I looked at 2005 and 2006. In order to hack 2005, I would need to modify 7 pages. And 2006 will require 8 pages. I stopped looking after that. So I think hacking the 21 century is just unsustainable. Hacking a page here or there is not that big a deal. But hacking more than half a supplement is treading dangerously close to some kind of copyright violation.
So, what are my options for Mystic?
I could make my own pages with my own descriptions, in the style of Mystic. I don’t like that option, because I find myself being put in a position where one day I will get a cease and desist letter.
I could leave everyone hanging and just only do Ukraine.
Or I could resurrect an old project.
This is what I will do short term and long term. Short term, I will mount all my 21st century stamps in a Scott Minuteman album. The Minuteman is 90% of what I want, layout-wise. The only issue I have with it is how thin the paper is.
I plan to resume work on the Community US stamp album. I really like what I did there. That is going to be my ultimate solution for 21st century stamps. I don’t know how fast I can turn stuff around. The most annoying thing with designing these pages is the descriptions, and getting all the major Scott catalog numbers of all these definitives with assorted microprint varieties listed. Sadly, the Scott catalog is of little help here.
I had 2003 partially done a while ago. Hopefully, I can get it done in a few weeks.
The other challenge I face is a lack of stamps. 21st century stamps are expensive. You can usually get MOST stamps ok, because they’re a standard size. But there’s always some sheet or se-tenant that’s a goofball size that I need to buy. That slows down work. But, we’ll see how it goes. Conveniently my son works at a stamp collecting store, so I can send an email to the owner and my son comes home with and stamps or mounts that I need.
Well, that’s it for now. Happy 2021 everyone. Hope this year is better than 2020. Stay safe!