My stamp collection
I collect real and CTO-used worldwide postage stamps from the era of 1840-2010 (and beyond). This page provides a somewhat detailed look into my stamp collection consisting of over 75,000 different worldwide items.
Part of my worldwide stamp collection
Please note that the following tables are a work-in-progress, and they may contain some inaccurate information. All the stated “stamps issued”-numbers are based on counts I’ve done using Michel stamp catalogue.
- View my stamp collection of Europe
- View my stamp collection of Africa
- View my collection of Americas and Caribbean
- View my stamp collection of Asia
- View my stamp collection of Australia and Oceania
- View my stamp collection of Middle East
In below table I’ve listed some recent milestones of my stamp collection. Please do notice that the number of items equals the number of items with major catalog ID and does not include varieties (watermarks, perforation differences, color variations etc).
| Date | Total number of items | Annual change |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.2010 | 54 156 | – |
| 1.1.2011 | 63 860 | 9 704 |
| 1.1.2012 | 70 519 | 6 659 |
| 1.1.2013 | 76 337 | 5 818 | 1.5.2013 | 78 737 | 2 400 |
What an amazing collection. Which Katanga and Uganda stamps do you have.The reason I ask is that i am currently in Uganda and have come across several Uganda stamps and a few Katanga stamps
regards
Thanks Frederick,
You make me blush… Compared to w/w collections having 300-400,00 different stamps I feel my collection is peanuts. But I’m having lots of fun accumulating it with pocket money budget
As for Uganda, the 28 stamps I have are mainly from the first (1962 Independence) or third (flowers) definitives issue; the latter being CTO-cancelled mostly. And few truly used butterfly defins (from the 1980’s)… So I’ve got plenty of spaces to fill.
As for Katanga, the only used stamp I have is 10c green “traditional arts” issued in 1961… I’ve seen quite a lot of mint Katanga several times, but used copies (with real or CTO cancel) seem to be very hard to come by.
best,
-keijo-
Hi Keijo , may be i can help you in some items you are missing, specially egyptian items and some african & middle eastern countries,we can exchange stamps but i need to know what countries you can offer, if you are intersted pls send me on my email,and i can provide you with a scan of what i have. and finally thanks for that very inersting blog…..
Nagwa
Hi Nagwa,
As said on my public stamp exchange page, I offer unsorted worldwide. I don’t do specific countries or want lists in this exchange as I like to keep things simple, open and fun for everyone willing to exchange… In return I try to sent a wealthy mixture of countries around the world.
best,
-keijo-
hi keijo
i really like your idea of exchanging and collecting stamps.
i just wanted to ask if it is ok to send stamps from india and oman?
sophia
Hello Sophia,
and thank You… India, Oman etc. stamps from Asia and Middle-East are highly welcomed
best,
-keijo-
Hi Keijo,
I commend you on the task that you have undertaken but may I offer up some of my thoughts on this:
I too started collecting worldwide when I was a little boy (I am now 50 yrs old). You get to a point where, after collecting for many years, you find that it is much more satisfying to have a small but complete collection rather than a huge collection that really does not tell a story. A case of quantity with no quality. Besides this is a mission that is bound to never be fulfilled since it requires very deep pockets to accomplish. My advice (for what it’s worth) would be to cut down on the scope and go for a smaller scale. In time you will experience the joy of seeing your complete collection. I specialise in only 2 countries and I am proud to say that of one of them, I have ALMOST every stamp issued (except 2) and the other country is about 97% complete. They look beautiful mounted in albums.
Please do not take this the wrong way. I wish you well in your quest. Regards
Hi Wilf,
and thanks for sharing some words of experience. I’ve collected stamps “only” 27 years but I think (/hope) that I’ve still got a lot to learn
Anyway… Personally I think that worldwide collecting and specializing (single country collecting, thematics or postal history) are not exclusive to each other. That’s what the collectors of the “golden era” did, and that’s what I do as well. And I’m enjoying it very much.
Completion is a goal, but I’m not taking it too seriously as most (specialized) collectors never manage in completing their more focused collections neither. Having fun while collecting is the most important aspect for me, everything else comes second place.
best,
-keijo-
Hello, my name is Phil..i am a life member APS and member since 1998 of The International Society of Guatemala collectors..i collect worldwide to 1969 in Scott International albums..i have accumulated tubs of stamps many of which 1970-to present are too new for me and i would gladly swap..i could certainly help with a couple of hundred different Guatemala…i constantly go through my stockbooks,boxes etc and still “buy” from myself..i would not mind swapping stamps with another collector..i consider myself an “intermediate” collector..Thank you !!
Keijo, your bookcase of stockbooks looks too organized for me..and the lists of which stamps you have !! i must enjoy looking upstairs and downstairs when i want a particular book or box of stamps !!! phil
Hi Phil,
please see my public stamp exchange offerfor guidelines I’m interested in exchanging.
However, I need to highlight that of the guidelines in my public exchange offer is “no wantlists” – and I fear that Your need/want for pre-1970’s stamps qualifies as such. What I offer in this exchange is unsorted worldwide – both new and old. So you may end up having something that doesn’t match your needs at all.
best,
-keijo-
Thanks Phil.
Actually the lines look even even these days as I’ve started placing “country labels” on the spines of stock books.
As for my “lists”… Let’s just say they are a labor of love that I’ve built upon years. I know they (may) hold minor inaccuracies/ erratas, but I will fix them someday when I have the time
Just see that Your collection is growing well – and that plenty of time need to be used in managing this blog pages. Between all I see that #1 postally used are really hard to find, between all I have one sample from Russia #1 (scan I can send You) and when is talking in Serbia, Yugoslavia and all ex-Yugoslavia countries, there I also have some interesting postally used cover.
best regards
Milco
Hi Mico,
I agree it’s growing quite well
Personally I’m not really worried about the “difficult items” (or #1’s) – they either come or not at some point. And as I’m quite young for a stamp collector, I have lots of time on my side.
Hi again Keijo
I think you will like if I send you Asia stamps
Let me know,, same with me, used, world wide, and good condition, no want list
Hi Novie,
Of course I will like it
Have notice you have no stamps listed for the United States of America . I have a lot of stamps dup from Poland,United States,China,Hungary, ect World wide . I have collected stamps from 1959 to 2010. I collect Cz Slania engraved stamps he engraved over 1070 stamps from 39 countries. For two years now have worked on two web site and three blogs.
Cz Slania did 1070 die cuts and did not count any stamps that were issue more than once in any country. Cz Slania came out with his own album and catalogue of which I do not have but I have a complete list of the ones he counted and has listed in his catalog. So at this time I have about 80% of his works started two years ago. Some I will never be able to get the cost for some are almost $2000 each. So the stamps I would be interested in would be from 20 different countries he has done. There is a good chance looking at your list of stamps you could have a lot of the stamps even dup.
I got your site from a friend on my network which I am a member of Myphilately.com .I am also a member of Salem Stamp Society; my blog is listed in the links page at their site.
[msg edited by Keijo]
Hi James,
and thanks for dropping by my blog. I took the liberty of slightly editing your message (mainly adding paragraphs, in addition I removed few personal details to protect Your privacy)… Anyway, it’s extremely nice to hear from fellow MyPhilately member & philatelic webmaster.
As for United States stamps… I do have them. Lots of them actually, they are listed under USA on my list. So far I’ve got approx. 43% completion level for U.S. But still, there is a whole lot of spaces to fill.
As for Czeslaw Slania… Since Finland and Sweden (as well as Poland) are neighboring countries, many Finnish collector are extremely familiar with his (as well as for example Martin Bjorks) productions. But despite being somewhat well known figure, surprisingly few seem to collect his stamp designs at least in Finland.
i am from thailand .i am very interested to have worlwide stamp. i am a young boy, but i see that stamp is very nice hobby .i think u have a lot. if possible can u share to young people
Hi Supanath,
please see my exchange page for a how-to trade stamps with me.
best,
-keijo-
Keijo, I got your letter today! thanks for the stamps and I’m so glad you happy with some of the Indonesia stamps I sent you. Yes, I hope we can exchange again in the future!
Thank you!
I have 12 stamps from Kenya. I found them in an old picture frame. There is a date of 1994 on a little sticker. If you would like them, let me know if I can mail them to you. I’ll hang on to them for a few weeks.
Great job on your collection!
Michelle
Mother of three young boys, possibly aspiring to collect stamps (or something, I hope) some day!
Hi Michelle,
Take a look of my exchange page for instructions on how to mail me.
if you don’t need them, I think I can give them a new loving home
best,
-keijo, a father of four girls (who very likely will become collectors of something some day as they appear to have inherited “collector gene” from both of their parents, LOL) -
I just discovered your blog yesterday and I wanted to chime in on the matter of worldwide versus specialized collecting.
I started collecting stamps in 1958, with my father’s guidance, and like everyone else, collected worldwide. I may have continued the worldwide collection throughout my lifetime, but in 1979 I was the victim of a burglary and nearly all was lost. I was faced with these choices: start all over or specialize. Worldwide collecting had given me a tremendously satisfying background, but after a few months, I decided to specialize in Jamaica, eventually narrowing it down to used only, then to collecting by cancel type, and finally, concentrating on the first 32 stamps issues (1860 to 1901).
When specializing, one must acquire early on all of the relevant handbooks/literature. In specialized collecting, there is still no such thing as completeness. Even today, new discoveries can be made in such a limited area as my specialty. I believe the reason for this is that there are so many dealers who have acquired collections from the heirs of (deceased) collectors and that so many of the collectors were not specialized. Ordinary appearing stamps residing in these old-time collections are counted as simply used, and it takes considerable time to acquire advanced knowledge in esoteric areas. Even the vast majority of dealers can not devote the time required to learn about rare cancels.
When spotting the rare cancel in large lots of stamps on ebay, the sharp-eyed specialists bid handsomely for the one single stamp with the rare cancel. I am certain that the sellers have no idea why the lot realized an unexpectedly high price because future offerings of similar material (without premium items) have elevated starting prices and yield no bids.
So, joy to us all – worldwide collectors and specialists!
I’ll be glad to assist anyone with questions about Jamaican stamps or their cancels.
Sam Cutler
That is a collection that must have a lot of diligence on your part. I just reviewed your list to compare world stamps that I have. I’m not a big collector but back in the 1970’s when I was a child I found a stamp collecting book in the attic and held onto it. The book fascinates me since the stamps are dated back as far as 1849 with Countries and Provinces that don’t exist anymore or have changed names, along with other unique items like War Tax stamps, Vatican City Stamps, etc. Do you think I should insure this book?
@Sam … Great story.
I agree that specializing can open up doors for new finds and possibilities. Thought I’m a worldwide collector, it has never stopped me from attempting a more in-depth research/study on items I find interesting. Maybe my miscellaneous findings are of not great monetary (or philatelic) value, but more importantly they do nourish my (personal) love for the hobby of stamp collecting.
I’ll definitely try to remember your generous offer about answering to Jamaica related questions
best,
-keijo-
@Jason.
Diligence? Maybe not… I’m too lazy /comfort-seeking for that kind of behaviour, LOL.
As your book… I’d show the book (physically) to some professional stamp dealer and ask for his/her appraisal. Very likely You will get a modest (possibly even low) estimate, but it should be enough to give you some kind of indicator whether or not the collection is worth insurance fees. To get a more accurate picture about the real value of collection, the only possibility is that You (or some other collector) would check each stamp individually.
Where did you get the numbers of the stamps issued? Is this up until 2000? Do you say somewhere which countries you continue after 2000? Questions, questions!
Love this site – just spent a couple of happy hours reading through some of the pages
(I found your site during a {so far} fruitless search to identify a Japanese/Taiwanese/Chinese/have-no-idea-ese stamp – do you have any tips, a page or something about identifying stamps that have no Latin characters?)
Thanks for all the time you have spent on this so that people (like me) miles and miles away can use your knowledge!
Hi Keith,
The “total number of stamps issued” data is based on Michel stamp catalog major types. And no, it’s not 100% accurate numbers as I have done a simple (and manual) rough count between first and last stamp listed. And no, it’s not 100% complete neither as there are several locals missing etc.
As for what era do the numbers represent… It varies. For some countries the numbers are very up-to-date (meaning end of 2009), while others are based on older data (anything between end of year 2000 and 2008)…. I’m updating the data every now and then to make it consistent, but it’s a slow process.
As for identifying non-latin stamps… I do have plenty of tips, but it would make a VERY long comment. Possibly the most consistent (but also the hardest) is identifying the character set used in stamp. But I’ll promise to write about the subject some day… As your problem stamp…If you can upload the image of stamp somewhere (like PhotoBucket, Picasa or Flickr), I can take a look at it and give my opinion.
Brilliant – my weekend project is to work out my percentages! Also, I have uploaded a photo of my irritating stamp – I am sure it is common but it is eluding me. I have a Flickr account (which I had forgotton all about) – but how do I let you know?? My Flickr name is Pillowcaseangel – can you find it from that? (as you can tell, I am not really a whizzkid on the computer…..)
Cheers
Keith
Hi Keith,
Yes, I can find it based on username. Here’s a link to your image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8019091@N05/4691948086/
First, I can say the inscription is in Japanese (or so I think). And the image design appears very Japanese as well. But the inscription doesn’t definitely match normal Japanese mainland or Ryukyu stamps , so it could be some kind of occupation zone or local issue.
And secondly, it’s not a postage stamp. I’ve seen these “easy-to-identify” characters on Japanese revenues:
But that’s pretty much as far as I can go… I think some of the Japanese readers of the blog could solve this very quickly.
great, Keijo,
Thanks a lot, hopefully someone will be able to identify it.
Best wishes
Keith
hi
am interested to exchange stamps with you . Kindly tell me what to do?
Hi Shinjini,
see this page and follow the instructions found on the page.
Hi Keijo,
I’ve been enjoying our stamp exchanges. I just wanted to leave a post, out of curiosity, to ask what your collecting policy is towards duplicate stamps printed in slightly different shades? If one looks really hard the variations (I presume between different batches) seem almost endless. Sometimes it is difficult to decide when colour variation is caused simply by the stamps condition, but in other cases differences of printing colour and quality are far more obvious. I have started keeping multiple copies of a stamp where there are obvious differences, but I don’t really want to get too bogged down in this area unless it is generally regarded as being important.
Many thanks for all the info on this site,
Seth.
@Seth… I can confess that I have (and will continue to) collected variations of all sorts all my life. I have quite large numbers of misc color variations. And smaller numbers of misc print flaws, EFOs, perforation varieties, perfins, print shifts, watermark positions, coil stamps, forgeries etc… And, these are not included to my inventory numbers on this page… I think they alone would add around 15,000 misc items to above figures.
But I confess being a bit picky, especially with color variations…If there is any evidence that the color variety is caused by environment, then I’ll usually dump it (unless it’s otherwise interesting item)… I think a good example of these are some of Victorian-era UK stamps (which I’m sure you’ll might know more than I). For what I’ve read, several of these are very prone to both water and sunlight – and copies with vivid/strong colors are highly sought after. But due to their nature, most available copies exists in very pale shades or otherwise bizarre looking colors.
To make some sort of order to chaos (and especially to find out what is a true variety and what is not), one should specialize and dig a whole lot deeper to philatelic details. And now I’m talking about people who devote most of their life/time to researching a single stamp /type series, and look these stamps under microscope. And though I value the efforts and research results these kind of collectors do, that kind of collecting is definitely for me… But for more serious minded collectors/philatelists, that is the essence of philately (besides study of postal history).
So yes, collecting the varieties can be either fun or serious. And it can have a deeper meaning, or not… But personally I would not spend too much effort, especially with extremely light shade variations (without identifiable print number or clear date cancel – which might help in putting the stamp/print on timeline).
Hi, Keijo!!!
I’ve accidentally stumbled upon your blog today and …. wow, I was astonished and amazed!!!! It just absorbed me completely reading blog articles!!! I’ve been collecting stamps and coins since childhood and all you say hear about worldwide stamp collecting is 100% consistent with my thoughts! This is the best stamps blog I’ve ever read )). Superb!!!!!!!! I wish you achieved your target goal of assembling 500,000 stamps!!!
I also wonder if you could send me your excel template.
Best wishes, Alex, Belarus
Thanks for the praise, Alex
I’ll send you email soon…
Keijo,
Read Fred’s comments and let me add that the US Shelter pets can be soaked (which I found out by accident), but am unsure about the Comics series. Both will be in your next mailing. Happy Collecting!!
@Steven… Thanks for the tip. It means some soaking time on the weekend
I recall that Linns had something about soakability of Sunday Funnies, will try to check it later (or just try it in action as I’ve got some Sunday Funnies spares already).
And one more cover, #103 for this week… Markus from Austria sent another large mixture; this time filled with West Germany. And I think this makes an prime example that looking at completion percentages alone doesn’t give complete picture. All in all I took about one fifth of sending – about half of these are truly new items to me, the rest are something I think will improve the quality (especially cancel-wise, but some centering too) of items I already have. Yes, the exchange percentage was slightly lower than with average sendings, but I’m still happy as I managed to get some useful items – and hopefully Markus too experiences the same….Return cover for this one will be mailed this evening with some nice stamps on top of cover too
Dear Keijo
Although you you have specified your requirement sand criteria for stamp exchange very clearly , i would like to ask you if you are interested in first day covers having cancelled stamps?
Hi Shinjini,
they are of no interest to me. Sorry…
Dear Keijo,
I was seeking a Saudi Arabian Collector and struck your site. I have gone into details of your collection which is in itself a Herculean task and I congratulate you for it. Like you, I am also a Collector of WW stamps (((50 years))) from Pakistan and like you I too have been often advised to concentrate on fewer countries….but although I may be interested more in some and lesser in others, I just cannot seem to discard any. as a matter of fact the less stamps you have of a country, the more the thirst.
I have a lot of duplicates and can give USA and GB 400,Australia/Germany 300 each, Canada 200 and even Israel 200 besides a lot of Pakistan issues. Please contact if interested
Thanks Tahir. I too like my collection a lot
As a matter of fact the less stamps you have of a country, the more the thirst.
I agree fully.
I have a lot of duplicates…Please contact if interested
Please see my stamp exchange page if interested. It very simple, and hopefully a fun way to exchange duplicate stamps to possibly something more useful.
Hi Keijo ,
may be i can help you in missing, specially India items. And in return can i get my thematic subject Olympic and elephants? If you are interested pls send me on my email, and finally thanks for that very interesting blog…..
with regards
Jagannath Mani
Hi Jagannath,
and thanks for the offer. Unfortunately I’ll have to decline… Right now I’m not looking for new private exchange partners. You may however be interested in taking a look to my public/open-for-all exchange at http://www.stampcollectingblog.com/stamp-exchange. This exchange is simple “no wish / want list” exchange so You may not be interested. But if you collect worldwide stamps it can be lots of fun
Thank you for your reply….I think it is beautiful and will cherish it even if it isn’t worth anything….I appreciate your help in identifying my stamp. Have a blessed day.
amazing
I’ve never see something like this
hope you will find your missing
Seeing as you are a collector of worldwide stamps, I am wondering if you can help me ID a stamp that appears to be from Greece or that area. I have scanned it but don’t know how to post the scan. It is inscribed with XAPTOSHMON (S is Sigma) at the top with an image of an angel. Around the angel it is inscribed with EPIRA on the left and MAKEDONIA on the right. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Rick,
I have few ideas, but the image would help me narrow down. Here are short instructions on how to show me (and other readers of the blog) on image:
1) Upload the picture to some photosharing site (Photobucket, Flickr,Picasa etc)
2) Make sure the photo is public (viewable to anyone)
3) Finally come back to this blog and post the image address/URL here.
Thanks, Keijo. I will remember your suggestion next time I am looking for help. It turns out in the meantime I got help from a stamp dealer who I know very well, and it was a postal tax stamp from Greece. Again, thanks.
Hi Keijo
Your fabulous list of countries/entities will need to expand soon – with the break-up of the netherland antillies into their separate countries (eg St Maarten, Curacao) last year, and Sudan into North and South this July, I imagine there will be issues relatively soon. As an aside my 4yo said he wants to collect the pictures (stamps) with me rather than coins. That is one way to get motivated! Laurence
@Laurence… I agree this list is a work in process. It’s not just the new nations that await inclusion, but I have a long list of local issues etc. that I’d like to add up as well. If I just had the time…
Re, kids & stamps… My youngest kid (she’s 3½ right now) does often sit to my lap while browsing stamps. It’s sure a good way to pass on the collecting bug… Maybe they don’t become collectors when grown up, but unlike most kids they will know what stamps look like and how much joy collecting these bits of paper can bring to “stamp nuts” like me. LOL.
I stumbbled upon this site. I must say that I am “very imppressed!”. I find it very professional. I collect stamps since 1972 (age 8). I now focuss on two countries since 1997: China and Hong-Kong.
As you probably guessed, I have “the other counties” too, but as you know, collecting even two countries takes a lot of time. My 10 years old niece started a stamp collection, so when I see her, I bring her stamps.
Yours truly,
David Barban
I have taken the plunge and started to move my world wide stamps to stockbooks. I credit you for my inspiration. They had been in Minkus albums, but I kept having to add new pages. Before I placed my stamps in the albums, I kept them in envelopes sorted by county. Recently, these envelopes have been becoming overloaded because I did not have a spot for the stamps in my albums. The act of moving the stamps to stockbooks has been a relaxing activity and has helped me see what I have. I have also made a table similar to yours where I can keep track of the number of stamps I have from each country. It is interesting to see how my numbers differ from yours because of a difference in catalog used. I am using Scott catalogs for my collection. I have a question for you. What do you do about larger items when placing them in your stockbooks? I have started placing souvenir sheets in the stockbook still inside the mount. I am not sure if this is going to be the best solution long-term. I had debated buying Vario stock sheets to accomodate larger items, but trying to find the right size seemed too complicated and this option appeared to be more expensive. I really enjoy reading your blog and I need to get another sending ready for you. However, it seems you are going on break for a little bit, so I will have to wait.
Hi Kristin,
I’ve noticed this too… It definitely makes one think what the word “complete” actually does mean. It’s amazing how different editorial styles even same catalogs can possess depending on country, and how large influence it can have on number of stamps (if counted on main number level).
I place them on a separate strip, and make sure they don’t overlap with any other stamps/ items. It’s easy to use method, looks good, and provides the sheets all the protection they need.
There is a possibility that the increased thickness of items could damage stock book (either binding & strips; especially the strips are very prone to damages if placing anything thicker to them for extended period). But otherwise I don’t believe this to harmful.
I expected a full photographic gallery of your collection! Where is the pride of showing them off!
Awesome site.
@Gabriel… Thanks
Sound like Gabriel is offering you a new challenge, Keijo!!!
@Rick… Actually I have plenty of pictures of my collection, but the images are not of the quality or use I’d consider putting online. Anyone who’s taken snaps of album pages with camera knows what I mean – you can make out the stamps, but the images are eons away from the quality you see on posts. Below is a small teaser:
Scanning all the 60,000+ individual stamps and mounting them virtually on album pages… Now that would be an challenge
… But let’s just say that I have couple of other smaller (stamp related) projects on higher priority (and if all goes well, at least one of them will be ready by the end of this summer).
Keijo, above you list “number of stamps issued” for each country. This is going to be my denominator for calculating the % I have, a la your template. What is included in this number? For example, does it include, say, semi-postals, airmails, officals, parcel post, etc.? Thanks!
@Rick… The number includes all items listed in Michel. Compared to Scott catalogue, I’d say that with the exception of US and Canada, the listings in Michel are 5-20% more verbose than the ones in Scott. So for most countries everything from Scott is there, and likely a bit more
I should add, that I’m trying to publish a new, much more verbose & accurate version of “my collection” later this year. It’s something I’ve been working on my summer vacation along with Czechoslovakian stamps. It’s very much a work in progress (and thus private for the time being). But it will add about 400 countries/regions/locals etc. that are omitted in current listings.
Great blog. I started collecting not too long ago and have about 10k stamps. Wayy behind you but hopefully i can catch up.
Would it be possible to get the excel template?
@Erik… Thanks
10k stamps is a terrific start. I think it took me 10 -15 years to hit that mark. These days I try to add up that each year
I’m sending you email, so please check your inbox.
Hi Keijo,
Do you update your stamp count on this page still? I ask because I read in another one of your articles how you increased your Czechoslovakia collection from 40 to 80 pages and I am curious how many more stamps that was.
@Erik… Oh yes. The increase was roughly 1,000 major number stamps & roughly 250 misc variations (mainly small sized definitives). Still need roughly 1,000 more stamps from Czechoslovakia before reaching some level of completion.
Keijo…I was checking your collection and I stop on the section of spanish stamps and…I don’t get it…why you have a list of the cities, towns, provinces, etc. of that country?…is because of the stamps depicting places /honouring monuments on that specific town????!!!…or you think those provinces (part of the Peninsula Iberica) has issued their own stamps?
I know very well Bilbao (Bilbo in euskera language) and I am one of the thousands basques wishing the independence from Spain soon…but I think there is a few very old stamps issued in the Basque country…probably before the Spanish civil war…and I have a few spanish stamps depicting basque motives, the flag (Ikurriña) and Picasso’s ‘Guernica’…among others…and this summer…prendre un bain de soleil!…L O L!
@Fred… These are mostly local issues from the Spanish civil war era. Most of them should be local overprints on regular Spanish stamps.
Hi Keijo,
I noticed you haven’t updated your new acquisition area at the top of this page. I guess that beautiful weather outside is keeping you busy.
I picked up another 1500 stamps from various WW lots in the last 2 weeks. I’m getting ready to start using the list. 
@Erik… True. Yesterday I spent most of my after hours time fixing my bicycle (dismantling and re-greasing wheel hub bearings). Much more fun do it outside in the sunshine than in dark garage.
Hi: Nice collection. Just scanning the list I noticed you have Danish West Indies in Asia, however it is in America (now the US Virgin Islands). Over the years I have accumulated world modern used, which I don’t collect. I would be happy to donate some for the “cause” if you tell me where to send them.
@Fredbee… Well spotted . I wonder how I (and everybody) else missed that one
Re, mailing address… Please see my stamp exchange page.
Hi,
I have read few days this blog and now it´s time to arrange my stamps. You Keijo have lots of ideas and I try to put them work. I have downloaded all the pages from stampalbums.com (classic era) and start to fill pages. All other materials I exchange some ways.
Pikaista paranemista Keijo!
@Jorma… Kiitos
Hi -
Just discovered your website in the last few days. Wonderful info and very interesting. I started stamp collecting at age 9, but discontinued while busy with a career. Recently inherited a bunch of stamps and no longer working full-time, so I am now inspired to go back to this hobby.
I hope to send you an exchange packet soon!
Diana in California
@Diana… Thanks. It’s always nice to hear about a succesful comeback to this hobby of ours. It seems quite a msny people turn back to their old childhood/youth hobbies sooner or later. Maybe because of all the good memories… Looking forward to your exchange sending:-)
Hello
I think you put yourself on very hard position. You may need your kids to follow up your hobbit.
You haven’t mention Hejaz stamp ( before Saudi Arabia get united their stamp used from 1865-1916- http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af141/Harthi/9.jpg
Good Luck
@Harth… Actually Hejaz is there, but with slightly different name /spelling (Hedsch). The spelling (or use of official names) is one of those areas that I’ve been improving and most of existing errata will be fixed whenever I manage to release the next major version of this inventory.
As for my kids to carry on the collection… Well, time will tell for that. Right now they seem more interested for the comic book collection I have
Years ago I made a decision not to ‘push’ stamp collecting on their face. If they get interested of it by themselves – that’s fine. If not- that’s fine too. In similar fashion I will not put them any pressure to carry on with my business/profession with software development. It’s their life, they may do whatever they wish as long as their happy and have a good one.
Keijo!…you never end to amaze me!!!…ole!
Noticed under USA, you did not have BOB, broken out, do you also collect country rev’s? Am think about sending some of my dup’s to exchange and have quite a few used US rev’s and Cut squares in addition to India rev’s. Are these items you would be interested in?
@Cecil… Yes, I do have some (=few hundred worldwide) revenues but I do not collect them with same passion / interest as postage stamps. To me they are “nice-to-have curiosities” that add some spice to my album pages.
They are a bit problematic for my exchange…. First, like most Europeans I consider them “cinderella”, not as BOBs (simply because they have no postal purpose/validity unlike Postage Dues, Officials etc.). And as they are cinderella, I have very limited stock of what I can supply in return; mostly modern Christmas seals/labels…. So if you plan to send revenues, please do not include more than few at a time. It’s very unlikely I could exchange more in one go.
Cut squares are fully out of my radar – I have zero interest to them.
hi Keijo
firstly wish to appreciate your collection, down to the minutest detail. i am spellbound by the enormity and the sorting is worth genuine praise. I am using your website as a reference for sorting my collection and soon wish to be regular on the exchanging forums too. good day
Amazing statistics, great collection and data.
Thanks Jim
Hi Keijo,
I am sorting my German Occupation stamps and came across about 20 from the Poland Occupation. These stamps are listed in the Scott catalog under Poland Occupation. The numbers are N1 to N103. My question is using the above template to catalog them in the correct section where should they be? I do not see a Poland Occupation stamp section under the Poland heading. I see one for Germany – Occupation 1914/18 -Poland, but not the stamps I have which are from 1940-1941 and 1943-1944. They all say Generalgouvernement on them with a few saying Deutsches Reich Generalgouvernement. Thanks for your help.
@erik… General Gouvernement is on the list under Germany/Reich/Occupation issues.
I am missing only about 20 of all the stamps Malta ever issued. I have 11 of the 23 types of the 1/2d yellow and every stamp from 1885 to 2011 minus about 2 of the 1921 Self government overprint set.
My Pitcairn collection is complete from 1940 to 1985
My Irish collection is missing a few of the seahorse overprints but is complete from 1922 to 1991 minus a few late 70s and early 80s commems (less than 30)
My Kiwi collection is 98% complete from 1862 to 2012 (I only miss a few 1855 FFQs)
I like to finish what I start.
@Tane… Wow. Some impressive figures – good for You.
Just a short note that I’ve updated the contents and listings on this page.
All the data table listings are now in separate pages. This will make them more easier to view.
Additionally, the listings for European countries are now using the new, more detailed format.
Keijo…(reference # 85 Erik)
more or less the same question…I have a couple of unidentified stamps of Germany: ‘DEUTSCHES REICH’ on top
and depicting an eagle with open wings and holding the svastika within an olive’s branch with her talons, on the background are some buildings/towers…in red 24, in green 60 and at the bottom says: ‘Generalgouvernement’
How can identify these!!! my SG catalogue (rubbish!) doesn’t have a heading for ‘Germany/Reich/Occupation’ (!!!???)
Any idea where to go?
@Fred… Gibbons lists stamps of General Government under Poland.
Er…no, Keijo I’ve check as you said, but no…SG vol. 2 page 434 nothing!; Vol. 4 page 417(Poland occupation) could be, but no sure if they are SG 399 & 405 (?)…is as difficult as to look for a needle on a haystack ! really…this catalogues don’t give you a clear image of every stamp or at least more clues to verify stamps with their data…damn!
Thanks Keijo…you’re the light that keep us on board!
Keijo,
First, I would like to express my delight with the new organization of your site, including separate pages for regions and color background. Like you, I am also interested in statistics. I have however a small suggestion about the order of columns in the listing for European countries. I think it would be better if the first column of number will be the one including overall numbers (i.e., 1840-2010) rather than being the last one. On computers with smaller screens, the last colums will not show along with the country column. Anyway, you probaly had a reason for your choice.
On a different topic, I was following the number of stamps you have in your collection as a way of planning my collection (as far as distribution of stamps per country and potential completion levels) as well as a goal of achieving the same (or higher) number of stamps. You made a change in the number of stamps from Sweden few weeks back and lower your number of stamps from around 1750 to around 1400. Was that due to not counting separate perforations as separate stamps or did you sell some stamps?
@Fred… You might want to try Poland, Official stamps O462 and O465.
KEIJO!!!!…you did it, again and…what a heck! I’m so fortunate to be a user of this blog…thanks Keijo and very sorry to molest you for such thing…I’ll appreciate your patience a lot!…cheers!
@Titus
I’m aware of this, and I tried various approaches before settling with current approach.
My reasoning is simple – on western countries information is usually read from left-to-right. And since 1840-2010 is my summary column, I choose to place it as the last one.
Sadly there’s just too much information to fit it all properly on smaller (resolution) screens.
This (like many other recent unexplained drops and increases) has been a combination of things.
First, I’ve done recount of items. This has usually changed the number of items in my possession on some degree (for Sweden I’d say maybe 20-30 items). .
Secondly (and this is a major one for some countries like Sweden and UK where I get a decent flow of recent issues)…Previous numbers included everything I had, now I stopped counting strictly to end of year 2010. I still do collect post 2010 stamps, but I will not include them to my counts (several pages, so maybe 70-100 items).
Third, Sweden is one of those special cases where I switched from one catalog to another. I used Facit on earlier counts, now everything is based on Michel. This again had a small effect on counts. (maybe 20-30 items again)
And finally l’ve been doing heavy “quality control” while going through my stamps page by page. This means binning items that have put any signs of rust/foxing, as well as dumping items that don’t match my current quality guidelines. Like most collectors, I’ve been somewhat forgiving to blunt / shorts perfs, minor folds etc. in my early collecting days. And sometimes, the effect of cleanup has been as drastic as what you noted. The good news is that the remaining collection should consist of items that are of very good quality
Hi Keijo,
It is amazing the new detailed breakdown you have posted of stamp issuing entities and stamp issue totals for Europe. I have been pouring over this for the last week or so and it has prompted me to carry out a complete overhaul of the categorisation of my European collection.
I don’t know if this is a particularly interesting question, but there are a few entities that I cannot fit within your scheme. I would be interested to know what you think about these. Have they been deliberately excluded for some reason, am I looking under the wrong entry, or have you overlooked them?
There are four entities I am interested in:
Lundy private post
Herm Island private post
Italian Social Republic (1943-44)
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (1918)
The latter seems to be connected with stamps overprinted with “SHS Hrvatska”. There are a few more I wanted to ask you about as well but I need to scan them as they are better explained with pictures.
@Seth…
Thanks for the compliment
I must say that I’m more than satisfied with the end result too.
Regarding Italy and State of Slovenes,Croats & Serbs etc. cases… They are included to counts, but listed only as part of “parent state” – ie. Italy (1863-2010) and Yugoslavia (1918 – 2006) ). I confess being simply” lazy” every now and then
But each and every one of the missing entities will get separate listings some day when I have the time & energy to finetune the details.
As for Lundy, Herm and other “private posts”.. I’ve excluded these knowingly for the time being. Same applies for bogus countries (Nagaland, Isö etc). Again, some day…
Keijo,
I stumbled upon your site a while back and I have enjoyed it greatly. In fact, about 6 months ago, I re-discovered my childhood collection and have been earnestly getting back into the hobby.
My biggest challenge was determining my method of storage. I read, re-read, and read again every post you had about the cost comparisons, and, thanks to your research, I have selected Stock Pages… I chose them not only for cost reasons, but, the black backgrounds make the stamps look great, I can organize my stamps the way I want, (mounting takes way too much time), they are easier to move your stamps around in, and my final reason to choose pages over stock books was the ability to insert and move the pages themselves around, hopefully saving me future work as my collection expands.
Also – I loved your idea of color coding by continent. I have chosen Lighthouse Slip-cover binders (because they are beautiful) and I have chosen Vario stock pages – which seem to come with the highest recommendation.
Anyway – I am posting this because I have a bit of a request. I have been compiling (or attempting to compile) a list of worldwide stamp issuing entities, organized by continent, WITH a listing of the total number of stamps they have issued.
I just realized that you seem to already have this. So my request, if you would be willing, is: Can I have a copy of your spreadsheet of countries (with the total issued counts)?
I understand if you are unwilling, and regardless, I thoroughly enjoy your blog.
@Eric… Happy to have You hear as well. Your posts as SCF have been very nice read
I can only drool over your selection of Varios & Lighouse slip-cover binders. If I wasn’t so damn budget-concious, I’d be tempted to switch over to stock pages too. But stockbooks are not a bad choice either, and as they are much more cheaper I can afford more stamps 
As for spreadsheet… The list you see on this page is actually stored database, not in Excel. But I’ll see what I can come up and email you soon.
Hi Keijo,
I have a question about a possible “sub category” of stamps within Cambodia. I have come across about 10 stamps with the name People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) on them. Do these stamps all go under the Cambodia country total or do they have a different location/category somewhere else? Thanks for your help.
Erik
@Erik… In this database version, all Cambodian stamps are simply under the name of Cambodia.
With future versions it will change (as there will be separate sub categories for the Kingdom, Khmer Republic, People’s Republic etc). But these updates are a slow process (I expect to finish updated listings for Africa by September 2012, and South- and North America should be done by December 2012. After that I’m moving to Asia in early 2013 )
Hi Keijo,
could you send me a copy of your Excel spreadsheet template? Another thing is do you perhaps have a list of countries, or stamp issuing authorities, or perhaps know where I could download one? I’m trying to get to grips with my collection! Many thanks, and best wishes.
Allan
@Allan… Please check your email.
@Everyone following this topic… Second major datafresh of MyCollection listing is now live, and it focuses on bringing details of African stamp nations to same enhanced level as the European countries.
Next stop will be stamps of American countries, and I expect the listings for those to be ready sometime in late 2012 or early 2013.
Keijo, as an real and CTO-used collector, how do you handle stamps which only exist in mint condition? For example, most of the french colonies stamps of the Vichy-Regime 1941-1944? Are they ommitted from your lists of total issues and completion levels? For example, i checked French-Sudan, and there you list 172 stamp. If i count right this includes 14 Vichy-stamps…ok,, bad example, because you don’t have a single stamp from this area
@Holger… True. The numbers include also stamps that can exist only as mint (which are VERY few)…. These I try to collect as is. I can say that I don’t have much of these (maybe 50-100 stamps, if even that).
Hi Keijo,
Found your blog this week, have read most of it during commuting to and from my job (by buss) and have enjoyed it very much, thank you. I seldomly leave replies on the internet but it is so tempting to let you know that my collecting habits seem to be very similar to yours…and I do not know any ‘live’ people that are like ‘us’, save one guy from italy that I used to run a site with where visitors could identify their unknown stamps. So I always feel very lonely stamp-wise. In June my collection passed the 100.000 mark, from 816 different territories (meaning that Yvert starts numbering at no.1). 160 albums in all shapes and sizes so far! Started from scratch as a teenager 25 years ago, and collected almost cost-neutral. It’s all mostly quantity with some better stuff in my fav areas like Sweden and New Zealand. My trick is to buy junk or slightly better auction boxes once or twice a year, and auction off again duplicates in smaller lots. Was interested in your ways to calculate value, i have everything ina 25 MB excel sheet telling me that the average cat value is ca. 1 euro per stamp. I always tell myself I could sell it all at once for 10%, and for 25% if I sell better items separately. I will probably never find out, hope to have 40+ more years of collecting. Anybody out there who wants to race me towards the 200.000 mark? Meanwhile, I will keep following your blog!
@Neno… Thanks for your comment. Wish more readers of the blog were as “brave” as You, and shared their stories and knowledge. They make an fascinating read – especially since the breed of large scale worldwide collectors is far and few (and sadly also a very silent one).
I know the Italian website you refered to. It used to be my favorite reading too. It was run by Stefano Adinolfi and Casper Boks. The website is still online, but I have no idea why there hasn’t been any updates in over a decade
The race for 200,000 stamp mark… Sounds tempting
Well, I am one of those two guys
The story behind the lack of updates is basically, if I remember correctly, that the other guy was outsourced to another company, and no longer had access to the server that hosted the site. Which was in a way a bit of a relief as well as we got so many question (and answers) that it was hard to keep up, especially for him who did all of the html editing. And then I had to stop collecting for a couple of years, moving to another country…we kind of got out of touch….I hear you think….see if his email address still works and get back in touch…you are right! His worldwide collection was then bigger then mine….a collector to look up to. See, your blog makes people do what they should have done a long time ago. You do good 
@Neno / Casper… You guys were my “philatelic idols” way, way back. I even downloaded the entire site on my PC just in case it would go away some day (I still have the files, and I do view them time to time)… Hopefully you do get back in touch with each other.
I know what’s it like… Maintaining a “community based” website can be a time hog, because everyone wants a piece of You/knowledge. It is one of the key reasons I do keep various “breaks” from the blog/online world. That way it keeps being fun, and not a burden.
Hi Keijo,
I was wondering whether you collect the peel and stick type of stamps. If a stamp issue has both sheet and peel & stick, do you collect both? In terms of value, which would be more valuable?
@Mary – yes, I do collect both types, and sometimes go even beyond. For example several modern Australian stamps exist in both types, and they have got even a bunch of sub-varieties in die cut / perforation (due to use of different printers). And I’m foolish enought to try to collect all the varieties
In terms of value… It depends a lot on the era / country, and what is/was more commonly available at the time… But it seems the days of lick-and-stick stamps are soon behind, as an increasing number of new issues are released only as self-adhesives all around the world.
Hi Keijo,
A few days ago I stumbled across your fabulous site while looking for stamp inventory programs. And it’s been some busy but joyful days reading all posts! Your site is simply fantastic, not mentioning all the effort you put into your own collection and the joy of sharing your ‘lifestyle’ with all other ’stamp nuts’ out there. I imagined stamp collectors were too out-of-date for having a community like this one, but surely I was wrong. Reading your site gives me a feeling of not being the total nut-case I assumed to be! Big ‘Thank you’ to you and all others sharing their thoughts.
I’d like to share my story as well. I share the interest with my twin, both starting as small kids. The hormone-rush of the teenager made me loose the interest, and I then sold every single stamp to my brother, and I assumed I would never regret. On Christmas Eve ten years later I was astonished to see that the present from wife was actually a big box of stamps ‘to keep you happy while babysitting’. My brother had corrupted her, and within minutes I was back in the game. My wife did not understand what she had triggered and another 12 years later my collection is now counting 80.000 + and is suited in 160 identical 64 pgs stockbooks filling an entire wall, very much so to my wife’s despair!
My twin brother and I arrived at the same conclusion as you have Keijo, go for the fun of it! We were not in doubt to establish a system in stockbooks only, and started big with 120 thick stockbooks each, soon to expand to 160. All postal areas were accommodated for with various expectations of the percentage to accommodate for, only using small paper tags in between the stamps to indicate year, WM variations, perforations etc. The hope was that we had provided sufficient space for each postal area so we would never need to move the stamps around again (as we always did as kids!), but I am starting to think we were not ambitious enough with ‘only’ 160 books.
Yes, I did see the race invitation above from Neno – please count me in! And you bet I will invite my twin brother into the race as well
The word ‘count’ makes me arrive at my request. I have made an inventory program on my own, but that is only for counting numbers and not for listing individual stamps. I got curious to see what I could find on google, and here I am. Your thoughts and strategy for collecting is an inspiration, and I am confident your inventory program is excellent. As of hundreds (thousands?) others – will you please send me a copy?
Best regards, Jon – Norway
Ps – minor corrections for your splendid inventory:
Diego Suarez’ stamps were issued on Madagascar, Africa – not in America
‘Portuguese Guinea’ is current day ‘Guinea Bissau, also Africa
@Jon… Welcome aboard. It’s always nice to have a fellow Scandinavian to join the fun
Re, template file… No problem. A copy will be on your email soon… I would not use the term ‘excellent’ to describe it. It’s simply ’simple enough’ the accommodate the basic needs most collectors have.
I wonder how Diego Suarez moved into Americas
Anyway, this errata is now fixed… And yes, I’m aware that there are several other erratas (for example UN and other international organizations are missing). I hope these all to be fixed by the end of year 2013 when I’ve hopefully updated all parts of of my inventory to same “detailed” level as Europe & Africa are already.
@Everyone following this topic / progress of my collection… Like written earlier on late summer, I hope to update the listing of American countries by the end of this year(2012). I’ve already finished working with US and Canadian part of my collection, and will progress to stamps of Mexico and Central American states in upcoming weeks.
As some may have noted, my stamp counts for US and Canada dropped by several hundreds items few weeks back – this was a simple result of me “weeding out” damaged bits of out my collection as well as removing post-2010 stamps from numbers I have. But as I’ve been lately receiving quite a lot of US, the numbers are already “back up”
@Jon — welcome in the race
Ser at du er fra Norge….You don’t happen to live in the Trondheim area by any chance? Would be fun to meet and greet another worldwide collector 
@Neno – thank you, it’s a pleasure! Sorry, I’m living down in Southern part of Norway, men du er hjertlig velkommen om du orker turen over Dovre?
@Keijo – thanks a lot for the template, it is excellent in it’s simplicity. Though I couldn’t resist to complicate it a bit
As gratitude I’ll send you a Norwegian sheet you probably don’t have with a proper cancellation.
I enjoy your site bigtime!
@Jon… Takk
Men hva vil denne bloggen være, hvis vi alle begynner å skrive på norsk?
)
(Hope my norsk isn’t as bad as my swedish
@Jon – then we probably passed by your house this summer when we took different routes driving to Farsund and back…as there are not thát many road and valleys, haha. If I only would have known…
Hi Keijo
I really just discovered your site beyond your blog. I use a very similar cataloging system in Excel to keep track of the issues I have, and the statistics around my collection.
Your list of countries is VERY comprehensive. As a “Dead Country” collector, I am always on the lookout for new “dead countries” per my current definition. I will start going through your list and see if I can find new countries which meet the criteria I use.
If interested drop by my site if you would like to see my evolving definition of a “dead country”, or the resource I am slowly building on the subject.
Again, excellent site and resource.
Michael
DCStamps.com
@Michael….
Thanks. I’m always happy to hear feedback like this
It seems that most people using this site of mine have their favorite sections. Many visit the site because of the blog / articles, others come for exchanges only. Q&A is popular section too. And then there’s of course this list, which is my personal favorite to work with. For some bizarre reason I just keep on getting satisfaction from watching the numbers go up one stamp at a time. Maybe I’m not just addicted to stamps, but statistics too
Thank You… I acknowledge that despite large number of items, It’s still very much a work in progress with omissions, erratas etc. But it’s getting better one step at a time. Very likely this will be life long project, as I already have the raw data/ideas to keep me busy for years, if not decades. I’m still in the process of updating the ‘basic country data’, after which I have plans to start working with bogus issues followed by various (usually unlisted) locals. And…
Actually I’ve visited it several times. It is an truly marvelous resource
all the best from snowy lake Sumiainen,
-keijo-
Hello,
You are doing a wonderful job..
I have never seen before a collector so well organized and seems all things are at place..I mostly like the section where u put what many stamps during certain period u have and the completion rate etc..just too statistical mindblowing..keep it up good work..
Som
@Som… Thanks. I know stamp statistics like these can be mind-blowing
But I got to confess that being organized & tidy is right now a very poor description of my stamp desk 
Hi Keijo, slowly preparing for when your next exchange season opens. Currently working on the cochin section of my collection and have lots of duplicates, noted you currently only have 7 from this India state – If you can send me a list of the ones you have I can ensure I do not send you any duplicates. Also been going thru my India 1960’s and 70’s, have may duplicates there also and am setting some a-side for our future exchange could you let me know which years you have least represented. As I am trying to send the least amount of duplications as possible.
PS updated my website with the 1960’s section now
will be working on Cochin section in the next 30-45 days.
Cecil
@Cecil…
No rush… Very likely I won’t relaunch before the end of January.
I usually don’t give out specific haves/wants, as my collection changes almost daily. But for the time being:
Cochin… 95% of items in my collection are officials between Mi#26-53 (issues of 1931-1938)
India… I’m missing 60-90% for most years.
900 stamps in 7 days! You have been busy Keijo
@Mel… Yep. That’s what I love about the long holidays. They let me be busy on things I like
Sadly there won’t be nowhere as much progress in rest of the month, as I’ve got a very busy (work related) end of the month coming my way.
I have continued to move all my stamps into stockbooks, a project I started in May of 2011. I am working on Romania now. It has taken me a while to get to this point, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. My current count is 41,813 stamps.
One of the issues I have had is having to reorganize everything when I add a lot of new stamps from one country. I think I remember reading that the way you deal with this problem is to use stockbooks with less pages. I admit to using 64 page stockbooks and yes it does make reorganization difficult.
@Kristin… Congrats. 42K (and hopefully still counting) stamps is very admirable. And the journey or reworking everything is a fabulous journey in itself.
Regarding re-organizion… True, I favor stockbooks with 16 or 32 pages for two reasons. First, it’s easier to add/re-organize stuff. For example my Romania collection is currently housed in 3 x 32 pager stockbooks. The stamps are laid on every other row, so I can easily add up new stuff in between. When the book becomes more full (there are items on most rows), I simply split the book contents in two stockbooks, and start again. (Here’s a link to post you remembered reading)… Another reason relates to durability of binding. 64 pagers are quite heavy (especially with stamps), and if you have the stockbooks in active use for decades, the spines tend to become more or less loose/damaged. This doesn’t happen with 16 or 32 page stockbooks.
Hi,
I see you have a good collection housed inside a neat wooden cabinet, apperciated but, i’m concerned about the potted plants kept on top of the cabinet since moisture, water seepages, overflows and leakages from these pots can ruin your album and collection. If possible relocate those potted plants. This is only my observation, decision is up to you…Thanks.
@Kumar… Actually the plants haven’t been there in nearly a year. Not because they would have caused any problems, but simply because I did some re-ordering in the room. These days the top of shelf is occupied by two large sized cartons – one full of kiloware, the other full of outdated computer stuff waiting for annihilation (hoping to get rid of this sometime this year).
Hi Keijo,
you really have a great blog here…
and as I have a similar sized collection I must tell you my biggest respect for all your statistic work…
I regularly buy stamps in ebay and try to enlarge my collection, I also have a lot of stamps from Austria (my home country) to change if you have some special request…
Would like to enlarge my collection of Finland, Estonia and Aland Islands…maybe we can help each other, just tell me what you need from Austria
best regards,
Patrik
@Patrik… Thanks for the praise. It’s nice to know other worldwide collectors find these statistics ‘fun’ too..
Regarding exchanges… I’m sure you’ve seen my stamp exchange page? I know it’s not what you are after (as you can’t pick/choose countries to include/exclude), but that’s all I’m providing. A simple system to swap worldwide stamps to other worldwide stamps. All in all I try to keep the outgoing mixtures very versatile (meaning there’s a bit of this and that around the globe). But I can say that there is not much Finland, as I haven’t bought any Finnish lots/accumulations for very long, long time and most excess Finnish stamps come thus from my personal (and very limited) correspondence.
Dear,
i see your web is very rich.I am a collector from Syria. I see that you have no stamp from my country. I have some Syrian and Arab stamp and Others. Do you like to exchange with ones From Finland (Norway,Denmark ).Do you like Postcards ? I hope to hear from you soon.
@M.M. Katlan
Actually I have some Syrian stamps, see this page. Likely you missed them, as I have them categorized wrongly under ‘middle east’ (whereas Asia would be a more proper classification… but this is something I’m working to fix as I progress/update this list country by country)
Re, any kind of exchanges… Please see my stamp exchange page.
Hi Keijo,
Any news on the upgrade of your amazing stamps issued tables? I think I recall you saying the Americas were next on your list. I know I shouldn’t pester but each time you have posted new information (Europe and Africa so far) it has revolutionised the organisation of that part of my collection. I am therefore eagerly anticipating whatever is next!
Hope all is well. Signs of Spring here in the UK at last.
@Seth… True, the Americas and Caribbean area will be next. I’ve got a good part complete, but there’s still lots more to do. Right now I’d say that it will take up to late April or May till I’m done with it.
Re, spring… Well, kind of here too. It’s about -10 degrees, snowing etc. But the ants are already awake and they seek warmth/food from our kitchen
Fantastic collection! Do you by any chance have any palestinian stamps before 1918 and the britsh mandate? If yes then I would like to exchange with you!
@Ziad…
You mean various Levantian stamps used in Palestinian area before British mandate?
I doubt. I’ve got somewhere between 10-20 stamps from various Levant issues, but if I recall properly most have ‘European’ cancellations.
@keijo
It’s okay, though I prefer the levantian stamps I still like to collect the other Levant issues!!