold weather hobby. Its popularity nation to nation and region to region has always increased south to north with the highest concentrations of serious collectors where it is the coldest and darkest. The reasons are clear- a cup of hot chocolate, a stamp album and some new additions to mount
According to studies, most Americans are very worried financially about their retirement, and we have good reason to be. Social Security is probably going to be OK, but the age at which you can receive it, the means testing, and the decrease in cost of living adjustments mean that it will be a smaller and smaller part
Francois Hollande just beat Nicolas Sarkosy for the French presidency. Such political events do have philatelic repercussions though not in the way that most collectors think. It doesn’t matter much in the short run who is the President of France when evaluating the effect on the market for French stamps in the United States. The
What Does the French Election Mean for French Stamps Read More »