Hope you've been saving your pennies!

Robert A Siegel's 16 November 2016 auction includes as Lot 3946,  "A VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT WORLDWIDE STAMP COLLECTION. Offered intact from a collector’s estate, by order of the trustee. This collection in 33 Scott Specialty albums is the result of at least three decades of dedicated collecting by one of those rare individuals who set out to complete the world. Excluding the United States and Possessions, which are not  part  of  this  collection,  virtually  every  country  is  represented  for  the  years  stamps  were  issued  up  to  the  mid-20th century. There are tens of thousands of unused and used stamps carefully mounted with hinges or in hinge-less mounts. Hundreds of countries and thousands of completely filled pages are contained in this massive collection, which is offered intact, according to instructions received from the trustee of the deceased collector’s trust. It  is  impossible  to  describe  every  significant  item  in  this  collection..."

At the end of the description: "Our conservative estimate is based on the fair market value of the stamps if they were offered in typical individual  lots  and  small  country  collections.  The  estimate  does not reflect  the  extraordinary  opportunity  to  acquire  a worldwide collection of this vast scope and depth in one lot. Filling page after page with the sets and scarce issues found  in  this  collection  took  decades  and,  if  attempted  incrementally,  would  take  an  equal  amount  of  time.  For someone who loves stamps — the entire world of stamps — and wants a “turn-key” worldwide collection on which to build, this is a unique opportunity. Needless to say, for a dealer with the means to make a substantial investment, its acquisition within, or even above, our estimate range holds certain potential for a substantial resale profit. Special  presale  registration will be required in order  to  bid  on  this  lot,  and  it  will  only  be  released  to  the winning bidder after payment in full has been made, in accordance with the Conditions of Sale. Estimate $500,000-750,000."

I see two problems for the Big Blue collector. First, there is that $500-750,000 thing. Second, what are you going to do with all those extra stamps that won't fit in the International Volume One?

While you are pondering this, I must commend Siegel. They actually included photographs of four album pages from this collection.

And if the price tag for this lot is a little high, you might consider their lot 4179 , "Worldwide Big  Pile of Stamps." Not for me, though. I already have one.

UPDATE: The collection sold for $745K or $856,750 with commission. The buyer was Mystic Stamp Company who said "this is the highest price ever paid at a U.S. auction for a single stamp collection."