Found in Books 10: The Stamp Packet

[callmemadam]

Admittedly this was found inside a stamp catalogue.



Most people who collect American stamps would use the Scott catalogue. I don’t collect American stamps; I just happen to have accumulated rather a lot of them. This particular catalogue was picked up years ago in a charity shop. Because each stamp is illustrated in colour, I’ve found it invaluable for sorting out all those late nineteenth/early twentieth century stamps which look so similar and are so different. The USA has issued squillions of stamps and as I say, I’m not really a collector of them. I organize the random selection I have by sorting them into categories: airmail/flags/Christmas & greetings/space and so on. That way, I can fill a page and not waste paper by leaving gaps for stamps I will never get. If I have something like a set e.g. the 1954 Liberty issue, I’ll try to arrange them properly. Those early issues though, phew! One Washington or Franklin stamp can look so like another.

I’ll leave the stamp packet as it is. Far from being stamps for the connoisseur, these two are extremely common so I think they’re a more interesting part of the collection as they are.

Comments

[mimmimmim.livejournal.com]

You find such fun things in books.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

It doesn't happen as often as it used to because there are fewer old books around to buy these days.

[gwendraith.livejournal.com]

Nice stamps. I remember a time when free stuff was attached to almost every magazine and catalogue. It's not so common these days.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I think those were the kind of little packets you could buy at newsagents, rather than a free gift. As children, we bought packets of stamps in Woolworths.

[geraniumcat.livejournal.com]

I love your Found in Books posts! Could you come and sort my stamps, please? I had plans for over the holiday but OH being laid up since November blew that and I spent my time cooking and cleaning and feeding the neighbour's cats (which was nice, since one is a kitten). The stamp albums look rather forelorn!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Much as I would love to pore over your stamps, I've realised that I could spend the rest of my life just researching my GB ones! I should be more disciplined about it. Now that I've rediscovered stamps, I do find tackling my backlog wonderfully absorbing and therefore soothing. Great stress-buster.
I read your post; I'm so sorry about all the health worries.

[gghost.livejournal.com]

A very nice find!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Wait until I reach the chocolate wrappers ...

[lethe1]

What a nice find, and I love that catalogue!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

The catalogue is an odd, one, rather as if Royal Mail were to produce a catalogue. It's full of hints on collecting, general knowledge and the year's stamp issues (1992).