Are you a "completest" ?

[Admin Bear]

do have to get every stamp for your collection?? let me explain a bit more while answering this question myself

in short it greatly depends on the collection..

for example on my BIG 3 - yes!! for these collections (US, Canada, and Germany up to 1945) i am trying to get one example of every stamp issued by that country. the need not be perfect examples mind you but i just want one of each. rare flaws or printing errors are not sought after (if i find one great but they are not the top of the list).

Now for my "casual" collections (topical collections in my case) - NO, not at all .. in fact i really dont care if i get them all or if i complete sets etc. for these collections it is more about the image for me and the beauty that they bring. i have a few of these going right now and i find them rather relaxing to work on. (Butterflies, Trains, Birds, Bears, & Ships)

i think this yes for some and no for others works for me, and keeps me from going all OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)on mt collections, and i also think this is why i get turned off from collecting when i attempt a World Wide collection. world wide not only blows my mind but when i recently obtained a pre-printed album it drove be batty that it was not complete.

how about you? are you a completest?

[samb]

I am if I think it is reachable. I have a few small collections that I plan on completing because they are doable.

I'm with you with the ww stamp albums.... pixxes me off when I don't have a space for a stamp I've decided to keep!!

[JanetC]

When I bought that Huge 4 album WW set I thought it would have a picture for every stamp. NOT. But that's OK. I'll find a spot for it even if I have to make up blank pages.
For my major countries (which at the moment are US, CAN, AUST and GB) I have printed out the pages that a member sent me to make sure there are places for stamps. And I have the Mystic American Heirloom for US.
I would like to complete these countries sometime. I may add a couple more countries if the amount of stamps I have warrants it. Such as Germany and Russia.

I used to have a goal to fill every spot in the albums. I finally realized that this was not a realistic goal. My other goal was to get at least 1 stamp from each issuing entity. I am holding on to this one.

[tomd]

I am also trying to get at least one stamp from everywhere in the world.
As far as complete, I know that will never happen so I just keep on.

[MikeC99]

I am not a completest. Now that I am retired, I know I have to be reasonable with my spending so I buy wisely. That means I will not get many of the very early Canadian or US stamps. I have been able to purchase many of the very early GB and Germany stamps so I am happy going in that direction. I only collect Germany up the 1960s, the US up to 2002, Australia, Irelend and NZ to the early 2000s.
Mike

[FairyFoot]

Eventually maybe.... I know I am a few short of the RSA pretty flowers issue (late 70s or early 80s, haven't checked) and as I do like flowers...wouldn't mind completing this issue, but there is no rush...

[Deleted]

Are you a "completest" ?

Yep, and I will admit that the condition is aggravated by the inability to define what complete is.

[hendriks]

I'm a completist even though I will have to accept that I will not always be able to afford what I want. To counter this I increase the number of countries I collect, so that there's always something that I can afford that will fill a hole in one of my collections. Also, I print my own album pages, so anything I don't like or will never get, I skip it.

There's nothing more satisfying than filling a hole. The funny thing is that once I have completed a collection, I barely ever look at it again. It's the holes that keep bringing me back.

[RossTO]

I am a colmpetest in as much as my pocketbook will limit me. As I collect both mint and used for some countries I fear I will never complete my collection unless I win the lottery or something. So a complete collection will most likely not be possible... but I will attain what I can with what I have.

[kannik]

I`m a long way from being a completest - I feel just about the way Bear does. Except I know I will
never fill all the Canadian or American spaces, so I just enjoy what I have and can get. Filling
blanks is always a pleasure though!

[winkerbids]

I would have to say I am a completionist. Hate those pesky blank spots in my albums. I used to think that there would be no way for me to ever afford some particular stamps but have been surprised on occasion with lucky finds and no-reserve auctions. Don't think I'll ever fill the first page of my Mauritius album though.

[troutdude]

Yes im a completist, and I think this is where the advantage goes to the album page makers, if its a questionable reprint, or a super ultra rare that has somehow received major catalog number status, and there will be a empty space in your page forever, leave it out!

us scott 508c is an example

www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/508c/508c.pdf



tony

[Gordon Lee]

Greetings Mr. troutdude
.
If I so happened to have a 508c it definitely would not go in a stamp album (with or without a space specifically for it). It would be under lock 'n key inside a security vault.
.
Respectfully,

Gordon Lee

[swish513]

Sept 5, 2013 7:01:29 GMT -5 Admin Bear said:

how about you? are you a completest?

yes and no. precancels... i want 1 from every city/town from the states i collect. no, i don't need every type of precancel (ok, cincinnati is an exception to this rule), nor do i need every stamp (scott #) precancelled from a city (again, cincinnati is an exception). as far as countries go... i collect what i can from the countries i like to collect. for some series, i feel the need to complete it. but not every series from the countries i collect. topicals... i collect what i find. simple as that. hope this makes sense.