Want list
Encyclopedia
In collecting circles, a want list or wish list is simply a list of items that the collector is seeking to acquire. They are the major tool by which collectors organize the construction of a collection. Hobby dealers - be it for postage stamps, trading cards, coins
, lapel pins or any collectible items, frequently advertise to collectors to "send us your want lists".
Since most major countries have by now issued from 1,000 to 6,000 types of stamps, it usually difficult for even a single-country collector to remember what is still missing from a collection. Still, most stamps are cheap, and collectors frequently get started by acquiring one or more existing collections, which will include most of the common stamps. Then the problem is to get stamps to "fill the holes"; only a handful of dealers will have a complete stock, and so the want list may take on a life of its own as the collector carries it to stamp shows, mail copies to out-of-town dealers, and so forth, gradually crossing off entries as they are located and purchased.
Topical stamp collectors
will also use want lists in their search for stamps that relate to a particular subject.
Specialist collectors may have a want list with a rather different character; instead of looking for one of each major type, they are looking for particular color shades, particular postal marking
s, uses in particular locations, and so forth. Often these items are intended to become part of an exhibit entered into competition at shows; they may not be particularly rare, but even so it may take years of combing to pick them out of the mass of surviving postal material.
COinS
ContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method to embed bibliographic metadata in the HTML code of web pages. This allows bibliographic software to publish machine-readable bibliographic items and client reference management software to retrieve bibliographic metadata. The...
, lapel pins or any collectible items, frequently advertise to collectors to "send us your want lists".
Since most major countries have by now issued from 1,000 to 6,000 types of stamps, it usually difficult for even a single-country collector to remember what is still missing from a collection. Still, most stamps are cheap, and collectors frequently get started by acquiring one or more existing collections, which will include most of the common stamps. Then the problem is to get stamps to "fill the holes"; only a handful of dealers will have a complete stock, and so the want list may take on a life of its own as the collector carries it to stamp shows, mail copies to out-of-town dealers, and so forth, gradually crossing off entries as they are located and purchased.
Topical stamp collectors
Topical stamp collecting
Topical or thematic stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps relating to a particular subject or concept. Topics can be almost anything, from stamps on stamps, birds on stamps, to famous physicians, to the history of England.- Background :...
will also use want lists in their search for stamps that relate to a particular subject.
Specialist collectors may have a want list with a rather different character; instead of looking for one of each major type, they are looking for particular color shades, particular postal marking
Postal marking
A postal marking is any kind of annotation applied to a letter by a postal service. The most common types are postmarks and cancellations; almost every letter will have those. Less common types include forwarding addresses, routing annotations, warnings, postage due notices and explanations, such...
s, uses in particular locations, and so forth. Often these items are intended to become part of an exhibit entered into competition at shows; they may not be particularly rare, but even so it may take years of combing to pick them out of the mass of surviving postal material.
External links
- Want lists and databases assist collecting by Janet Klug Linns.com Refresher Course