Antiques and Collectables – The Collectors Blog

What makes something for nerds anyway? Let me retape my glasses and address this question. I could list famous people who have collected stamps but that would be reversing the same ridiculous sterotype. Hobbies simply don't make people cool or uncool. This is common sense and we all know this. But none of us particularly enjoy appearing uncool. For this reason very few of us would wear a shirt that proclaims, "I am a Geek". The opposite would probably also lead to unfavorable comments...wearing a shirt that said "I am Cool". Regardless of which category you might think you fall into, boldly proclaiming either will probably not pan out in your favor. Just the same, it would be ill advised to carry a perforation gauge to the high school prom. This is common sense.

So, what do you do if you are interested in stamp collecting but fear being labeled a geek? That's simple. People don't need to know everything about you. But it's pretty tough to share the love of the hobby when you feel you can't talk about it. The Internet is a great place where you can communicate with like minded people. Just don't get carried away or you may find yourself hiding the fact that you're actually cool.

Now, if you're a die hard stamp collector and could care less what people say, kudos. By all means take your stamp album on your first date or your Scott Catalogue on your honeymoon. If you can find one, you may wish to pick up a tie with perforations and watermarks. Seriously, be real and enjoy one of the oldest hobbies known to man.

-- James the Web guy (aka geek)

The debate continues to rage over whether dollar coins should become commonplace or simply reside in collectors' cases. Among the arguments against dollar coins are that they can be easily confused with quarters, they are historically bulky, and simply a change that many aren't excited about. There are many far more knowledgeable in the area of numismatics than I. Yet today, I am going to lay out my mind blowingly complex and highbrow reasoning for dollar coins.

Are you ready? I think we should have dollar coins because they are really neat! Seriously, I don't claim to have powerful arguments for dollar coins that compete with any of those in disagreement. I simply find the idea of any new coins very exciting. The Mint is always releasing new coins. Yet, having new coins that are in active use and circulation is actually more commemorative than a commemorative coin. Coins in active use are also more accessible to kids and general hobbyists than look but don't touch coins. So, why aren't the new nickels and state quarters enough? Well, my opinion is that they are "enough". But when you have an event, theme, or person commemorated by a dollar, we're saying that this is of even higher importance to our country.

Again, while I don't claim to have highbrow logic behind my case, I also can't honestly say that my reasoning holds any less weight than the opposition.

-- James the Web guy

There are so many different types of topics one encounters when collecting stamps. In fact, the number of topics is limitless. For example, the topic art on stamps can be further subdivided and specialized into pop art, paintings, portraits, nature scenes, etc. I am still pretty new to this and haven't really spent much time on any one topic enough to call myself a topical collector. But I do plan to focus on a particular stamp topic soon. When I can, I plan to begin collecting stamps featuring the Resurrection. I suppose if there's any place to start, that has to be it.

One of the reasons I am excited about getting the chance to build a collection of resurrection stamps is simply the various subtle differences in how each artist views the resurrection. Also, I'll suddenly find myself no longer confined by a particular country, territory, or region. I'm guessing that my chosen topic will expand to include all Easter stamps, stamps depicting the life and ministry of Jesus. Who knows where it will stop...or if it will. In my travels, I'm sure I'll pick up a few seemingly unrelated topical favorites to explore in the future as well.

-- James the Web guy

Shortly after getting my first apartment, I was like a lot of fresh out of college kids always forgetting things like postage stamps. One day, when I had to mail an already late payment, I simply taped a quarter and penny or two to the envelope. I figured the post office would know what to do. As fate would have it, the apartment complex's postman happened to be delivering mail to all the boxes. While he wasn't too pleased at my solution, he did offer me an alternative. He said I could give him the money and he would give me a stamp. I'm not sure why but I found it fascinating that the postman actually carried and dispensed stamps. Seeing my awe, he began to tell me of all the other things he could and was expected to do. I was about to ask him if he carried selective service cards too. But since he was already beginning to edge away from me nervously, I decided research my questions on my own.

I ended up sending away for a postal workers' exam packet. I was simply amazed at all the requirements involved. It wasn't advanced calculus or astrophysics but it was quite a bit more involved than I ever imagined. And some of the example tests, like scanning large lists of names and addresses for a single match within a minute time frame, I admittedly failed.

I never did take the exam; the idea of being shipped off to wherever you were needed was a little too scary for me at the time. But I did develop an appreciation for the postal service that the United States takes very seriously. Since then, I've picked up various little bits of interesting postal history. For instance, did you know that mail is sorted and processed on trains and ships? Always looking to be more efficient, the US postal service decided that having mail wait idly until it reached its destination just wouldn't do. They not only began to sort and process mail and cancel stamps on board, they also made pick ups and deliveries to railroad post offices. Remember the bags on hooks in old cartoons? Those really existed. Never needing to slow their pace, the train would simply swoop by and hook the mail bags. This on board processing is also why you'll see some railway cancel marks on older postage stamps.

-- James the Web guy