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Stamp collection

Ahzee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
372
Location
East Coast
Hey everyone. I inherited a stamp collection and I don't even know where to begin. I don't have any interest in stamps but I'd like to try and sell some of them at least. I'll post some pictures of what I have. Please let me know if you'd like a closer look. Maybe I have the lucky stamp!
 
Here are a few. There are stamps from almost every country.
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Ive collected stamps over the years just as a hobby...What you show is a nice collection but I'm afraid these are pretty common stamps and easy to get...Almost all stamps issued after 1930 are considered easy to get and don't have much value...For someone trying to sell stamps youll get a lot of serious questions from serious collectors...For example Is the stamp hinged...Is it attached to the paper..Rips , tears,,bent corners watermarks..glued or unglued and many more...
Stamp collecting is no way near the hobby it once was...A lot of stamps at auction don't even get many bids anymore
I'm not trying to discourage you but don't get great expectations trying to sell them..
 
So... good news and not so good news.

The good news, is that with the Internet, you can quickly identify whether or not any of your stamps are valuable. Here's a basic site that has a great list of things to compare what you have with valuable stamps:
http://www.sandafayre.com/rarestamps/rareunitedstatesstamps.html

Note: I have not checked any of your stamps against the list.

The not so good news is that stamp collecting is really falling out of fashion. There was a whole generation of people who collected avidly, and the next generation does not. This has resulted in a flood of stamps on the market not really "wanted" by anyone. I personally got into stamp collecting with my grandfather, who started me up, and I collected commemorative stamps for years convinced that 20 -30 years later, they'd be worth so much more than what I paid. As a 12-16 year old, I invested hundreds of dollars into just the rate plate blocks, and regularly purchased sets from the Post Office. 30 years later, the stamps are still worth face-value. And if I were to try to sell them as a block, I'd probably only be able to get LESS than face-value. In short, I'm better off USING them, than selling them (unused stamps are still worth what's printed on them).

In fact, it's not uncommon to see people purchase "collections" for pennies on the dollar, just to use the stamps for their business (I regularly get numismatic periodicals with stamps from the 1980s on them).

In fact, the value has dropped so much, that event the "rare" stamps are a fraction of their worth 30 years ago (with a notable few specifics, like the inverted Jenny). The Graf Zepplin was considered a "holy grail" of stamps for enthusiasts. They could be had for $10,000 or more when I was a kid, and my grandfather was convinced they'd be worth $100K or more in 25 years... Here it is 30 years later, and you can pick them up for less than $1,000. There's just no interest in them.

Too many collections "inherited" that have flooded the market, and not enough collectors.

Contrasted to US coinage, and the difference is marked. I wish I'd invested in Large Cents, when I was a kid, or even Morgan Dollars (which could be had for about $1.80 to $4.00).

Skippy
 
I like them! Weren't the stamps back then so much better than what we have nowadays? Are these hinged? I had a collection 50 years ago, but I glued them to the album, which I found out later was a no-no.
 
I don't know how to link websites here but an EXCELLENT resource for pricing any stamp in the world can be found if you type in Stampworld.com into your browser and just follow it in.....It has the most amzing display of stamps with pricing
 
Thank you everyone for the info. I'm going to start looking into everything and try pricing it out for sale. These are taped in, not glued. Still a no no I'm sure.
 
While stamps are pretty cool, I also have a shoebox and a couple albums full which are realistically worthless now:no:
 
Just like old coins, old stamps had CLASS !!! But not worth much anymore. Look on EBay and you'll see. I once found a box of letters in an attic of a house we were set to demolish. I took the oldest coolest one to a stamp show and a guy chased me around offering me $1700 for the one stamp. I held onto it thinking the value could only go up. Current value? About $400.
Still they're a lot of fun! Enjoy something new !
 
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