Sand Dunes in the UK?

It appears that Royal Mail is converting Great Britain into a stamp-
issuing Sand Dune State. Bad enough that there is a flood of souvenir
sheets (some with high-value stamps) and that the accountants are
charging large fees for processing orders (ignoring the fact that most
collectors overseas will never use the stamps for the services paid
for).

Now, I see that there will be TWO Wembley Generic sheets issued 11 May
that will only be on sale until 5 June!

What's the next step? Gold-embossed souvenir sheets with £10 stamps
on them?? At more than face value? Unique Machin heads on them, of
course, to catch all Machin collectors as well as others.

Guess I'll just stop collecting new GB issues. . . . too bad, as there
have been decades of attractive and apporpriate issues recently not
obviously issued to fleece collectors.

Larry in Berkeley, California

On 5 May 2007 10:37:36 -0700, "Larry at Berkeley, California"
wrote:

This is the boon and the bane of the hobby.

This move is:

a) good for business
b) good for some collectors (who have extra cash to toss around)
c) bad for the general collector who wants to buy new issues from
favorite countries

I remember when I was a lot younger than I am now, I thought about the
idea of completing at least one country before I pass on to the great
stamp bourse in the sky. I have done that with CTOs - Kionga.

Aside from the very small "dead countries", it is an improbable task -
at least of those who frequent this newsgroup, to collect everything
that most countries issue today. The coils, booklets and oddball
stuff, let alone multiple printers for each, stifled sales dates and
other mysteries give us the dickens when trying to stay on top of the
new issue game.

I was looking at the Scott 2006 Classic catalog last night and noticed
that there were some sets - not entire countries - that struck me as
"nice". Have I shifted my thinking of not collecting everything under
the sun for each country, pre-1960? Yes, indeedy. Impossible.
Absolutely, without a doubt totally impossible. That's common sense.

I've thought about paring down to specific countries, considering the
amount of time to handle all the stamps I have would take a few
lifetimes, unless I was independently wealthy and had nothing to do
all day for the next 20 years. By then, the chase is up and I'm
almost ready for the boneyard.

I've been hoarding for about 10 years or more and have amassed
tonnage. How much is enough? I've been sending out just about
everything post-1960 to the Freebie Stamp Project. Adds color to the
older stamps - except for some sets that I find aesthetically
pleasing.

Royal Mail has produced quite a few decent stamps. Even the Machins
lend themselves to a lot of research, diversity and some fun (sick,
but fun nevertheless!)

I've been getting a kick out of the various booklet positions,
variations, plate number singles and so forth I've been getting from
my U.S. mail and friends. Hours and hours of "cheap" fun. I have a
few shoeboxes of U.S. & Belgian pre-cancels that I'll probably have to
get tranquilizers for, once I start working on them.

What has occurred to me is that yes, I can keep getting more and more
- be a consumer! - but have I truly had enough out of what I already
have?

I found my 2 envelopes of Mauritius stamps last night. They were in
the middle of a 30 gallon barrel of stamps. I knew they were
somewhere, but couldn't figure out where they went! I must have had a
brain fart and put them in there by accident.

Well, I need to go through that barrel to see what other goodies I
stashed in there when I moved. Sheesh...

More fun than trying to get in the Royal Mail queue, waiting for £
stamps.



It appears that Royal Mail is converting Great Britain into a stamp-
issuing Sand Dune State. Bad enough that there is a flood of souvenir
sheets (some with high-value stamps) and that the accountants are
charging large fees for processing orders (ignoring the fact that most
collectors overseas will never use the stamps for the services paid
for).

Now, I see that there will be TWO Wembley Generic sheets issued 11 May
that will only be on sale until 5 June!

What's the next step? Gold-embossed souvenir sheets with £10 stamps
on them?? At more than face value? Unique Machin heads on them, of
course, to catch all Machin collectors as well as others.

Guess I'll just stop collecting new GB issues. . . . too bad, as there
have been decades of attractive and apporpriate issues recently not
obviously issued to fleece collectors.

Larry in Berkeley, California

"Larry at Berkeley, California" wrote in message
oups.com...
It appears that Royal Mail is converting Great Britain into a stamp-
issuing Sand Dune State. Bad enough that there is a flood of souvenir
sheets (some with high-value stamps) and that the accountants are
charging large fees for processing orders (ignoring the fact that most
collectors overseas will never use the stamps for the services paid
for).

snip

Larry in Berkeley, California


Let's look at the both faces of this stamps inflation, btw an over 100 years
old story.

IMHO it is preferable that collectors can freely choose to spend their money
on nice (in their eyes) UK, US, CH, France, etc. issues, rather than on
Dunes, Grenadines of XYZ or illegal ones. Today many of them have this
choice, and those who (for any reasons) don't like them, can easily abstain
from buying new issues or can buy them very selectively.

As for satisfying the ambition of possessing all issues of some countries,
this is still possible, especially after some of them simply (to say so...)
disappeared. Aren't gentlemen those who fight for lost aims only? ;-)

--
Victor Manta

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On May 5, 5:37 pm, "Larry at Berkeley, California"
wrote:
).

Now, I see that there will be TWO Wembley Generic sheets issued 11 May
that will only be on sale until 5 June!

Can anyone tell me the issue dates for these two Wembly sheets? I
thought it was to bw 11 May but Royal Mail has already sent me the
England's Finest Hour one which celebrates the 1966 win (received 5
May).

Larry in Berkeley, California

On Sat, 5 May 2007 22:06:20 +0200, "Victor Manta"
wrote:

As for satisfying the ambition of possessing all issues of some countries,
this is still possible, especially after some of them simply (to say so...)
disappeared. Aren't gentlemen those who fight for lost aims only? ;-)

I find that statement about possessing all issues almost as improbable
as collecting every stamp from BIG countries.

wrote in message
...
On Sat, 5 May 2007 22:06:20 +0200, "Victor Manta"
wrote:

As for satisfying the ambition of possessing all issues of some countries,
this is still possible, especially after some of them simply (to say
so...)
disappeared. Aren't gentlemen those who fight for lost aims only? ;-)

I find that statement about possessing all issues almost as improbable
as collecting every stamp from BIG countries.

I have of course meant just only one stamp of each issue :-)

BTW, there are territories that have issued just one set, if I remember well
(and some that have issued no one, like our SNA but not only).

--
Victor Manta

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philatelic Webmasters Organization: http://pwmo.org/
Art on Stamps: http://artonstamps.org/
Romania by Stamps: http://marci-postale.com/
Communism on Stamps: http://reds-on.postalstamps.biz/
Spanish North Africa: http://www.sna-on.postalstamps.biz/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sir F. A. Rien" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 5 May 2007 23:22:24 +0200, "Victor Manta"

found these unused words floating about:

wrote in message
. ..
On Sat, 5 May 2007 22:06:20 +0200, "Victor Manta"
wrote:

As for satisfying the ambition of possessing all issues of some
countries,
this is still possible, especially after some of them simply (to say
so...)
disappeared. Aren't gentlemen those who fight for lost aims only? ;-)

I find that statement about possessing all issues almost as improbable
as collecting every stamp from BIG countries.

I have of course meant just only one stamp of each issue :-)

"Issue" ???

How do -=you=- define issue?

1) design
2) design + colour
3) design + colour + watermark
4) design + colour + watermark + perforation
5) design + colour + watermark + perforation + paper
6) design + colour + watermark + perforation + paper + plate alterations
7) ....

I would take 7), because it contains the whole Universe (of stamps and
beyond) and then try to find all ... SNA issues.

--
Victor Manta

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spanish North Africa: http://www.sna-on.postalstamps.biz/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I long ago stopped trying to complete anything - even one set where at
least one value seems to be out of my price range.

I collect anything and everything which can be obtained from kiloware,
bulk lots or exchange.

For those wishing to avoid the more esoteric and expensive why not
limit your collection to modern definitive stamps of your chosen
countries - they are plentiful and cheap - and there are more
interesting variations in shades, papers etc than are listed in any
catalogues - or collect different postmarks - again cheap, and an
instant geography lesson!

You can only make money from stamps by spending lots of money - only
the very expensive items outstrip inflation ( unless you get a very
lucky "find" )

Just my twopennorth - stamp collecting should be FUN.

Malcolm

"malcolm" wrote in message
ups.com...

I long ago stopped trying to complete anything - even one set where at
least one value seems to be out of my price range.

I collect anything and everything which can be obtained from kiloware,
bulk lots or exchange.

For those wishing to avoid the more esoteric and expensive why not
limit your collection to modern definitive stamps of your chosen
countries - they are plentiful and cheap - and there are more
interesting variations in shades, papers etc than are listed in any
catalogues - or collect different postmarks - again cheap, and an
instant geography lesson!

You can only make money from stamps by spending lots of money - only
the very expensive items outstrip inflation ( unless you get a very
lucky "find" )

Just my twopennorth - stamp collecting should be FUN.

Malcolm

Agree, it should be, and it is, for already 50 years :-)

--
Victor Manta

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philatelic Webmasters Organization: http://pwmo.org/
Art on Stamps: http://artonstamps.org/
Romania by Stamps: http://marci-postale.com/
Communism on Stamps: http://reds-on.postalstamps.biz/
Spanish North Africa: http://www.sna-on.postalstamps.biz/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here in the UK, I think the Post Office is confusing itself with what it is
trying to do,

Yes they produce various issues, Presentation packs, offer FDC services etc
etc ... BUT .... most Post Offices in the UK do not even stock the stamps,
and some even refuse to issue them, insisting on those awful sticky labels

I handle an awful lot of Kiloware ( about 500 Kg a year) and to be honest
about 85% of it is now machin definitives

Time to rebel I think !

Insist on stamps at your post office and report those that refuse !