Sorting an Accumulation

Janet Klug writes in Linn's Nov. 24 edition, "There is nothing more delightful for a stamp collector than acquiring a whole lot of stamps all at once. The feeling must be akin to that of a pirate opening up a treasure chest full of gold doubloons."

She goes on to say, "If you have ever acquired a fat album full of stamps or a cigar box lot crammed with stamps, then you know the feeling. But then the realization sets in that you actually are supposed to do something with this treasure."

In her Refresher Course article, Imposing Order on Chaos: Processing Large Lots and Collections , Janet says there are basically four steps involved;

1. Organize it
2. Meld it into your current collection
3. Start a new collection
4. Swap or store the duplicates

She points out processing an accumulation requires some tedious sorting. She says she likes to sort by country first. After that, she sorts each country by approximate time period - 18th, 19th, 20th century, etc.

She concludes by saying, "The most important point to remember when working with a large number of stamps is to take your time. You do not need to do it all in one sitting. Spread it out over days, weeks or months, and before long your chaotic treasure chest will morph into a nice, well-organized collection."

To read Janet's entire article, click here.