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T O P I C R E V I E WAxmanI started out with a shoebox. I progressed to sorting my covers out alphabetically by mission (Apollo, Discoverer, Vanguard, Zond for example) within my shoebox.Then I invested in an album system. I buy Prinz 4xD-ring binders (Montana cloth bound album and slipcover - grey for my space covers, closest to the black of space, versus blue for my postal local history collection and red for my Hiroshima collection). I use the Pro-fil pages (clear pockets on both sides, usually two pockets per page, sometimes single pocket per page; interspersed with black interleaves).I now organise my collection by date of rocket launch. Thus, for example a Guernsey stamps FDC of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing is filed under 16th July 1969, and a FDC from Mali issued on 24th November 1962 sits under the launch date for Telstar of 10th July 1962.Any cover that doesn't have a specific launch date associated with it goes under the nearest date I'd classify as a relevant launch - e.g. any Fort Bliss Centennial FDCs all go together under the Bumper-4 launch date; and all my Soviet Union New Year cards with 'spacemen' go under Gagarin's Vostok 1 launch date.And any covers relating to persons without a specific reference to a rocket launch are filed under their date of birth, for example the US Von Karman FDC goes under 11 May 1881.I find that using this system, my collection splits automatically and nicely into four sections: Rocket Pioneers (by birth date)Early rocket mail (1930s by launch date)A4/V2 retrospective coversRocket launches 1947-1972 So go on, how do you organise your collection? I'd like to know.micropoozInteresting question!My hodgepodge of shoeboxes and albums got a major reboot 25 years ago when we moved to a small, high-rise condominium. The main threat to my collection became water leaking from condo units above ours (Luckily that has yet to happen!). So, I went to loose-leaf notebooks for albums, using Light Impressions LockTop page protectors (they have a flap over the opening in the pocket making them a bit more water resistant) and a miscellaneous box made by Rubbermaid to resist water as well.Albums (notebooks) are as follows: X15Lifting BodiesFlown Rocketplane Covers (a small album)Assorted other Muroc/Edwards covers Mercury and GeminiRussian Kniga covers (Vostok 1 - Soyuz 19) and unmanned Apollo tests (an eclectic combination, but added together they fit an album nicely)Manned Apollo/Skylab/ASTP And the miscellaneous box has all kinds of other space covers, organized by program or destination (like for planetary robotic missions).AxmanIt sounds like you have it under control. Can I ask: do you index your stuff? Either manually or digitally.I found about a year ago I was missing out on eBay potential bargains because I had no quick way of finding out whether I wanted a cover that newly appeared on my saved sellers lists...I finally got around to a very basic but now essential dual index on my phone notes. One lists rocket launches in date order with a tick if I've got it and a cross if I've not got it but want it, and just an entry if I neither want it nor don't! with a second list organised alphabetically with the same ✓ blank x system.micropoozI don't have the indexing as under-control as you, Axman! I've got "want lists" of covers that I know I still need but have not yet put together a database of what I actually have.
Then I invested in an album system. I buy Prinz 4xD-ring binders (Montana cloth bound album and slipcover - grey for my space covers, closest to the black of space, versus blue for my postal local history collection and red for my Hiroshima collection). I use the Pro-fil pages (clear pockets on both sides, usually two pockets per page, sometimes single pocket per page; interspersed with black interleaves).
I now organise my collection by date of rocket launch. Thus, for example a Guernsey stamps FDC of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing is filed under 16th July 1969, and a FDC from Mali issued on 24th November 1962 sits under the launch date for Telstar of 10th July 1962.
Any cover that doesn't have a specific launch date associated with it goes under the nearest date I'd classify as a relevant launch - e.g. any Fort Bliss Centennial FDCs all go together under the Bumper-4 launch date; and all my Soviet Union New Year cards with 'spacemen' go under Gagarin's Vostok 1 launch date.
And any covers relating to persons without a specific reference to a rocket launch are filed under their date of birth, for example the US Von Karman FDC goes under 11 May 1881.
I find that using this system, my collection splits automatically and nicely into four sections:
My hodgepodge of shoeboxes and albums got a major reboot 25 years ago when we moved to a small, high-rise condominium. The main threat to my collection became water leaking from condo units above ours (Luckily that has yet to happen!). So, I went to loose-leaf notebooks for albums, using Light Impressions LockTop page protectors (they have a flap over the opening in the pocket making them a bit more water resistant) and a miscellaneous box made by Rubbermaid to resist water as well.
Albums (notebooks) are as follows:
Can I ask: do you index your stuff? Either manually or digitally.
I found about a year ago I was missing out on eBay potential bargains because I had no quick way of finding out whether I wanted a cover that newly appeared on my saved sellers lists...
I finally got around to a very basic but now essential dual index on my phone notes. One lists rocket launches in date order with a tick if I've got it and a cross if I've not got it but want it, and just an entry if I neither want it nor don't! with a second list organised alphabetically with the same ✓ blank x system.
I've got "want lists" of covers that I know I still need but have not yet put together a database of what I actually have.
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