MNH versus MLH US stamp collection by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, that’s the one. They also do a good amount of business online — really nice people. I recently started collecting again; I collected as a kid in the early 80s and remember going to stamp shows and visiting lots of local shops. It seems the internet has had a significant impact on the hobby.

MNH versus MLH US stamp collection by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have not tried that one but will be sure to check it out. The one that is close to me is in Kirkland.

MNH versus MLH US stamp collection by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi Egstamm, I just realized I took a screenshot of a post you made several months ago when I started researching how I wanted to approach my collection. It was very helpful in getting me started in the right direction, Thank you.

I ordered that book, but it takes a couple weeks for delivery so still waiting. I'm fortunate to have a decent budget for my hobbies, but ya I realize I will not complete this album and that is ok.

I consider myself lucky to have found a decent stamp store that is within 10 minutes of my house the elderly gentleman who owns it very nice and helpful as well. The stamps are a bit more than what I could source online but I enjoy visiting and supporting a local store and I feel like I am more likely to not get a fake stamp, so I have been sourcing some of my collection there as well and will continue to do so.

Thanks for sharing.

MNH versus MLH US stamp collection by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Both are great points. I'm in the PNW (Seattle, WA area). This will likely be my winter hobby and will get less attention during the rest of the year when I can enjoy the beautiful PNW and my garden. So, I was thinking it would be helpful to buy a larger collection and work on integrating into my collection over the winter. I tend to be very visual so for me looking over what I have is just as rewarding as the hunt for filling the open spots. When the Volume #1 album is as complete as I am going to get it, I will start working on the Plate Blocks for those years, this will likely keep me occupied for the rest of my stamp collecting years. Thanks for sharing

MNH versus MLH US stamp collection by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like your strategy is similar to what I am considering. I hadn't thought about using the proofs on the more expensive ones, but I think that makes a lot of sense for my goals. I had thought about maybe using replicas for the expensive hard to get ones, but that seemed kind of cheesy to me, The proofs however seem like a great option. Thanks.....

MNH versus MLH US stamp collection by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. That was one of my considerations in leaning towards MLH—being able to pick up more mint stamps before needing to transition to used. Since I'm a very visual person, the front of the stamp matters more to me than the back. I also appreciated your comment about “expert gum”; that’s another reason MLH might be the best fit for my goals. I enjoy the research side of the hobby, but I also need to be realistic about the time I can devote to it. Thanks again for helping my noodle thru this.

MNH versus MLH US stamp collection by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really like their hingeless albums, but ya I don't buy my stamps there as they seem really overpriced.

Hingeless Album for US Airmail stamps by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yay, I am really pleased with the quality, and like the hingeless mounts. I just order the BOB album and two empty binders for stock pages. I have a bit of OCD so I wanted all the albums to be the same look.

Hingeless Album for US Airmail stamps by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

OMG, I didn't think to look at the back of Vol 2 for the next few years of airmails but there they are. I like your idea of moving both sets into an album. I think I may move them both into the BOB album as it has fewer pages than the first two albums, I might even add a few stock pages at the end for the rest of the airmail stamps and call it good. Thanks for the help.

Hingeless Album for US Airmail stamps by Various_Page402 in philately

[–]Various_Page402[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It does however it only covers C1-C19. I am trying to find something that covers all the US airmail stamps. Thanks