My Story

I didn't start collecting stamps because I had a plan.

I started because I inherited them.

1973: How It Began

In 1973, when I was 19, I inherited my grandfather's United States stamp collection.

Like many collections passed down that way, most of the "good stuff" had already been sold during his retirement. What remained was still significant: a lot of used low-value U.S. stamps, hundreds of stamped envelopes, postal cards, a collection of first flight covers, and a collection of perfins. I had no clue what was valuable and what was not. Eventually, I figured out that the Scott catalog value at the time was around $2,000—which sounded enormous to a college student with no money.

For a few years, stamps became a way to reduce college stress. I studied what I had, learned the terminology, and built some confidence about this hobby. I liked the hobby and even spent a few dollars on new issues which, in hindsight, was a huge mistake. By the time I graduated I had built a want list for the future.

But then career, family, and real life took over. The stamps went into boxes, and those boxes followed me through all my moves over the next four decades.

A 43-Year Pause

I never stopped thinking of myself as "someone who collected stamps."

I just didn't collect them. But, I did see myself getting back into the hobby some day.

Every once in a while I'd see something that triggered getting back into stamp collecting but that some day kept getting postponed.

Then, in mid-2015, I was about to have a hip replacement and knew I'd be laid up for a few weeks. I decided this would be a great time to plow through those old stamp boxes from the 1970's.

I found my Want List from the 1970's and it was hilarious. My number 1 desire was to some day own the $5 Columbian!

Anyway, for reasons I can't explain, I got hooked. There are no other words to describe it.

Coming Back to a Different World

Stamp collecting had changed—dramatically.

The biggest change was obvious: the internet.

Stamp collecting was now an internet-native hobby, with instant responses and gameplayer-speed activity.

I quickly learned there was another change too—The old starter collection I inherited? By modern standards, it wasn't really a "starter" anymore. The collectors in the early-mid 1900's didn't seem to pay much attention to the Centering and Quality of the stamp - they just filled the spaces.

Today's grading, and condition awareness had raised the bar. Mixed-condition collections that once passed comfortably wouldn't make it in today's hobby. I quickly figured out that the quality of my inherited stamps was not good enough for me to live with. I needed to upgrade.

I wasn't resuming this hobby. I was pretty much starting over.

The Spreadsheet That Changed Everything

Like many returning collectors, I asked a simple question:

What exactly would it take to collect classic United States stamps properly?

As a former CPA, I did what I always do—I built a spreadsheet. Actually, I built lots of spreadsheets.

I entered every U.S. major numbered stamp issued during the classic period. I included catalog numbers, values, and variations.

Then I added it up.

The number absolutely Astonished me!

That wasn't discouraging but it certainly was clarifying.

I obviously couldn't afford to collect everything. I needed boundaries.

I wanted to collect meaningfully, but I needed to find a Smarter Way.

So, I began searching for alternatives—ways collectors might have solved this problem before.

Surprisingly, there weren't many. Yes, there were always Junior Starter albums, but they omitted many of the stamps I liked (meaning wanted) most. From those Junior Starter albums it felt like you then jumped to much larger albums that would mean lots of empty spaces. I just don't like empty spaces and I wasn't 19 anymore. I wanted a collection I could be proud of and a collection that I had a good chance of completing. Maybe achieving completeness isn't a big deal to you, but it always has been for me.

Eventually, I found in a corner of a professional stamp expertizing website, something different: a design-type album.

The idea was simple—and I liked it. Very Much!

Instead of collecting every variation of every stamp, I should first collect one example of each stamp design.

It was Straightforward, Logical, Achievable and Affordable. But strangely…their first draft Design-Type collecting stamp album hadn't caught on and the project lay dormant and was never completed. Maybe I could do that.

The Aha Moment

I then spent some time working through the idea. That meant more spreadsheets.

I mapped every design-type from the first 100 years of U.S. stamps—regular postage, airmail, special delivery, parcel post - every stamp normal people would use from 1847 to 1947—The First 100 years of United States Postage Stamp Issues.

The result surprised me:

So I did it.

Over five and a half months in late 2015, I completed the entire foundation collection.

While achieving that goal, I became completely hooked on stamp collecting! I loved the thrill of the hunt, winning the eBay auctions, achieving completeness, building my own miniature World!

What Came After

Starting with a strong foundation changed everything.

Once I understood the designs, the market, and condition, I could choose where to go next:

• Building custom albums
• Studying variations
• Buying intelligently at auction
• Exploring proofs and rarities
• Joining clubs and meeting remarkable people

I even built my first stamp website along the way.

None of that would have happened without the foundation.

Why I Built This Site

I built this site for two reasons:

First, because I couldn't find it when I needed it. My journey took a lot of effort and missteps and I thought building this site might be helpful to new and newly returning collectors. So, if you're starting—or restarting—after years away, I hope this site saves you time, money, and frustration.

Second, I built this site to give me a place where I could share my collections with my friends and family so they might, if interested, be able to gather some understanding of what in the world has been taking up so much of my time over the past ten years!

Where to Go Next

If you're new or newly returning: