Is stamp collecting overwheming ?

crazyquilter
Global Moderator

Posts: 6,761

Location (Country): Michigan

Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 26, 2015 16:46:11 GMT -5 RossTO, zepherusbane, and 1 more like this

Quote

Post by crazyquilter on Jan 26, 2015 16:46:11 GMT -5

Stamp collecting is a wonderful hobby but it can be too overwhelming when a large collection comes your way. What is your secret in keeping your collection under control?

I found this article

www.gazettextra.com/article/20100406/ARTICLES/304069992

I am a used World wide stamper. Always have been and always will bee.

zepherusbane Stamp Bears Posting Guru Posts: 2,984 Location (Country): United States	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 26, 2015 20:14:22 GMT -5 cbavier likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by zepherusbane on Jan 26, 2015 20:14:22 GMT -5 I love digging through collections, kiloware, or stamps off paper! I can't imagine ever feeling it was overwhelming.
	Worldwide collector of stamps and covers! I gave up on limiting to only certain countries.

tomd Stamp Bears Posting Guru Stamp Bears Supporter Posts: 3,099 Location (Country): Michigan, USA	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 26, 2015 23:18:16 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by tomd on Jan 26, 2015 23:18:16 GMT -5 I agree with zepherusbane for the most part, BUT there are times when I do feel overwhelmed. That could be the research I do on each stamp I have. I think mine is a self inflicted state.
	"Original SB1 Member"

Craig Gone But Not Forgotten Is your leg wet? Yikes! Sorry 'bout that ... Posts: 6,627 Location (Country): USA	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 1:21:54 GMT -5 tomd likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by Craig on Jan 27, 2015 1:21:54 GMT -5 It can be overwhelming, so I used to chip chip chip away at it, keeping in mind a saying I saw on a Japanese umbrella when I was a kid: "Step by step, one goes a long way."

Deleted Posts: 0	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 2:16:01 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2015 2:16:01 GMT -5 Most of the time I think it is just mountains of pleasure ahead. Occasionally I have to remind myself one climbs a mountain one step at a time, and may need pauses on the way up.
	Last Edit: Jan 27, 2015 2:17:28 GMT -5 by Deleted

cbavier Master Stamp Bear Stamp Bears Supporter Chuck Bavier. I collect U.S. Singles, Se-tenants and Souvenir Sheets and Canadian singles Posts: 1,174 Location (Country): Roscommon, MI. U.S.A.	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 9:21:09 GMT -5 crazyquilter likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by cbavier on Jan 27, 2015 9:21:09 GMT -5 The only time it is overwhelming to me is when the stamps are on paper.I hate soaking stamps.
	Chuck Bavier. I collect U.S. Singles, Se-tenants and Souvenir Sheets and Canadian Singles

steve712
New Member

Posts: 23

Location (Country): United States

Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 13:24:42 GMT -5 RossTO and crazyquilter like this

Quote

Post by steve712 on Jan 27, 2015 13:24:42 GMT -5

I just try to stay on top of new stamps as I receive them. I have a large boot box with #6 glassines for each country of the world. I buy a lot of WW packets and mixtures and I always make sure they are all sorted and put away in the correct glassine for that country as soon as possible. I don't always mount them right away, but I make sure they're sorted. The last thing I want to do is spend an entire weekend sorting thousands of stamps from dozens of different packets. Keeping the duplicates and unwanted stamps organized is a different story...

Sometimes when I look at all the unmounted stamps I have, it can seem a little overwhelming, like "when the heck am I going to find time to mount Bulgaria?" but most of the time it's really a pleasure. I love going through a pile of stamps and mounting them in my albums.

Main collecting focus is Germany and all related areas, also casually collecting Scandinavia, Western Europe, Japan and others.

samb
Super Stamp Bear

Posts: 615

Location (Country): Griffin, GA USA

Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 16:24:33 GMT -5 RossTO, kacyds, and 2 more like this

Quote

Post by samb on Jan 27, 2015 16:24:33 GMT -5

I think it can be overwhelming if you dont have a good strategy, goal, or direction for your collection. When I first started collecting worldwide I was collecting just about everything that looked cool to me...and it was a lot!! It got overwhelming to me because I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to keep up with what I had, what I was collecting, what I needed, etc. My worldwide collecting had to change so I decided what I was serious about collecting and sold/traded the rest. Now when I get a large box or random goodies, I sort into keep and trade piles and work on getting rid of the trade pile 1st. It helps me stay organized and enjoy the hobby more. Now my trade pile is usually bigger than my keep pile when I purchase a large box.... and I love trading!!

darkormex
Stamp Bears Posting Dedicated Guru

Posts: 5,729

Location (Country): United States of America

Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 19:05:54 GMT -5 kacyds likes this

Quote

Post by darkormex on Jan 27, 2015 19:05:54 GMT -5

I am, for now, overwhelmed. Last year I described the old stamp collection I received and it pretty much put me in the overwhelmed category. As well, I have a lot of albums to fill that I have set aside or neglected over time. I want to give more away but at the same time I also need to truly organize what I have accumulated into a collection so that means I need to buy mounts, paper, printer ink, etc...Therefore I have to be more diligent about putting items up for sale on eBay. I don't want to take it out of our household budget.

That said, my take on it is that I am 50 years old and I have the rest of my life to work on my stamps. I am not a hoarder and I have pretty much reached my limit as far as buying and trading for now until I get through this overwhelmed period, but I have something I will be able to work on for a long time to come.

Darrin Lettinga

Korea Stamp Society Member #1245
No longer in denial! I collect all of it...the whole world! Just printing and mounting as I go! Call me crazy.

Perfs14 Master Stamp Bear Stamp Bears Supporter Posts: 1,178 Location (Country): Australia	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 20:09:56 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by Perfs14 on Jan 27, 2015 20:09:56 GMT -5 I am finding it a bit overwhelming just thinking about it these days!

oldstampguy New Member Posts: 18 Location (Country): USA	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 20:28:30 GMT -5 kacyds, darkormex, and 1 more like this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by oldstampguy on Jan 27, 2015 20:28:30 GMT -5 Frequently I have the inclination to work on my backlog and also the time to work on it. My problem is that inclination and available time frequently do not coincide.

darkormex
Stamp Bears Posting Dedicated Guru

Posts: 5,729

Location (Country): United States of America

Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 20:37:52 GMT -5 kacyds and crazyquilter like this

Quote

Post by darkormex on Jan 27, 2015 20:37:52 GMT -5

Overwhelming projects like my stamp accumulation are no different than anything else, in my opinion...best taken care of in little chunks. I always find that if I break it down into smaller size projects and work on them over the course of one night or several I get more done than stewing about how big my monumental task is. This may not work for everyone but I have found I accomplish more if I break it down this way.

Darrin Lettinga

Korea Stamp Society Member #1245
No longer in denial! I collect all of it...the whole world! Just printing and mounting as I go! Call me crazy.

keeperseeker New Member Posts: 7 Location (Country): Canada	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 21:08:12 GMT -5 kacyds, darkormex, and 4 more like this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by keeperseeker on Jan 27, 2015 21:08:12 GMT -5 My solution to overwhemingness is,,,,,, overwheming÷simultaneously listening to favorite tunes+glass of wine = underwhelmingness

darkormex Stamp Bears Posting Dedicated Guru Posts: 5,729 Location (Country): United States of America	Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 27, 2015 21:19:35 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by darkormex on Jan 27, 2015 21:19:35 GMT -5 Jan 27, 2015 21:08:12 GMT -5 keeperseeker said: My solution to overwhemingness is,,,,,, overwheming÷simultaneously listening to favorite tunes+glass of wine = underwhelmingness Right there with you...
	Darrin Lettinga Korea Stamp Society Member #1245 No longer in denial! I collect all of it...the whole world! Just printing and mounting as I go! Call me crazy.

Philatarium
Linking Member

Stamp Bears Supporter

Posts: 927

Location (Country): Los Angeles area

Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Jan 28, 2015 15:35:51 GMT -5 Dorincard likes this

Quote

Post by Philatarium on Jan 28, 2015 15:35:51 GMT -5

Jan 27, 2015 20:37:52 GMT -5 darkormex said:

Overwhelming projects like my stamp accumulation are no different than anything else, in my opinion...best taken care of in little chunks. I always find that if I break it down into smaller size projects and work on them over the course of one night or several I get more done than stewing about how big my monumental task is.

I have in the past consulted on process improvement (in the way past, I would've been called an "efficiency consultant"), and, darkormex, your suggestion is a classic method of approaching complex tasks. It's often called the "swiss cheese" approach, because the idea is to start poking holes in the complex task by doing little sub-parts of it as time and concentration permit.

If anyone is interested in reading more about this from several different perspectives, here are 3 relatively short and interesting links:

blog.gailgauthier.com/2012/03/time-management-tuesday-swiss-cheese.html

gradresources.org/471-2/

homecookedtheory.com/archives/2013/09/04/the-swiss-cheese-approach/

Last Edit: Jan 28, 2015 15:36:30 GMT -5 by Philatarium

kacyds
Administrator

Stamp Bears Supporter

Did you hear the joke about the unstamped letter? You wouldn't get it.

Posts: 16,134
Location (Country): United States

Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Feb 2, 2015 20:06:44 GMT -5

Quote

Post by kacyds on Feb 2, 2015 20:06:44 GMT -5

I tend to get overwhelmed pretty easily when I have a pile of stamps/covers/pages etc in front of me. I tend to weed out what I want for my collection and put it aside. The rest, I will go thru and either list it on eBay (so that I can buy more), use it to trade with other collectors, or give it away.

Once I have gotten rid of the stuff I dont want, then I can start breaking down what I want to keep into different piles. Normally for Worldwide stamps, I have alphabetical folders that I will put the stamp on pages in. If there are any loose stamps, I will put them on Vario style stockpages and also put them in the folders. Any stamps on paper, I will soak and also put them in the stockpages. All of this fits into a airtight container and is ready to be identified and mounted onto album pages.

philatelius
Master Stamper

Posts: 167

Location (Country): United States of America

Is stamp collecting overwheming ? Feb 4, 2015 0:00:00 GMT -5 kacyds likes this

Quote

Post by philatelius on Feb 4, 2015 0:00:00 GMT -5

I wouldn't say I find collecting overwhelming. I do get a bit antsy if I don't have the opportunity to promptly prepare pages for each of my new landscape acquisitions, but it's more an annoyance that I don't have it done yet than a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Really, I think finding a couple of minutes here and there to work on my collection (or make local post stamps, or blog about stamps) helps to keep me from feeling overwhelmed by the rest of life!

Download free U.S. stamp album pages at philosateleia.com

Is stamp collecting overwheming ?

Post by crazyquilter on Jan 26, 2015 16:46:11 GMT -5

Post by zepherusbane on Jan 26, 2015 20:14:22 GMT -5

Post by tomd on Jan 26, 2015 23:18:16 GMT -5

Post by Craig on Jan 27, 2015 1:21:54 GMT -5

Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2015 2:16:01 GMT -5

Post by cbavier on Jan 27, 2015 9:21:09 GMT -5

Post by steve712 on Jan 27, 2015 13:24:42 GMT -5

Post by samb on Jan 27, 2015 16:24:33 GMT -5

Post by darkormex on Jan 27, 2015 19:05:54 GMT -5

Post by Perfs14 on Jan 27, 2015 20:09:56 GMT -5

Post by oldstampguy on Jan 27, 2015 20:28:30 GMT -5

Post by darkormex on Jan 27, 2015 20:37:52 GMT -5

Post by keeperseeker on Jan 27, 2015 21:08:12 GMT -5

Post by darkormex on Jan 27, 2015 21:19:35 GMT -5

Post by Philatarium on Jan 28, 2015 15:35:51 GMT -5

Post by kacyds on Feb 2, 2015 20:06:44 GMT -5

Post by philatelius on Feb 4, 2015 0:00:00 GMT -5

Google Search

Thread of the Week

Announcements

News