This place is dying

edueku

BRING ON THE TUMBLEWEEDS!

KentuckyJ

Rolling rolling rolling .... them tumbleweeds keeps on rolling!

KentuckyJ

Yes, it looks like the tumbleweeds will be here rolling on long after we're all gone, with the possible exception of our blogger. Our blogger seems to have some type of energizer bunny battery.

StampAlarm

Sounds like some action took place in the Spiegel auction.

covers

Well, "blog's" English is still better that my Chinese even if he doesn't understand what I tried to say.

edueku

Noticed alot more cheap graded on Ebay too. Prices have come way down on common issue 98's. Now the average collector can afford some top quality graded stamps, that's a good sign to me. Might spark a little more interest at lower prices.Still tough to find 95 and higher (other than 1and 2 centers)used graded at a decent/reasonable prices. Snagged a couple of ebay but the mint out number the used 20 to 1, or higher. Well gotta go there just went another tumbleweed..................................................................................................>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

KentuckyJ

> even if he doesn't understand what I tried to say


LOL. I saw that (hating to admit I sometimes on very rare occasions go there)

I was going to post something about it in reply to him but a damaged tumbleweed just ran into me so now I have to stop and figure out how to get my compensation

edueku

Well when we are all dead and gone along with the tumbleweeds there will still be a blog with colorful worthless FDC's.

covers

bumping them all but 1.

edueku

Richard, unfortunately you can't keep a bad blog down.

CollectingFanatic

I WORK AT MY LOCAL COIN & STAMP STORE ONCE A WEEK AND OUR BUSINESS IS ABOUT 99 % COINS . THERE ARE A FEW DIE-HARD COLLECTOR'S WHO SPEND HOURS CHECKING OUR STAMP STOCK. ON A WHOLE, STAMP COLLECTING SEEMS TO BE A DYING HOBBY. I SEE A LOT OF HOBBIES DYING OUT.....SPORTS CARDS WAS KILLED BY THE GREEDY CARD COMPANIES. IF IT WASN'T FOR HIT MOVIES WITH COMIC BOOK HEROES, THE COMIC INDUSTRY WOULD PROBABLY BE DEAD TOO.
THE U.S. MINT IS THE ONLY GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT MAKES $$!! SMART MARKETING ( EX: STATE QUARTER SERIES) , LIMITED EDITIONS ETC. , HAS BROUGHT BACK COLLECTORS WITH THEIR KIDS. IN ORDER FOR A HOBBY TO SURVIVE YOU NEED THE INTEREST OF THE NEXT GENERATION. I THINK THE U.S.P.S NEEDS TO MAKE LIMITED EDITION OR VARIANT STAMPS TO DRUM UP INTEREST! THEY KEEP CHURNING OUT STAMPS IN THE MILLIONS WHICH MAKES COLLECTING THEM AS AN INVESTMENT UNAPPEALING. IT'S SAD WHEN I SEE SOMEONE SELLING OFF THEIR PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS COLLECTION FOR LACK OF INTEREST.

edueku

Yeah I used collect cards and you're exactly right on what killed that hobby.

With the decline in snail mail use I doubt the goverment is willing to invest much in programs to promote stamp collecting as with coins. Currency will probably always be in use in some shape or form,interesting stamps that are used to pay postage costs on an envelope may not be.

CollectingFanatic

Yeah, you're probably right. It's just sad when I see a beautiful old stamps being used to mail something because they are only worth face value!

Smittys

I don't come here as much as I used to, maybe I should

KentuckyJ

I would rather see a tumbleweed roll by than to have the self centered souvenir blog constantly hogging the forum top post position.

Smittys

Just before it falls off the map.....buMp

edueku

KenyuckyJ, Yes it would be nice to see that gone.

LickThoseStamps

<< <i>I would rather see a tumbleweed roll by than to have the self centered souvenir blog constantly hogging the forum top post position. >>



At least he is contributing. There is nothing stopping you from posting is there?

quarterlvr

I agree, have noticed lots of people collecting coins but not so many for stamps. I think it has to do with the fact that coin collectors can still obtain coins in their daily change. Used to be stamp collectors got a lot of their stamps off mail that came in, not so anymore. People just aren't mailing lettters anymore, more prefer to call or send emails these days. Even the mail you do get oftentimes doesn't have stamps, just postage meters. Most stamps on the sale market today from dealers are often geared toward the high end collector, I know for one I can't afford to pay $1500 dollars for a couple of stamps. The hobby is definitely graying and will continue to decline. Will it die? I doubt it will completely die out but I think stamp collectors will be a very small minority, I see most of the publications leaving, dealers switching to coins as they have to make a living and must sell what people want. I think the heydey of stamps has passed, the price of stamps, lack of cheap sources for collector(mail) and general lack of interest. I have only been collecting since the early 1980's and I have seen stamps slide from a fun hobby to a struggle to obtain material. I practically NEVER bought stamps from a dealer for about the first 3-4 years after I started collecting, I was able to obtain all my material through mail, people who gave me stamps and yes, digging through trash cans at the post office(I was a poor college student with no money). I still pick up a few on my mail but they are few and far between, usually I have to go online and search the auctions for a missing stamp I need. And no, I am NOT a collector of esoteric stuff that's hard to find, I am talking about modern new commemoratives. Don't mean to be a wet blanket, but that's what I see around me.