The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012) • Hacker News Board

Re: The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012)

#31

Post by neilv » Wed, Apr 10, 2019, 12:33 PM UTC

RickJWagner wrote: post #27

neilv wrote: post #25

A light HN story... Stamp collecting (or was it the Kool-Aid stand) might've been my first "startup", in early grade school. I casually collected stamps myself, and would get duplicates of interesting-looking ones. So I turned my duplicates into stamp collecting starter kits and supplements, packaged in glassine envelopes with handwritten labels and prices, packed them into my little kid's blue suitcase (traveling sa…

Great story. Do you think you'll give up programming for a more sales-oriented gig one day?

Thanks. I'm absolutely not a salesperson, nor any kind of CEO material. After I outgrew my childhood innocence sales boldness, I'm clearly better-suited to be a startup technical co-founder/contributor (maybe also providing a bit of not-totally-naive business sounding board to the startup CEO), developer, researcher, and maybe also startup dev leading.

Re: The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012)

#32

Post by stordoff » Wed, Apr 10, 2019, 12:50 PM UTC

Scoundreller wrote: post #11

The funny thing is that I buy unused stamps off EBay. Some recent deals I got were for about 43 cents on the dollar. But usually they go for 50-60% of face. Been doing this for the last 15 years with no real change in pricing (which really means a loss every year). Mostly 30-50 cent stamps (this is Canada). But ranging from 8c to $2.5 I use the smaller ones on regular envelopes. Usually I have some $1 or $2 stamps to…

> I’m sure the receivers get a little laugh when their package arrives covered in stamps.

Reminds me of a parcel I got from Japan (in the UK). The front was about A4-sized, and entirely covered in stamps (with a small gap for the address).

Re: The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012)

#33

Post by bluGill » Wed, Apr 10, 2019, 1:18 PM UTC

anonymous5133 wrote: post #9

xref wrote: post #5

Same deal with baseball cards (and all sports cards), they had enormous print runs but then the collectors went away so now everybody who wants a Don Mattingly rookie card already has 7. After finding them completely unsaleable I ended up giving my collection to a family friend who still just enjoys the cards.

hahaha, this is so funny because I was cleaning out my closet and noticed the same thing. Even though the cards were 20-30 years old...they were basically worthless. I live in a high cost of living area so to me there is no point keeping them around taking up space. I must've tossed well over 10,000 cards into the trash. Moral of the story: teach your kids how to invest in the stock market instead of them "investing"…

Invest in a collection because you like the collection. If you love baseball cards, the fact that a few years ago you paid $100 for a card that you could get for $1 today doesn't matter because you had that card to enjoy for those few years. Note that love is different from fad. If you just buy the card because everybody else is, with no enjoyment, then it is a loss.

My life is better for having a few collectibles around now. I could have instead invested the money spent, and it would have already doubled, and it would double a few more times before I die - since I don't enjoy collecting money in my bank account it would be a waste.

Don't get me wrong: I to enjoy financial security. I can't retire today (well I could, but I couldn't afford to live the life I want), but the money I'm setting aside for retirement is planned to be used to enjoy life when I retire.

Re: The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012)

#34

Post by Scoundreller » Wed, Apr 10, 2019, 1:57 PM UTC

Symbiote wrote: post #15

anonymous5133 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

haha, I do the exact same thing but only for buying first class stamps.

In the UK, this is generally fraudulent – the stamps aren't really unused, they just weren't franked properly, or had the ink removed somehow.

Those are available, but the ones I buy are still lick and stick. Sometimes still with the commemorative stuff around the perforations.

Re: The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012)

#35

Post by slumber86 » Wed, Apr 10, 2019, 2:27 PM UTC

GuiA wrote: post #4

Vinyls, film cameras, typewriters, camper vans, and other objects which have been superseded by the ever turning wheels of progress have known notable regains of interest lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if Urban Outfitters started selling vintage stamp collections.

Cameras may be obsolete, but old camera lenses can be adapted to modern mirrorless cameras pretty easily, and usually they last more than camera bodies. There are some 70s/80s ones that are pretty decent even for modern standards, plus they have a look that modern lenses don't have.. so prices are rising..

Re: The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012)

#36

Post by Scoundreller » Wed, Apr 10, 2019, 3:56 PM UTC

RickJWagner wrote: post #28

radosc wrote: post #18

It's an excellent time to collect super rare stamps. Common stamps declined in value and a lot of abandoned collections are sold for next to nothing so it's easier than ever to look for some hidden gems. In 10-20 years, when all the random collections disappear it'll be a super specialized market with high prices again based on scarcity. Some years ago when I was into cars, I could buy any beaten up BMWs for less tha…

There's a well-recognized trend in car collecting: the value follows the age of people who can afford what they dreamed about in high school. Following this trend, Model As and Ts have gone way down, as the dreamers are now past the age or dead. 57 Chevys are on the downside, too. Too old. 90s Japanese sports cars are on the upswing now. But stamps? I don't see it recovering. It was popular in the 70s/80s, like Profe…

The other thing about 90s Japanese cars is that cars, once old enough, can be easily imported regardless of emissions/safety standards.

In Canada, I think it’s 17 years of age, then you can bring in your right hand drive car more easily than container of potatoes.

Personally, I don’t know why each country has its own safety standards when every industrialized country has a similar enough mix of speed limits and urban/suburban/rural environments.

Re: The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012)

#37

Post by sytelus » Thu, Apr 11, 2019, 8:45 AM UTC

UweSchmidt wrote: post #19

radosc wrote: post #18

It's an excellent time to collect super rare stamps. Common stamps declined in value and a lot of abandoned collections are sold for next to nothing so it's easier than ever to look for some hidden gems. In 10-20 years, when all the random collections disappear it'll be a super specialized market with high prices again based on scarcity. Some years ago when I was into cars, I could buy any beaten up BMWs for less tha…

Not sure about that: When the next generation doesn't know what a stamp is, and the fascination, getting a message from someone, getting glimpse into the world, has no basis, who will 'collect'? I think it's similar to collecting old guitars; people in their financial prime buy a connection to the music and bands of the 60ies and 70ies; their children may have grown up with electronic music and can't relate. Cars mig…

You just wrote off entire business of trading antiques.

Re: The Shrinking World of the Stamp Collector (2012)

#38

Post by abrugsch » Thu, Apr 11, 2019, 9:50 AM UTC

Scoundreller wrote: post #34

Symbiote wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the UK, this is generally fraudulent – the stamps aren't really unused, they just weren't franked properly, or had the ink removed somehow.

Those are available, but the ones I buy are still lick and stick. Sometimes still with the commemorative stuff around the perforations.

I think this is where the confusion comes from. lick and stick haven't been generally available to regular buyers for some years now (i.e. go to a store that sells stamps and you get a book of 6 or 12) and the available ones are generally self adhesive. Great fun when my toddler finds a fresh book of "stickers" to stick all over the house... The situation is different with sheets of stamps that the post office has but most of the time they just print a generic postage label with the exact denomination required so it's rare to get issued as a punter a lick and stick. as a result any "unused" UK stamps on ebay are ones that have been successfully lifted from unfranked letters (yes it's possible, despite the tear-holes cut into them)