Today I received a set of stamps Albert Decaris engraved for Cameroun. The 1946 From Chad to Rhine set. I was really excited about getting this beautiful set - I still am! - but what I didn't know until I looked them up in the catalogue today is that these stamps are part of an Omnibus series. This initially deflated me a little, as it meant many, many more sets to collect! Added to that, I didn't have the full set after all.
So what to do? Does one who collects engraved stamps limit themselves to one example set of an Omnibus series? Or is one more or less obliged to collect every set in the Omnibus series? I guess technically each set is unique in that the name is different on each set. But is this really enough of a difference to justify spending potentially hundreds of dollars on further sets that are essentially the same engravings?
I guess I've been wondering about this because I've been studying the number of Omnibus series to which Decaris contributed. There are quite a few. A few examples include:
- 1937 International Exhibit (21 sets)
- 1939 World Fair (24 sets)
- 1946 From Chad to Rhine (15 sets)
- 1946 Victory Stamp (15 stamps)
Ultimately there is no definitive answer on how much or how little to collect. It is very much up to the individual and their stamp budget (mine is rather small). Unfortunately for my budget, I know what I'm like. I can't be satisfied with one example set of each Omnibus. It just wouldn't feel right. My set would always seem incomplete. I think what I will do is collect an example set from each Omnibus first, so at least I do have one of each. Then I will go back and flesh the sets out. Yeah, that sounds good. I believe I just convinced myself :).
What are your opinions on my ramblings? Do you collect one example set? Or do you go the whole hog?
Until next time...
Stay Decaris Crazy!
I've got loads of sets of the British Commonwealth 1935 Silver Jubilee omnibus series and I must say I never enjoy looking at all those similar stamps. So I would now rather go for one set (unless other sets are in different colours then I would at least try and get all the colours) and then maybe save the rest of the money to try and find a die proof or something to add extra spice.
ReplyDeleteYou have a very good point, .Adrian! It's just so hard to avoid getting full sets lol. Since I may never have time to get many more than one set anyway, I will probably end up saving myself too much worry over the dilemma. But then again, that'd take all the fun out of it lol
DeleteCheers
Matt