I still can't afford it

A little over two years ago I posted about an auction for an off-paper copy of U.S. Scott #9 with a clear March 4 cancellation almost socked-on-the-nose.  It was on a buy-it-now for $247.50.  Well, today I got my daily search update and found that the same stamp (shown at right) is now offered for $225.  My year started off pretty slow so it's still out of my price range, but if the price continues to drop by $25 every two years, I might be able to buy it eventually...

Some new treasures from Tosapex 2014

It's been a while since I've added anything here.  I had to put philately on the back burner for a while until I could get my photography business further along, but now things are going better; they're not quite where I want them, but there has been enough improvement that I could visit Tosapex earlier today.  This was a successful show visit with 26 new (to me) items to add to my March 4 collection.

Here are a few of them, in no particular order...

address side	other side
	(no back side scan as this was a piece of an envelope and not a complete cover)

New issues in Linn’s, July 2013

So with some time today, I went through the most recent issue of Linn’s Stamp News, the July 2013 issue, sorting all of the new issues by issue day.  This continues the new issues list reorganization project.

Faroe Islands is on The List!

So I've been a bit busy with work and family issues, but finally had a chance today to take a look at the July 2013 issue of Linn's Stamp News. I'm glad I did because there is a new country on The List today, Faroe Islands. There is also a new issue from Russia, a block of four stamps depicting various conifer species.

Country	Issue date			Scott #	Subject	Denom.
Faroe Islands	March	4	2013	600	Soren Kiekegaard	35k
Russia	March	4	2013	7435	Conifers - block of 4, 7435a-7435d	15r

A discovery in a mystery box

Yesterday I went to Stampfest 2013, sponsored by the Milwaukee Philatelic Society, in West Allis (a suburb of Milwaukee).  I found a few covers that fit into my March 4 collecting topic, and I hope to have them scanned and posted soon too, but there was nowhere near the quantity that I’ve found at other shows.  So I looked around a little more and picked up a mystery box of worldwide stamps to have something more to search through when I got home.  There were many stamps in the box that were new to my collection, there were a few more train stamps for my ferroequnately collection, and there was exactly one March 4 cancellation that I found within the box.

This is Scott # 1109, issued on February 26, 2003, just a few days before it was used for this example, as part of a set of 5 stamps showing vintage automobiles.  My copy of the 2011 Scott catalog lists the set at $5.50, so this stamp with a clear cancel in my collecting topic was a good find.  There was another copy of this stamp in the box, so I have one for my general worldwide collection too.

New issues in Linn’s, January 2013

Going back a month, the next-most-recent issue of Linn’s Stamp News had these stamps in the Scott New Issues update column.  In my continuing efforts to help other collectors building a collection based on an anniversary date, here they are sorted by issue date.

New issues in Linn’s, February 2013

Since I've had so much trouble finding stamp listings by their issue date, I'm going to start something that could help other collectors that are searching for specific date collections like I am.  This post lists all of the stamps in the New Issues Update from Linn’s February 2013 issue sorted by issue date.  I don’t intend to build a complete listing for the entire world, but as I go through upcoming magazine issues and through my back issues collection, I’ll try to put together a similar list for each one.  Besides, doing this will make me look closer at all of the listings to ensure that I’m not missing anything with a March 4 connection.

For this set of lists, I’m only planning to include the most significant items and not include variations that are listed immediately below the major numbers.  I am not an expert collector, and I am not a Scott editor.  Use these lists as a starting point…

Adding a revenue stamp to my collection

Last week my BidStart alert for March 4 showed me a cancelled stamp that fit perfectly into my collecting interest. Unlike another recent post, this lot was within my price range at $1.50 (+$1.50 for shipping), so I clicked on Buy; yesterday it arrived in my mailbox. This lot was an example of a U.S. revenue stamp, Scott # R24c, with a very clear and very well centered March 4, 1869, cancellation. This stamp was issued in a series that was printed from 1862 to 1871.

Darnit, I can’t afford that…

Okay, so it’s been quite some time since my last update here.  I’ve been busy trying to get my photography business going this year so my personal projects have fallen by the wayside.  I’m trying to get back to posting on a more frequent basis and I’m still purchasing and reading about stamps that fit into my collecting topic.

One of the ways that I keep my toes in the stamp market is by automatic notifications of new auctions for related materials at BidStart (I very rarely purchase anything on eBay any more, but that’s a story for another time).  Today’s notifications included one item that I would love to add to my collection, a used off-paper U.S. Scott #9 with a very clear “MAR 4” cancellation that is almost socked on the nose (but the year is not present), but even at the current $247.50 listing price, it is out of my budget.  Well, I guess I’ll keep watching the notifications and when my finances allow again, I’ll bid then.