Is a complete all-era worldwide stamp collection possible?
A friend of mine recently asked why I collect worldwide stamps from all eras as I have non-existing possibilities of building even somewhat complete collection. I told him that I collect for personal fun with no serious goals (like exhibition philately or profit seeking) attached; for me it’s just a hobby like reading a good novel…. But I dared to challenge him by saying that a complete, all-era ww collection is by no means as impossible as generally considered. And I’ve got the proofs…
How many stamps have been issued
The first piece of information I needed to know is how many different stamps have been issued since the Penny Black to date.
Keeping up with all new issues is "Mission Impossible"
A generally acknowledged piece of information is that there are over half million different stamps, and new ones come at a rate of 10-15 000/year. But to find a more precise number, one has to pick up their favorite stamp catalog and start counting. As each stamp catalog has a somewhat different numbering system, the results will vary at some extend.
Luckily I’ve been building a “rough index” of stamp issuing entities for years, so I didn’t have to do all the “ugly maths” at one go. My figures are based on Michel catalogs (issued between year 2000 and 2009) and don’t include any perforation, color etc. varieties listed unless they have their own catalogue number.
And the total figure is (…drumroll, please…) 527,628 stamps… Of these about 92% are what can be dubbed as “normal stamps”, the rest are officials, postage dues, parcel stamps, military and telegraph stamps etc. special purpose issues used in postage.
The percentage of "different stamps" by area/continent
How many stamps do I have?
Most long-time collectors (me included) consider the question “How many stamps do you have?” as a completely non-trivial piece of information. But since I do keep a simple (Excel-based) records on my collections, this one is easy to answer…. Based on my records I have 51,023 different stamps, and the number increases daily.
My latest purchase -a lot of early British South African Company
This means that my worldwide collection is currently approx. 10% complete already. But I know some areas are better than others. For example my Europe collection is about 4x more complete than for example the Africa.
My stamp collection. The percentage number on each slice shows the completion level by area/continent.
Always have a goal
Now that I know the number of stamps issued as well as number of stamps I have, it’s easy to count the number of missing stamps: 527,628 - 51,023 = 476,605 stamps.
It is a HUGE number, but NOT IMPOSSIBLE to reach with time and patience (and some money of course)… Playing a devil’s advocate is easy: “just add 40-65 new stamps every day, and in 40 years time you will have a complete worldwide collection” …The best way to think a goal as big as this is to compare it to apartment mortgage. Instead of getting it done at one go, you have to work with tiny paybacks each month for decades.
And the real problem in the end are not the expensive (or even slightly better) stamps. They are always relatively easy to find from specialized dealers. The really hard part are normal “minimal catalog value” issues that you have to dig up one by one from various sources (and usually you end up with plenty of unnecessary dupes at a same time).
What’s your take on this issue?
Keijo, You’re my man! I like your style! yes, let’s go for old-fashioned all world collecting! There’s nothing better! Like you, my collection is so much better or more complete in some areas than in others, but each and every stamp that comes my way finds a place in my all world stamp books! And that’s how it should be!
Great post Keijo!!!!
I also collect worldwide stamps. (Have about 15.000 now, also based in an Excel sheet)
I also keep goals:
- Right now, my goal is at least one stamp from each currently issuing country (only four missing at this time)
- And I prefer to focus on some areas: Argentina, Falklands, Spain, Latin America.
By no means i aim to complete the collection: If I do so, I will have no more to do after that….
To Adrian… I believe all world collecting is getting more popular these days. Internet (and younger generations involved) has made it so much alive, easier and attractive than before.
To Pablo… I’m also trying to get at least one used stamp per country/area (including “dead countries”, local issues etc). And it is GREAT FUN – especially when you find a completely new country. So far I have “only” 400+ countries/areas covered.
Yes, I have been always asking the young collectors to satisfy self thirst of stamp collecting first and then try to order a drink for the Judges! and this self thirst always seems to be never ending. Yes each collector has one’s own means of quenching his thirst, hence his own way of collecting, never collect just to please a few judges at an Exhibition. You are the best judge of your own collection (refer my last entry/article in my blog: http://mbstamps.blogspot.com)
I sometimes buy old stamps from fellow collectors and ebay. Sometimes I get a bargain – like a whole sheet. I always say to myself, keep maybe 10 pieces from the whole sheet and sell or trade to collectors.
Unfortunately, I could not get myself to tear 10 pieces from the sheet. So now I have several dozens of sheets that I refuse to divide and now I refuse to sell.
To Mansoor… I definitely agree that one should always collect for self. It’s wise to take some outside factors (like money) into account, but they should never strictly rule what/why/how a person collects.
[...] this way a complete worldwide collection of 530,000 stamps would take approx. 18,000 stockbook pages; or 562 stockbooks of 32 pages. As stockbooks cost [...]
[...] calculations I have done are based on single question- how much would storage of “complete worldwide stamp collection” (of approx. 530,000 stamps) cost? It must be noted that my figures are not absolute. Each collector will have their own [...]
Great reads, the article and the comments. I also collect world wide, but limit the era to about the first 100 years. I’ve collected this way for many years without knowing it and just recently decided to make it official. I wonder if any of you can tell me approximately how many issues there are in this era. By the way, I printed my own album pages for most countries – about 7000 pages in all.
Hi David,
and thanks for kind words
As for number of stamps between 1840-1940….My personal estimate would be somewhere around 50-60,000 stamps.
Here’s something I think many will love seeing – a video clip (by Australian Broadcasting Company) on what a complete worldwide stamp collection looks like:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/collectors/video/download.htm
Bottom of the page: Episode 29 – Eclectic Stamps
Like your website and think your numbers are accurate.I also have been collecting worldwide for the past 54 years.But since I been working on them non-stop I can claim the number of different stamps in my collection is in the area north of 250,000 different.No I never counted them but did buy a collection of 140,000 different which in review was about half of what I already have .
Hi Paul,
I can only dream what Your collection must look like. Most likely it is among the largest private worldwide collections that exist… It’s great to hear someone has managed to build something as astonishing; and apparently enjoyed very much from it.
ok……..
keijo..
you r going to make a history….
i like it…..
but money is a factor…. to me…. but try to collect …. little by little….
Hi Suhas,
and thanks. I still got a long road to go. But little by little..
I think money is a factor for every average collector – me included. But the good part is that stamp collecting doesn’t have to be expensive. So far I’ve managed get where I am with pocket money / small annual budget. And I intend to keep it that way.
I recently stumbled upon a website that may interest you. I don’t know if you have seen it before, but this gentleman’s collection sure is amazing.
http://worldstampalbum.com/main.aspx?MenuId=1
Very interesting blog topics too although they are off topic. I wish I could read Chinese.
David
Hi David,
The site is new to me too… Truly amazing achievemt and something to look for.
I was aware of Dr.Meng collection, that Amos used as the source of images for their improved Scott catalogues at the turn of the millenium. Very likely it is/was the largest worldwide collection to exist. Some (if not all) parts of it were sold last year by the Harmer’s auction.
Here is a picture of my collection….http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq358/stamp12345/paulscollection-1.jpg
Looks superb, Paul!
Seeing images such as this make the goal a very realistic one.
Paul’s collection definelty gives us something to shoot for… I wonder if he has any advice to us working on our world collections. It looks like he went the Scott International route, and I see some Harris standard albums in there too. It seems 250,000 stamps would fill about 100 Scott International Albums.
Here’s something that I think will interest people following this post: http://globalstamps.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-many-stamps-were-issued-between.html
Bob has done quite an interesting post about the number of stamps issued between 1840-1940 based on Scott. He estimates that there are roughly 91,000 different stamps from the era … This is quite different from my rough estimate of 50-60,000 stamps.
So why the difference? As I’ve done some cross-catalog comparisons of the early years (and hopefully can find the time do complete them on upcoming summer), I think that one of the biggest causes are different numbering systems. What is worth a major number in one stamp catalogue, may not be that in another stamp catalogue. I fear that this alone contributes to very large (up to 20-30%) differences in numbers.
FDR, Queen Elizabeth II, and most certainly King George V,..big collections,…Phillip von Ferraay for his time came the closest to complete,…but didn’t do it,…so, IMO, it COULD be done, but its highly unlikely that it will EVER be done,…
@Marvin… I agree. But it will definitely whole lotta fun to see how far my “pocket money” budget will let me go.
Ive been making a worldwide collection for about a year now ive only managed to amass a collection of roughly 20k stamps although i am only 18 so have plenty of years to work on it, i was just wondering is there a list of every known stamp in existence or a particular set of catalogues witch list every stamp?
@Joe… That’s an amazing start
Re, worldwide catalogs… Basically You have four alternatives to choose from: 1)Michel, 2) Scott, 3) Stanley Gibbons, 4) Yvert & Tellier.
What might suite You best, is a combination of issues. What languages you are fluent with, how much details are you after etc. If you want “the best”, then get yourself Michel catalogs and learn to use/read them.
English is my only language so obviously ill need a catalogue in english are the michel catalogues in english?
Would you be able to give me a website from where i could buy these catalogues please?
@Joe
Most Michel catalogs are in German only, but I know several US & UK based collectors who use Michel, but lack German skills totally. LOL.
I think the image speaks more than thousand words:
All stamps are listed like this in Michel. Nearly every stamp has an image (unlike Scott or SG; but be aware there are some exceptions such as Ajman and Paraguy where Michel is more like rest of catalogs), information is represented chronologically (unlike Scott), technical details are represented both visually and numerically, etc.
If you decide to stick with English only catalogs, then you have 3 options:
1) Some Michel catalogs (Middle East, North America) are available in English language. These are usually slightly cut down version of German versions. But still, of extremely good quality / value.
2) SG has several catalogs. Their main product for worldwide collector is called “Stamps of the World” – it’s an extremely simplified catalog in 6 thick volumes. For more advanced collector, they recommend country specific catalogs (about 25 different volumes I think; some are updated bi-annually, most once or twice a decade).
3) Scott has simplified (or as they call “Standard”) stamp catalog serie in 6 volumes. This is pretty similar to SG Stamps of the World.
If you want to compare these three… A complete set of Michel catalogs takes up about 10 units of shelf space, SG country specific catalogs about 4 units, SG stamps of the World and Scott only about half a unit each.
Where to buy? You might try Amazon, or straight from publisher. And nearly every stamp shop can provide these too…
If you still unsure what to pick, may I recommend a visit to public library. That way you can easily compare different catalogs side by side, and find out what suites you best.
Keijo,
Didn’t know if you were aware, but Dr. Meng passed away on February 8, 2011.
Like you, I also collect worldwide (primarily used) stamps. This past decade, I returned to my childhood joy of collecting worldwide stamps after getting bored with collecting in specialty areas for the previous couple of decades. I got the same type of smirks and “looks”, but I must say I enjoy collecting a lot more (like when I was a child).
I know I will never complete, nor come close to completing. That is not my goal. My goal is to try to get as many different worldwide stamps as I can, and have as much fun as possible doing it.
Depending on what your definition of “complete” is, I would say it is in general not possible to have a complete all-era worldwide collection. I would estimate close to 1000 stamps (not varieties/errors, but basic face different stamps) that are well beyond the means of even most so-called advanced collectors — in the sense of retail (not catalog) pricing and because they rarely come to market because they exist in such low quantities (even as space fillers). If we ignore those stamps, then the difficulty you mentioned about getting all those low value stamps comes into play. But I consider that part the great “joy” of worldwide collecting. I don’t have to have that great rarity, when I can get lots of fun acquiring a few dozen so-called “worthless” stamps. Worthless at the retail level, but lots of joy value to me!
Enjoy your worldwide collecting! I know I do!!!
Hi Kim,
I recall seeing his obituary at Scott (or Linns) earlier this year. Without a doubt he was one of the great collectors of all time. I wonder if he ever gave out any interviews or similar; they might make a highly interesting read.
I can only agree with you write about worldwide stamp collecting. For me too it’s not about reaching completion; it’s about being happy & having fun. That’s what truly matters! . Every new stamp is one small step closer (approx. 0,00015 %) to completion, but I agree that reaching the magical 100% completion is impossible. 99.9% on the other hand… LOL.
Thank you Keijo for you help.
There is one peticular country i would like to find a specialised catalogue for, and that’s Liechenstein. But i cant seem to find one have any ideas as to where i could get one?
I think i will go with the michel catalogues. my thinking is that if these catalogues have a picture of every stamp, then i dont realy need the writing. i have no interest in value or anything like that id simply like to collect them all
Joe
@Joe… It was my pleasure.
Though Michel has images of stamps, You’ll likely want to learn up the names of “colors” in German (as same stamp CAN exist in multiple colors; but there is usually just one image); but don’t worry. Michel should have an free “booklet” that is “introduction” to Michel catalogues to non-German speakers; basically it is a list of translations (to English,French, Italy etc). If you can’t find one, I can forward you scans of mine.
Re, Liechtenstein catalog…Try either Michel specialized Switzerland&Liechtenstein catalog; or Zumstein Switzerland & Liechtenstein catalog. Both can be ordered on any well supplied stamp / book store & publisher websites have plenty of information of the contents of these books.
Impossible? No. Wildly improbable? Maybe.
My guess is that a consortium of collectors may be able to do it in one place, which would be a great thing, though it would probably take at least two generations to accomplish.
Could be worse… Noah had to collect TWO of everything!!!
Cheers!
True. Though I know few collectors who do collect both a mint and used copy of each stamp
The pie-charts at the beginning of this article got me thinking about something not unrelated. For the past year and half I have been rapidly expanding my stamp collection by buying bulk lots of mixed world stamps off eBay. One thing I enjoy thinking about while sorting through each batch is its composition. Some have an obvious ‘stamp club/stamp collector’ feel with lots of CTOs, stamps in individual mounts, etc. Some have been accumulated en masse straight out of stamp albums. Some come from charity collections (mostly still on paper) and I guess the ideal are childhood accumulations from long ago that have been sitting in someone’s attic. I think some sellers realise this and sell batches in old biscuit tins, etc. to give them the ‘authentic look’.
By trade I am an archaeologist and my specialist field is in ceramics. My job involves sorting though often tens of thousands of pieces of broken pottery trying seek improved forms of classification and dating and ultimately trying explain the meaning behind why a ceramic assemblage takes on the particular form and composition it does. ‘Formation processes’ as we call them are crucial here, and in this I see obvious parallels.
One thing I don’t really understand about the composition of the stamps I buy is why particular countries always appear to be so well represented. I guess if I was buying bulk world accumulation in China they might look quite different, but at least in the batches I have purchased from the UK and America certain counties always feature heavily: America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany and the UK. Obviously there is also always a massive weighting in favour of Europe and currently 55% of my collection is European despite my attempts to balance things out. Conversely, I find Middle Eastern stamps some of the most difficult to come by. Why do you think these patters occur? Particularly with the countries, do America and Australia produce larger print runs of stamps than say Bulgaria? Is it simply that my stamp assemblage reflects postal communication within the traditional English speaking world?
@Seth… The best explanation I have come up is that it’s a combination of multiple factors.
Large print runs is likely the most major contributor for countries like US, Germany or Australia to be found so commonly. They do have very large populations, and people in these countries do mail a lot. That aside, I can’t honestly understand why finding some “supposedly common” issues from these countries is so difficult (and why some “supposedly better” stamps pop up much more often than I’d expect).
And I’m quite sure that the language barrier does have some effect too.
Seth… Thanks for your very provocative perspective. I would ponder it all day, if I had the time. Another facet to the answer might be that many Asian countries were more closed off to the west and each other, and, therefore, corresponded less. Also, consider the very similar difficulties of communicating via the internet with remote foreign countries.
Keijo… No one (except for a few nuts like me) wants to collect duplicates and definitives, ergo, they can be more scarce.
Hi Keijo,
I’ve been collecting stamps on and off for years and I enjoy this hobby immensely when I have the “time”; however, I consider myself a beginner. I think a complete era worldwide collection is beyond me. So, I will slowly add countries and eras which interest me.
I am trying to ascertain the number of methods available in collecting stamps and which ones would I find most rewarding for the time being. Currently, my stamps are stored mostly in stock books and album pages I’ve designed and produced myself. It can be a bit of work to produce your own stamp pages; but I enjoy this because it allows me to hinge stamps of my choice, identify and describe them however I wish, and make me feel that my collection is fairly “complete” to my satisfaction.
Having said that, I browsed Dr. Chang Cheng’s website (worldstampalbum.com) and found his stamp collection to be quite impressive. Dr. Cheng uses stamp albums to store his collection. Without devaluing his impressive collection and respecting his hobby, can you confirm that Stamp albums do not suggest all the available stamps printed for any given country / years? Also, can you identify the brand or make of Dr. Cheng’s preferred stock album of choice?
If I’m correct, you stated that you prefer stock books for various reasons explained in your previous blogs, however if you had to hinge your stamps on a stock album, do you have a particular brand you prefer? I’m looking forward to reading tips from your readers’ response as well.
Thanks in advance!
Virgil
@Virgil …
I’m about 99,9% positive on this. There are two reasons for this.
First, catalogs evolve constantly. New additions come in every year, whereas (old) erratas are removed. It’s nothing major, but if you compare say a 1990 edition to 2010 edition, you are guaranteed to spot some differences every now and then. Stamp albums on the other hand are largely “fixed” presentation of past situation.
Secondly, catalog publishers can’t agree on what is worth a major number and what is not. Take a look for say US, UK or France: each catalog points out a different number of stamps. Even at best cases (pre-printed) stamp album pages are nothing more than a representation of single catalog publishers opinion of what to include and what not to include. There is lots of “grey area” that makes stamp albums appear either incomplete or extremely detailed. The more knowledgeable the collector, the higher the demands.
I recall reading somewhere that it was housed on Scott International.
Likely I would choose Bill Steiner’s pages (read my review) as they are the most detailed “commercial” worldwide albums I’ve seen.
If I had the time, then I’d likely build my own pages.
If you ask any serious stamp collector, a complete world wide stamp collection isn’t possible. Maybe it’s correct in terms of completeness, but for me that doesn’t mean you can’t give it a try. And it contains lots of fun to do this! I have ca. 90.000 stamps mint and used, including duplicates. My next aim is to determine how much different stamps i own, which is quite a lot of work. I’ve organized my collection mainly in 70 large stockbooks, with the exception of most of the german section which are in Lindner albums. I have sorted them after Michel numbers, for some of the older stuff like German Reich i prefer sorting after the Kohl-Handbuch and its successors “Handbuch/Neues Handbuch der Briefmarkenkunde”. It’s more logical, for example for the inflation stamps from 1920-23. I also collect lots of old philatelic literatur and catalogs. These sources are often very excitingly and instructively. The author of the Kohl-Handbuch, Dr. Herbert Munk, was a true genius. Too bad that his work has never been completed.
When i see collections like Dr. Cheng Chang’s world stamp album, i get goosebumps…i will never reach something like that, but nevertheless: the journey is the reward
@Holger… I so much agree with You. It’s not so much about the destination, but about the journey into it. Anyone can build a noteworthy collection if having unlimited assets. But it takes the heart of collector to enjoy and appreciate the full of it.
Good to see others have a interest in this subject.
To answer a question above,the Cheng Chang collection is in Scott Specialized Country Albums,not the Internationals which come in worldwide albums by date,my picture of my collection above is in Internationals they have a blue binder cover,the Specialized are green. I believe the Dr. purchased most of his collection from Gregg Manning Stamp Auctions,many were intact as a country collection,but some like China ,which is impressive was made by him.
Most collectors in the U.S. are now making computer generated pages instead of buying country specific albums.Just to update those from my last posting, I’m now printing off the computer pages to expand my worldwide collection,its much easier and gives one more flexibility to adding unlisted material.
Hoping to continue expanding my collection which should be fun during retirement.