[Carmen]

Today I fixed a formatting issue in EZStamp where dates of purchase would show up wrong, sigh. Turns out that it was because I had to take a step back into my Windows settings, which were set wrong to begin with. Tell the others, LOL!

Then I catalogued some stamps a friend gave me way back in 2016-17 where I had written on two of them "Catalogue later - too new to catalogue!". Well they're catalogued NOW!   #BetterLateThanNever

By the way, some of you may have noticed that my posts show up EARLY in most cases. That's because I'm one of THEM: in bed by 9 and up at 3 or 4 am... just how my body works! Oh 

[Hugh]

Hi Carmen ... thanks for your post. 

It's always fun to look over someone's shoulder and see how they do things ... in this case, how they collect stamps. 

While there is no one right way to do it ... we all have our own style. IMO, we are all somewhere on a continuum from the cataloguer at one end to the note-booker at the other. 

What I mean by a cataloguer is someone who loves spreadsheets, checklists, album page numbers and inventory management. Someone who likes knowing what they have and get's pleasure from measuring the progress of their collection. A notebook collector, again in IMO, is more like a field-journal collector. They don't keep an inventory. Their album and stock-books are a thinking space for notes and displays. Rather than keeping a detailed inventory, they like browsing their collection and take joy form rediscovery ... "Oh, I forgot I had that". (smile).

I, for example, treat my collections as an evolving notebook. I'm here for the story, the history and the meaning of the artifacts I acquire. If I want to know what i have, I would go and look at my album rather than a spreadsheet. 

Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with keeping records. I salute and respect those who do. (As I said, there is no right way to collect). I think it just very interesting how our collecting styles reflect the kind of person we are. And, thankfully, we're all different. For example, my basic approach is to collect covers and postally-used postcards ... because what is interesting to me is the story ... who sent it, to whom, why, what was the postage, how did it travel, what stamps were used and what was the context, is there a letter, what does it say, are their any instructional or auxiliary markings... etc., etc.  Sure, I have some stamps (many, actually), but I don't care as much for mint stamps or for used stamps which have been taken off their cover. I do collect stamps as well as covers, it's fun ... but not as much fun as covers (if that makes sense - smile).

Covers don't even have to be in good condition ... in fact, a well-used cover evidences that it served the purpose for which it was intended. 

So, thanks again, I really enjoy seeing how other people collect  ... it's like reading a book. Reading let's use see the world through other people's points of view. This lets us 'live' many lives .. not just our own. 

Cheers, Hugh