Stamp stamps and more stamps

[cherrypicked]

Okay guys (and gals) I need some reassurance. I purchased this old book full of stamps for an obscene amount of money. At least obscene to me. Some of the stamps are in excellent condition and have never been used, others have water marks. I found some on ebay for 1400-2700 per stamp in the same condition as what I have but then the same stamps sold for 20 and I can't see a difference! There's hundreds if not thousands of them from all over the world. I promised my husband we could at least make our money back but I bought it a bit impulsively as there were other people who were willing to take it if I didn't. I know very little about stamps except maybe zeppelins which, of course, I don't have. I know that they are difficult to appraise and value. I'm going to get it looked at tomorrow at a retail shop however that always makes me nervous since they are in the business of buying cheap and selling high. Here are just a few of the pages. There's also cape of hope, Cape Horn, Gold Coast, Ivory Coast and a bunch more not pictured. All together about 170 countries/places. Let me down easy guys.

 

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[prospexican]

well cherrypicked you can even check on google for expensive stamps, or they sell books just like the KBB meaning kelley blue book for cars, you can also buy a book that values stamps, or even coins, i'll tel you is not easy to check all of thembut you might have something good there, or just tell how much u pay for it and someone might be interest on reimburse your money back for those including me lol, so if you don't want to say here how much did u paid for it, just send me a PM or email. well i hope and i been help full to you and hope and you get more advise on it. good luck.

 

[jspero]

A good rule of thumb is anything after 1940 is probably not worth anything (less than a penny). If unused, it is probably only good as postage. Dealers do not even count that stuff when estimating a "value" or in making an offer because it is sold at less than face (at least for US stamps) just to get rid of it. Also note that old does not equal value with stamps.

A few things about the US stamps in the pictures you posted:
1. They are all extremely common.
2. Only a couple have a value of more than 1 cent, and those are in the dollar or so range if they are undamaged.
3. A lot of the material are know as "cut squares" and are cut from whole envelopes. In general, they are not worth anything unless still part of the while envelope and are considered damaged in the condition shown.

I don't know much about the foreign stamps, but if I had to guess they are probably in the same price range (less than a penny each, maybe a few in the dollar range) based on the US material. A reputable dealer will be able to pick out anything of value in about 5 minutes of looking at what you have. If you want to put the time in to research, check out the Scott Postage Stamp Catalogs at your local library. They are generally a good guide to what MIGHT have some value, but dealers will not pay anywhere near the values in there and will probably not be interested in common stuff unless they are going to flip the collection whole.

Hope this helps...

 

[Mackaydon]

Cherrypicked,
I suggest you post pics of one or more individual stamps that are similar to the ones you have seen going for between $1,400 and $2,700. At first blush, I see used stamps that are all hinged to the Album; and those that I can easily ID (like those from the US) are, for the most part, very common. (Read: 'freebies or up to 2 cents each.) I hope this is 'letting you down easy'.
Don.......

 

[cherrypicked]

I have some unhinged ones such as geese stamps from china, Japanese air mail stamps and some others that sell pretty high. I don't think mine are necessarily worth that much but hoping they are worth something. :-/

 

[kitt]

Stamps are a hard thing. I purchased a stamp collection fairly cheap with probally 10,000 stamps. And one in the collection I had was going for $20,000 on ebay. BUT It may have been the same stamp but the on ebay was a rare missprint where the airplane was printed upside down.
Now the one I have the plane is right side up.
Thats where the value is. its in the missprint.
How much did you pay may I ask?

 

[Mackaydon]

kitt,
The stamp you refer to is frequently called the 'Inverted Jenny' Inverted Jenny - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
That same stamp, with the airplane in the correct posture (not flying upside down), goes for about $60 (retail) in used condition.
Don.

 

[kitt]

Don, Thans not quite the airplane I was thinking of, but now you have me thinking. I dont remember what plane was on there or hardly what it looked like.
I remember looking it up on ebay the one I have and not used was going for like $5 but the inverted one was going for $20k and there was only one listed that was inverted.
I only paid 5 bucks for a box of stamps, theres about 10k stamps in there. At the bottom of the pile was 36 23k gold stamps 1.5"x2" in mint condition sealed in a book. I got lucky on that one.

If any one collects stamps I'm willing to sell. But you gotta know what you want because theres to many to list

 

[Old Bookaroo]

kitt:

The "Inverted Jenny" is probably the most famous American stamp. A Washington, DC, collector purchased a sheet of 100 on the first day of issue and noticed the blue airplane was flying upside down in the red frame. The stamps were put through the printing press twice - and one sheet got turned around.

The clerk demanded the stamps back. The gentleman (wisely) said "Nope."

All other sheets - if there were any - were destroyed. I believe 94 or 95 of the original 100 have been accounted for. The Smithsonian has a nice collection of several - including blocks, etc.

The USPS recently re-issued the Inverted Jenny as a $2 stamp. And get this (I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned on TN before). They intentionally printed 100 sheets with the airplane right side up! These were randomly distributed across the US.

The stamps are sold in sealed packets - six (6) $2 stamps for $12.

Good luck to all,

~ The Old Bookaroo

 

[Old Bookaroo]

cherrypicked:

You need a reference guide such as Scott's Catalog. Condition (mint? Unhinged?) is so important. And stamps can have countless variations - down to the number of perforations on each stamp!

Dealers expect to buy stamps for half the retail price. That's true of almost all dealers - and (being a dealer in books) I find that generally to be fair.

Another problem is stamp collecting here in the US of A is on the way out, along with bowling and hunting. I think it is more popular in Europe and Asia.

I hope you find some treasures in that giant album!

Good luck to all,

~ The Old Bookaroo

 

[Mackaydon]

Cherrypicked,
I'm still holding out to see pics of those stamps that sold for $1,400 to $1,700.

Kitt,
To sell on TN, you need a Charter Membership or be a Sponsor. But if you want some idea of value, you might start with selecting and posting pics of a couple of the oldest stamps you have from the USA.

Don.....

 

[kitt]

Don I might do that. but id have to pull them out of storage and find time when my little girl isnt around to eat um lol.
Thanks guys

 

[Flex68]

A good rule of thumb is anything after 1940 is probably not worth anything (less than a penny).

I don't know squat about stamps.
However, I think that the statement "anything after 1940 is probably not worth anything" is one that I would take with a grain of salt.

The stamps produced during WWII are all worth less than a penny each? VE day stuff, VJ day stuff, occupied France stamps, Nazi Germany stamps, etc are all only worth a fraction of a cent?
All the commemorative and collector edition stamps from 1940 to present day, US and foreign.....all junk??

Maybe you're right, but I can't imagine that the broad/general statement you made holds water.
If so, it would be the only collectible I have ever heard of that followed such a specific and concrete 'rule' .........


Cherrypicked, I hope you find at least one doozie in your book....maybe several !

 

[Mackaydon]

Flex68,
I go along with "jspero's" comment about the value of stamps issued after 1940 are probably not worth anything. If you define a'rule of thumb' as a principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation, it fits well with "jspero's" comment. We're talking, of course, of financial value; historic value and educational values are something else. And Nazi Germany stamps are the epitome of (financially) worthless stamps; in used or mint state.
Of course there are exceptions, but 'as a general rule' I believe most collectors pass on the opportunity to buy stamps "by the pound" as an investment.
Don....

 

[FC-Treasure]

Flex68,
I go along with "jspero's" comment about the value of stamps issued after 1940 are probably not worth anything.
Don....

Yeah, I agree as well. You really have to know your stuff before you spend money on a stamp collection. It is too easy to lose money. Heck, I know a fair bit about stamps and have a ton of reference materials and I still make buying mistakes, usually when the seller has presented a collection in a not so honest manner.

Public libraries frequently have the Scott catalogs, which will cover US stamps, covers, etc (Scott Specialized) and Scott Countries of the World. You don't need a real current version of the catalog. I'm using a 1994 version of the world catalogs because all I am interested in is relative value. I stamp listed as .50 cents in 1994 isn't going to appreciate much in the last 19 years.

As for the OP's pictures, I didn't see anything of value in the US section. For stamps to be valuable, there needs to be a strong stamp collecting population with lots of disposable income. So, US, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, and Canada for instance would have more demand than say, the Ivory Coast. Now, if it is colonial Ivory Coast, then perhaps someone in France would be interested. I don't know how popular stamp collecting is in China. It would seem that if it does catch on, there would be a potential for profit. The OP might want to check pre 1940 stamps for 1st world countries and for colonies.

But... like jspero said, stamps after 1940 in general don't have much value. Large denomination stamps ($1 or greater) might have some value, with the $8+ denominations having more, but they need to be Mint Not Hinged with no errors. Actually, anything after 1940 that isn't an error needs to be mint not hinged with great centering. Mint multiples carry a premium (think sheets, booklets, commemorative sheets), but, for the most part, I use post 1940 stamps as postage... You want to look for rarities. Sometimes rarity can be "manufactured". Think a stamp on an envelope, mailed on the first day of issue with a signature of a famous person somehow connected to the stamp's theme.

 

[Flex68]

Mackaydon and FC-Treasure,

I am stunned, and I apparently stand corrected.
Hard to fathom that something dating as far back as the 40's, with all the interesting people and history in the last 70+ years, would never yield a single item of value/interest to collectors.
Learn something new every day.

Apologies to jspero for doubting him

 

[Mackaydon]

Flex68,
Who of us said anything about "would never find a single item of value/interest to collectors". Only you.
We have said 'as a general rule'.....and the 'general rule' provides for exceptions.
In the case of stamps, perhaps the greatest exception would be errors.
Don....

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Mackaydon:

Leaving aside the example of the new US $2 "Non-Inverted Jenny" stamps, I think another exception to the rule would UN stamps. Some years ago I looked at an inherited stamp collection that had quite a few very early UN stamps and, from memory, they were worth quite a bit.

Interestingly, I believe some UN stamps are worth more cancelled than mint because so many mint stamps are sold to collectors, and the only post office that accepts UN stamps for mailing is at the UN.

This is not to dispute the Rule of Thumb. The other famous one being "Keep your thumb off the scale."

Good luck to all,

~ The Old Bookaroo

 

[VERDE]

Hey cherrypicked!! Not to change the subject, but did you ever hear anymore about your Billy the Kid photo?? GOOD HUNTING!! VERDE!!

 

[Mackaydon]

Old Bookaroo,
Yes, there are many exceptions to the 'general rule'.
Another exception would be Federal Migratory Bird Hunting stamps.
But the general rule, as mentioned above, still applies IMO.
Don.....