Betsy & Chuck: Appraisals
So You Inherited a Stamp Collection?
or How to Dispose of a Stamp Collection Even If You're Not a Stamp Collector!
Of course, we can't make you an expert over the Internet. But in these
few pages, we'll try to give you an idea whether your stamps have little
value or have a chance of being worth something. In the former case, if you
use them on letters or give them to a new collector, you won't worry you're
squandering a fortune. On the other hand, if there's a chance they're worth
a hundred or a thousand bucks, you might want to have a professional look
at them, or learn more about them yourself. Ready . . . here goes . . .
In general, if the collection wasn't put together by a serious collector,
it's probably not worth much. Unless it was created a hundred years ago
(literally), or unless the collector put a lot of money into it, it likely
isn't worth a lot. Of course, you might be lucky, but please don't set your
expectations too high.
Indicators of a Potentially Valuable Collection
- A Large Volume of stamps. Most serious collectors tend to be
accumulators; if the whole collection fits into a single small carton it's
not a good sign.
- Albums (large books in which stamps are kept). Loose stamps
and covers (envelopes with stamps on them) are not bad in themselves, but
suggest their owner didn't spend a lot of time with them. A whole volume of
the same country is more promising than a worldwide collection in one album.
A nicely hand-made album likely contains better stamps than a commercially
printed album, unless the latter is a huge set of matching monster tomes.
- Completeness is important. Especially for 20th century stamps,
there should be many stamps on most pages, and very few blanks for the past
50 years. Complete sets of similar-looking stamps, particularly if they are
uncanceled, are generally more valuable than stray used stamps.
- Exhibit Pages including descriptions and explanations next to
the stamps and envelopes. In fact, an annotated hand-made album may in effect
be an exhibit.
- Organization of stamps into envelopes and stockbooks which are
in order and labeled.
- Nice Condition, of both the albums and the stamps themselves.
If the pages are dirty and dog-eared, the stamps themselves are also likely
second-class specimens. And if you spot several stamps which are
badly off center, dirty, torn,
missing perforations (not to mention larger pieces!), you've probably struck
out. Stamps encased in clear plastic are likely better than those fastened
to an album with folded glassine "hinges".
Stamps Which are Probably Not Worth Much
- Used Stamps in general, either on pieces of envelopes or already
soaked off. Again, there are exceptions, but unless they're more than 100
years old, these probably aren't worth a lot.
- Stamps On Envelopes. Even if they are canceled "First Day of
Issue", unless they are very old (before 1935).
- Recent Unused United States Stamps. "Recent" means back to about
1935. Even if you have plate number blocks
(four or more stamps with a number in the margin) or even full sheets, in
most cases you won't go wrong using them on letters. If you have $1,000.00
worth of 3-cent stamps, getting even close to the face value back out of them
will be tough.
- Recent Unused Foreign Stamps. In the case of foreign stamps
you can't use them on letters, but fortunately some of these have a more recent
cutoff date. Some complete mint sets issued in the 1950's by several Western
European countries, for example, are worth quite a bit.
- Modern Picture Stamps (stamps picturing dogs, baseball players,
space ships, etc.) issued primarily for sale to collectors, especially from
countries you have seldom or never heard of (Burundi, Grenadines, Fujeira,
etc.) are in most cases not worth a lot, particularly if they are canceled
and/or are not in complete sets.
- Souvenir Folders, Presentation Packages, etc. Despite their
padded binders and the craftsmanship which went into their production, are
usually worth only a fraction of what someone originally paid for them.
- Christmas Seals
and Other Charity Seals, much as we hate to admit it about our favorite
area, are in most cases not worth a whole lot.
Stamps which Might Be of Value
Let's look now at some exceptions to the above general patterns, and at
some stamps which do indeed show promise if you happen to have any:
- 19th Century Stamps which are fresh and well centered and in
sound condition, especially if the used ones have interesting cancellations
(pictures carved from corks or readable towns and dates) and the unused ones
still have gum on the back.
- 19th Century Stamps on Envelopes , which are in good condition,
especially if there are several stamps and or multiple cancellations and
other handstamps on the same cover.
- High Face Value Stamps. In general, stamps well above the normal
letter rate were not produced, used, or saved in as large quantities as
low values and are thus less common and more valuable. This applies to old
and new stamps, mint and used stamps, and stamps on or off cover. For US
19th century stamps, for example, this means higher than 3 cents, the higher
the better. If you find an old US cover mailed using a block or 12 cent stamps
or maybe a 90 center, you've definitely got something. You can probably guess
the normal letter rate for any country during any era if you look through
an album and see the range of the most common denominations.
- First Day Covers From Pre-1940 which are unaddressed (they werecanceled
but not sent through the mail) and have attractive "cachets" (colored illustrations
on the left side of the envelope), especially if the cachet appears to be
an original artist's creation. Even some modern covers with hand-made cachets
are of some value.
- Complete Unused Sets issued by solid countries up to about 1960.
Unfortunately, as explained above, the United States is an exception - -
too many people saved too many stamps for them to be valuable.
What If My Stamps Show Promise?
- Pull out the better items and take them to another dealer in your area.
You should be able to find one in your phone book; let us know if you need
help. You might want to show them to two or more dealers if possible; you
don't have to sell them to the first person you talk to, and a second opinion
might be valuable.
- Go to your local library and check out copy of Scott's Standard
Postage Stamp Catalogue. Stamps listed at the 15 cent minimum are essentially
worthless. Even those up to a dollar or so aren't going to make you rich;
that may be a fair retail price when a collector buys them one at a time,
but when you go to sell them to a dealer who already has several copies
you can't expect to get much. However, if you have several stamps which catalogue,
say, $10.00 or more (provided they are in good condition, and especially if
they are on a cover), you've got something worth pursuing. And who knows,
after you've gone this far, you might be hooked and want to keep the stamps
and add to them yourself!
- If you want to sell them, and if they have a chance of being valuable,
you'll benefit by learning more about them. And you might well enjoy the
process if you take advantage of a wonderful book called I Inherited a
Stamp Collection, Now What? We recommend it highly. You can order it
for $29.95 directly from the author:
Charlie Myers
P.O. Box 3
Portland, Tennessee 37148-0003
Charles Myers
Pease tell Charlie we sent you. Thanks!
Please feel free to contact us about any other questions you might have.
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