Bought someone’s collection - I know nothing about stamps

[Catweazle]

It’s true that stamps have lost their value over the last decades but there are still collectors all over the world. Especially if you don’t know what your looking at I’d do a little research on the internet to learn how stamps are ID’d (you can start with Wikipedia searches of definitive stamps, perforations, watermarks, grills, markings and cancellations, and how stamps are valued and what conditions devalue a stamp). I think you can download a Scott’s stamp catalog from the internet if you don’t want to make a trip to the library. Postage was only 3c from 1863-1883, 2c from 1883- WWI, so lower denominations are more common and worth less but if you have higher denominations you may have some value. I think all but maybe one of the stamps you showed are pre-WWI. Hope you have good luck.

Regarding your comment about stamps having lost value over the decades – I think it depends on the stamps you're talking about. Sure, there was a big boom for stamps during the 1980s, yet those most of those modern issues can be picked up readily for cheap these days. However, there are still big bucks and finds out there. It all comes down to supply and demand, as well as condition or rarity too.

I recently went to a collectables fair, and there were a couple of folks in their twenties and one young ten year old with his grandfather keenly flicking through albums and picking up items on their wants list. Nice to see!

sprailroad: have you since posted up your stamp finds around here somewhere? We'd love to see them!

 

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[sprailroad]

Sorry it took so long to answer (Catweazle). No, I have not posted anything, do not have the knowhow to do it. Having said that, I had transferred all the stamps from old albums into the new. The "olde" albums are worth keeping just for their quality at there time of printing. The first one was published in 1930, the second album published in 1952, so all American stamps are only covered from 1847 to 1952. Earliest stamp in these two books was a 1870-71 National Bank Note Printing, Scott # 145, 146 & 147, one cent Franklin, 2 cent Jackson and a 3 cent Washington. In the album 1847 to 1930, there were over 100 stamps, and in the album copyright 1952 there were about 255 stamps not counting some revenue stamps and other types. AND each album had international stamps from countries that no longer exist, going back into the 1800's, how many? I did not count them yet, but all that I could salvage have been given a new home in new albums. In those two albums (the old ones) the international pages all had the pictures of the stamps, with the dates for each stamp, and background of each country. Worth keeping, the "International Junior Postage & Stamp Album, Printed & Published by the SCOTT STAMP & COIN COMPANY, New York, Copyright 1930, and the "New World Wide Postage Stamp Album" printed by " MINKUS Publications" New York, Copyright 1952. In addition to those, there was also a Binder with "First day Covers" 45 of them, of a "Golden Replicas of United States Stamps program" each envelope a First day of issue with a 22kt Gold Replica of that stamp. Not worth anything really, but very cool to look at. In ANOTHER re-sale shop, I came across 40 envelopes of "Coins of all Nations" example being a envelope from the British Virgin Islands, with a Virgin Island 3 cent stamp postmarked from "Road Town", Tortola, V.I. June 26, 1979, and showing as part of the envelope a cut away with a mint 25 cent coin of the Islands. I'm a metal detector guy, had to buy them, and they were very cheep. The stamp albums along with the First day covers, "Gold Replica stamps, all for $100. First day covers with the coins? I think it was $1 for 3, or $13 for all 40 of them. It was fun. Could not tell you off hand how much I've spent since to Mystic stamp co. Like getting a rescue dog, not much cost to adopt the little guy, BUT after, well....groomers, vet's. good food, and more toys than any one dog should have, I think alot of you Treasure Net people know the drill. and so it has become with the stamps, now filling in the blanks that I can with used American stamps. Bottom line, just like swinging the coil, you just never know what you might find and when, same with the stamps, re-sale shops, estate sales and my favorite, junk stores where you have to climb thru things looking. There have got to be more forgotten stamp albums out there somewhere. Great good luck to you all...Dave