"Stamp Collecting" Topic

When I was a kid I had those bags of world stamps like you would would get at a coin store, but that is it.

Not sure what to vote.

I used to collect stamps as a child – there really was nothing to do so we had to do whatever there was! I had so many franked second class stamps….

Used to pick up occasional "world stamp bags" to broaden the old collection – mostly African triangular stamps.

Do have some WWII German stamps showing tanks and planes and stuff.

Pretty much stopped, but occasionally pick up sets of Space themed stamps. And First Day Covers that have been franked in aeroplanes (there's a surprisingly large number of these, and it's the closest I'll ever get to flying in a Spitfire). Do but some special issues – Dr Who, Lord of the Rings, Gerry Anderson, that kind of thing.

Not sure what that makes me – but I went for "not anymore" as the nearest.

I collected mostly used domestic stamps when I was a kid. It was a poor boy's hobby; the stamps weren't worth much, but I got them for free from our mail. Once in a while there would be a letter from foreign lands. When I had a few dollars I'd send off for one of the jumbo bags of world postage stamps, and buy a few cheap sets of approvals from the stamp company.

That collection got my love, but I sold it a long time ago. There aren't as many stamps on the mail these days. Most of it comes in bulk mail, postage paid, except for the Christmas cards. As long as he lived, my old Dad used to cut the used stamps off his mail and save them for me. I have several big bags from him that I mean to go through and properly curate, one of these days.

For forty years I've cut the plate blocks from my own sheets of stamps. I have several hundred of them by now. They're worth at least their face value as postage. Might be worth a couple thou. One day I'll cash them in down at the stamp shop. If there is still a stamp shop.

By the way, does anyone know the best way to get modern adhesive stamps off their backing paper? I used to soak off the old lick-em-and-stick-em stamps in a pot of warm water. Does that work for the newer gummed types, too?

On second thoughts it's more like – "other" : not really anymore, but a few things get picked up very sporadically.

I inherited my grandfathers collection. Volumes of world stamps and first day covers. Much sits in storage. I have no idea of the worth and locally there are only coin shops. Have a few stamps from before 1900 and the bulk run from the 30's up to the 70's when he passed away.