Q. HOW MUCH ARE MY STAMPS WORTH?
A. Ah yes, the most difficult question I get. The easy answer is "whatever someone will pay for them", but that's facetious. Part of the difficulty a non-collector has when stamps come into their possession is having ANY idea of what they're worth. A stamp worth virtually nothing looks the same as a stamp that may be worth dozens, if not hundreds, of dollars, at least to a person who knows little about stamps. Moreover, such a person may become a victim to an unscrupulous dealer (and yes, I am afraid there are a few out there) who undervalues the collection to pick it up cheap. I really can't give you any idea of the value of stamps unless I can see them (and sometimes, handle them), but here are some guidelines on how to get started:
- GRAB A CATALOGUE - Most libraries have a standard stamp catalogue in their reference section, and a few have circulating copies. Bring a few stamps along and try to find them in the catalogue. Although catalogues are designed for experienced collectors, you can generally get an idea whether some of your stamps are worth pennies or dollars. Three warnings though: (1) A lot of stamps that seem to be genuine rare stamps are actually fakes or forgeries. Valuable stamps require an expert opinion. You can find several expertising services on the web. (2) A lot of stamps that look the same on their face are actually different. It takes merely an experienced stamp collector to tell the difference. However, the stamp you think is worth five dollars may actually be a common stamp that looks the same but has slight differences. Don't get your hopes up. (3) Catalogue values don't always reflect what your stamps are actually worth. They are a good guide, but most stamps can only be sold for a fraction of their catalogue value.
- USED STAMPS ON THE ENVELOPE ARE GENERALLY WORTH MORE THAN THOSE OFF THE ENVELOPE - That's a very general rule, but it is particularly true of older stamps (before 1940). We in stamp collecting call envelopes "covers" (because they covered the contents), a term that includes other postal material as well. So don't soak stamps off the envelopes unless you're sure that the envelope is practically worthless. (A tip! U.S. junk mail with stamps is actually very scarce and is in demand by some collectors - most of this mail is just thrown away!).
- UNUSED STAMPS ARE WORTH THE POSTAGE VALUE - A sad but true fact. Most stamps printed after 1945 are worth no more than the stamps you can buy at the post office. Sometimes its even less as it takes a lot of 3 cent U.S. commemoratives to make up the 32 cent rate. It is common for mint postage to sell for 80% of its "face" value, or less! There are exceptions (sometimes, the full sheets have a premium), but don't be suprised if a dealer tells you to use a large hoard of mint stamps on your mail.
- A COLLECTOR RARELY GETS MORE OUT OF HIS COLLECTION THAN HE SPENT ON IT - Sad but true again. There are exceptions, but a collection isn't really a good investment. Collectors generally buy at retail and have to sell at wholesale. If Granddad spent a thousand bucks building his collection, try not to be disappointed when you get a hundred for it.
- IF ITS IN THE NEWS, ITS IN DEMAND - Princess Di. China. Hong Kong. The prices for stamps in these areas are much higher than they were a few years ago. If you're lucky, your collector relative started collecting some of these things when many people couldn't care less about them. Big warning though: once an area starts to escalate, do not start buying the stamps hoping to make a buck. If you bought Hong Kong 10 years ago, you're still sitting pretty even though prices have softened recently. If you bought last year, I hope you didn't borrow money to buy stamps. On the other hand, the best part of being a stamp dealer is telling a non-collector that the stamps they received have gone WAY up in the past few years, even if its only from two to twenty bucks.
- DON'T MAKE A COLLECTION A HAND-ME-DOWN UNTIL YOU HAVE SOME IDEA OF ITS VALUE - Its okay to give little Janie her grandpa's stamp collection if its only worth a few bucks, but if its worth a few thousand, you're just handing down a whole lot of trouble. While a hand-me-down collection is often a great way to get someone started, beginners just don't know how to treat valuable stamps. Make the valuable ones available to other collectors who will love them.
Q. HOW MUCH WILL YOU PAY ME FOR MY STAMPS.
A. Probably nothing. I am generally not in the business of buying collections or individual stamps. I do make rare exceptions for collections that contain a lot of stamps that are in demand, but that doesn't happen very often. I would be happy to refer you to someone in your area who is interested in buying collections, but in the event I can't, you can usually find stamp dealers and stamp auction houses in the Yellow Pages under "Stamps for Collectors".
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