I’m much the same way. I like being able to physically hold what I’m going to buy before I get it. The big box shops can be alright sometimes but their selection has been really bad in my area lately and I’m not particularly motivated to drive close to an hour for a shot at having the same thing happen haha. I miss my local shops a lot.

Yes, they are great and less than a mile from me. So I can do pickup and save on shipping 👍🏻

years back I decided that I would start with a blank white canvas for my LTCs. That every facet of the LTC would be my design. Those cards are in my opinion, my best cards.

I started making and trading LTCs in 2009, and those old, completely handmade cards, are memorable because they are completely handmade.

When an LTC Tracker is completed, do we retire the stamp used for that tracker? I know that if, by chance, that stamp is used again, it'll have a different AQ #. I'm just trying to find easier ways to get to my current open trackers (besides using the stop sign and other obvious ways) because I still feel like I'm scrolling and scrolling. Lol

When I join a tracker I mark it as Thingamajiggy so I know I have to do it. When I send it I mark it as Waiting so I know what is out there. When I log it I mark it as Completed. That way I always know the stage I'm in in that tracker. Just make sure you have your Tracker Quick Links widget on your home page. I never retire my LTC stamps. And many have gone on to be traditionals.

Thank you. I appreciate your advice ☆

You can also rename "your Tags" I have:

Carved
In Process
Waiting to Mail
LTC Hose Received
Sent
Completed
Postal Making Ground
Blackholed (i.e. it's lost, a postal ring that has stopped moving, or LTCs I should have gotten back and never have)

When a swap is finished and I've received the cards, claimed finds on them, and made my comments, I would retire the tracker if I were hosting.
I retire the card I made only when I've traded away the last of the extra ones. Someone who might receive one of my older cards as a pass-along-card can still claim a find and comment.
I don't retire the stamp because there's no listing for the stamp itself. Besides, it might be used again.

Unfortunately, I only get 4 options unless I become a premium member 😮‍💨, but the 4 we have are pretty much just like your 1st 4. Lol

I saw this awesome advice recently in a different thread. Now my tracker categories are Carved, Waiting, Need to carve, Ready to mail, Sent, Completed, Postal going around, and Blackholed. Yay!

i wanted to know what techniques are out there that you can get a carve way down to less than an ounce but have a smooth finish?
I use my straight edge knife but it still doesn't get smooth. What is out there that I haven't found out about? Thanks in advance for any suggestions and help.

I use a box cutter razor or a scaplel. I just keep cutting until it is as thin as I can safely get it

Perhaps ask this question on the Postal board.

I have lots of older LTCs (some probably around 15 years old) that were passed on to me by another boxer. It must not have been common for the AQ number to be included on the back when these were made. So, fair warning that most do not have the AQ number on the back. Many can be looked up by tracker or trail name. Would anyone want me to send them some? If so, please send me a message instead of posting to this message. That way I don’t worry that I miss someone’s message.

It's true that many super-old LTC's don't have AQ numbers, but I have had pretty good luck logging most of the ones I've received by using trail names and the name of the card if they've included those on the back-it's worth a try!

Yeah, I’ve definitely been able to find a good majority of them by searching trail name or name of the card. It just takes some extra time and effort.

That's part of the fun !!

As a super-old LTC maker (c. 2009), I don't put the AQ number on the back of my cards. I never will because a number says nothing except the order in which it was listed.

What is more important than the number is the maker's name and the date, and the number of cards made. Those, but especially the artwork on the front (and sometimes also on the back) are what make an LTC special. They are small art prints.

Absolutely agree but the number is still important so it can be logged - that’s how I get to tell people how much I love their cards and what they mean to me. I’m just as happy looking up by name and maker, though I think my autistic brain just wants the order of the numbers!

and my artistic brain (only a one letter difference ~ oh my!) can't handle the chaos of numbers. OK, 'doesn't want to'; too hard, too slow, and too many errors - and that's just when copying a long number, never mind actual calculations.

ck aqmail 4 private +

I disagree. All of that other stuff can easily be listed online.

You would rather have to open the search and type in a carver name, and the name of the card. This could easily be over 20 characters. I would rather just type in a single string of 6 numbers!

That number isn't a meaningless "order it was listed". It is a simple shortcut to arrive at the online page!

I’m an older LTC’r as well. We never used to put the AQ number on them. However, back then there wasn’t nearly as many LTCs as there are now! I personally don’t mind searching for them, it’s part of the fun for me. I also like to flip through my album to see the name of the card, the tracker (if there was one), signature stamp and name. The date is nice too. After you’ve collected for so many years it’s neat to see how they’ve changed, stayed the same, or even how carvers improved their techniques and how they use different mediums over the years. I never numbered my cards, (5 of 25) because later on I enjoy creating more if I still have the stamps on hand.

I'm a longtime LTC maker, too (since 2008). I don't use the numbers to log my finds, I use the "record finds" button on the tracker page. No need to do any searching. You can also log the finds from the list of box names on the tracker page. I like having the name of the card on the back, as well as the maker's name and sig stamp.

I was gifted with roughly 1,000 old LTCs (circa 2007-2010). I don’t think any of them had AQ numbers on the back, but after much detective work, I think I ended up with only 2 or 3 cards that I couldn’t log. AQ numbers would have been very helpful!

That said, I just looked at the backs of my oldest LTCs. Although I started making cards in 2009, I didn’t put the AQ number on them until 2015. Maybe that’s around the time that other folks did, too? I can’t remember offhand.

agree, it makes it like finding a traditional, in the sense that you have to follow the clues and do some searching.

*no it isn't a traditional, or even like it........just the journey to the recording is like the journey to the box.*

condo

If I created more later, I numbered them 2.0 1/?

condo

That’s perfect! I never thought to do that :)

Thank you!

You're welcome. We learn by sharing😉
condo