Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
But let's get to the main point. Just out of curiosity, how much do you think an almost complete/say, 97-98%/ collection of used Bulgarian stamps from the period between 1946 to 1990 will be worth? The majority of them ATM are -- and will be -- CTOs, I think. I know a mint collection will be considerably worthy, because MNH stamps from this era are quite expensive. As an example I'll note that the 360 used stamps I bought a week ago would be worth about $100 in mint quality.
Happy collecting!
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Dealers are buying classic era stuff at 10 percent of catalog as the lifelong collectors are passing away. There will be no comparison between what i spent on my stamps in the past 40 years and what the dealer who comes in one fine day will offer.
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If they are in very fine condition, probably 25% of catalog value at most. Dealers will pay less.
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Hi georgi2201;
To give you an honest answer, will rain on your parade, but here goes, much less than what you paid. 
I have collected for many, many years, and know that my collection is worth less than what I paid. I accepted that this is nothing more than a fun pastime, to while away those long winter nights.
A very few people with a gift for spotting a 'find' and snapping it up, and selling at a profit, can claim to have made an investment in stamps pay off. The average person like you or me would have better luck becoming day traders or commodity traders. 
So think about what would be the most fun to collect and do that....forget the money....
TuskenRaider
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Georgi,
I'm going to put a different perspective here.
I know no Bulgarian collectors. there are none in my stamp club. I've not talked to any at shows. No one has ever asked me for Bulgarian stamps.
In SOR, there are 12 people, including you, who list Bulgaria among their interests. If we add world wide collectors, that certainly increases the number who would buy Bulgarian stamps. Of those 12, only one actively buys lots in our auctions and approvals (and I didn't look to see if those were Bulgarian lots or others). With about 2,000 members, 12 collectors represents 6% of whom less than 10% of that smaller number buys stamps here.
In Bulgaria, I am sure the number is much higher, but I would be mightily surprised to see a collection of CTO stamps from the non-classic period command even 10% even with album pages and binders included.
I am not a dealer, so this is purely conjecture and anecdotal observations.
DAvid
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Georgi,
You wrote:
"First of all, I'd like to indicate that monetary value is of no importance to me. My enjoyment from the hobby suffers no attrition because I collect mostly low-value stamps."
Have you considered that as a heirloom, what you have collected and how/why you did so would be precious information to those who follow you later on in years? Assuming that there are/will be no heirs that would care, it would make a wonderful gift to a church of your choosing, or to a veteran's group going forward.
From a monetary point of view, the contribution can be a legitimate deduction if you need one.
Best,
Dan C.
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David said
"I would be mightily surprised to see a collection of CTO stamps from the non-classic period command even 10% even with album pages and binders included."
In my experience, which is limited, albums mean literally nothing to dealers. When I sold my Ireland, Denmark, and Sweden collections to a dealer, the expensive Lighthouse albums, in excellent condition with matching slipcases, weren't consider in the evaluation.
I collect CTOs, mainly because they are usually cheaper and easier to obtain than mint copies of the same stamps, as georgi2201 points out, and the "cancellations" don't obscure the design, which suits me fine. Most are intended for eventual use in my web pages, and CTOs work as illustrations almost as well as mint stamps. However, I am fully aware that I have paid a great deal more for these stamps than will ever be returned to me. Still, they are an excellent investment in pleasure and learning.
Bob
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"...they are an excellent investment in pleasure and learning.
"
Exactly!
Thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge!
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I assume you are asking how much it is worth to a dealer (i.e., how much will the dealer offer for your collection). Otherwise, you will get as many different answers as posts, since value is in the eye of the beholder.
You stated your collection is 1946-1990, 97%+ complete, mostly CTO. So I will assume since mostly CTO, you don't have any of the S/S or imperfs are that not assigned Scott numbers (many not even mentioned in Scott) as those typically are mint.
In that time period, there are fewer than 10% used stamps that catalog for >$1. Which basically means, to a dealer, it is a wholesale/bulk purchase unless you have the few premium items. I am only considering stamps with major Scott numbers (not the minor stamp varieties) or S/S -- there are less than half a dozen used stamps & S/S in that time period catalog for >$10 and they are pretty easy to spot (e.g., #569 $37.50, #843a $50, #1129a $12...). That's what the dealer is looking for. If you have any of the minor perforation varieties (minor Scott numbers) that catalog for >$10, you should point those out -- there are probably less than a dozen of those. There's nothing I'm aware of that's more than $50, but I didn't check thoroughly.
So, were talking about 3000 very common to common CTOs with possibly some modest premium items. You will get a penny a stamp since most of your CTOs are probably in complete sets. Tack on about 5%-10% for the premium items $10 or higher. In other words, expect roughly $25-$50 for the typical dealer buy price, depending on how many premium items you have and how badly the dealer needs the material.
As Bob noted, unless it's a luxury-grade specialty album, you will get nothing for the album/supplies. At most, it makes it more likely the dealer will make a full wholesale price offer because it's already organized.
Remember, the value of the collection to a dealer is not the sum of the stamps, because the dealer is unlikely to sell all the stamps in the collection. The dealer will offer more if the entire album can be easily "flipped" to a buyer they know.
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Khj said,
"Remember, the value of the collection to a dealer is not the sum of the stamps..."
I've gotten to know two dealers quite well, and learned from them that they basically ignore common stamps when they evaluate collections. They have become adept at spotting uncommon and rare stamps, and that's where any value of a collection comes from. That doesn't mean, however, that they will always cherry-pick the best stamps for sale individually or in sets or small accumulations of "better" stamps, because they just don't have the time to do that. In our society, time is money.
The number of stamps and entire collections that are moving through the hands of Vancouver's few dealers is astonishing, and understandable when you consider most stamp collectors these days, like most of the readers of this discussion board, are in their "Golden Years," which of course refers to the number of times you have to get up to pee in the middle of the night. They or their beneficiaries are selling their collections left and right to dealers who are flipping them at a profit, all the time knowing that sometimes they are selling individual stamps worth far more than the price they get for the entire collection. If a dealer spends three days searching through collections for a stamp that catalogues at $1,000, and manages to sell it for $500, he has probably lost money.
Bob
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Love the avatar bob! Reminds me of finding my dad's cruise books online from the USS Oriskany and the USS Falstaff.
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Whoa! I just saw a S/S worth $30 on sale for $0.99. It's on the first link @nl1947 posted. Don't you think it's too good to be true? 
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I know..
But I don't have a credit card! My mother is scared from falling into some kind of credit card scheme and won't let me use her card. I've tried to convince her otherwise, but to no avail. I'm not sure the dealer will accept payment sent via postage.
I guess I'll have to wait a little bit more until I can have a credit card of my own.
What a drag! 
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05:28:08pm
I often wonder the same thing. As most of you know my areas are Germany and Russia (up to end of USSR).
Since my German collection has been put together over the years primarily by dealing directly with people in the former DDR area, I've been able to get my paws on stamps and sheets that some of my dealer friends here in Canada have never seen before.
I keep my MNH separate to the CTO collection - likewise with the USSR. And of course I treasure USSR used specifically for post as those are harder to find.
A large portion of my German collection is not in SG or Scott - only in Michel specialised.
I'm thinking the only way I could actually sell my collection is through an auction house because it's not material that commonly would pass through a Canadian or American dealer's hands.
Likewise with my Queen Mum collection - I have s/s sheets perf and imperf - the imperf are slightly different coloured and appear to be proofs and over the past 10 years I've spoken with a number of dealers, posted a few examples here and I've heard "I've never seen those" - out of the entire set, I'm only missing three imperf ones that match the perf ones (that are listed in Scott). I was able to find one that I was missing on ebay a few years ago and I hope to find the other ones that I'm missing just so that I have both. At first I thought they were just issued in both perf and imperf but Scott didn't mention the imperf ones. Then one day I sat down and took a really close look at them all and noticed that although they are exactly the same, the shading is slightly different on the imperf ones.
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If you have a bank account you can open an account on Paypal
It takes awhile but then you can transfer money int your Paypal account & pay from there.
I may be wrong about the rules in your part of the world but I don't think a credit card is required. If I buy with Paypal, they just transfer the amount from my bank account if there are insufficient funds in the Paypal account
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I don't believe this advise is just for Bulgaria. It's the same for nearly everything 1930s to date. I've just started to reorganize my USA stamp collection I put aside in the late 1970s. I'm up to the 1940s and 1950s, and I'm finding little here that actually commands any more than when I left collecting.
My father explained it to me back when I was a kid and was adding up my net worth via the Scott catalog. He told me that if every stamp collector saved ten of each stamp issue, then the hobby would have to grow better than TEN TIMES the current population for these stamps to be in demand and increase in value. Obviously this hasn't happened!
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"Georgi - sorry for asking - but how old are you?? "
I'm a teenager. I can legally possess a debit card, but it has to be requested by my mother. Soon I'll be able to do it on my own, but this auction will definitely be over until then.
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@Georgi:
The following comments probably won't help you to win that auction. Have you considered contacting the seller to see if he would accept a bank draft? One thing to remember: you might not get it for .99! Modern mint stamps and souvenir sheets are rarely rare! Another will come along.
I've never understood "Credit Card Fear". Perhaps the rules are different elsewhere, but using any well-known credit card here (I'm in Canada) seems safe. I use MasterCard, and always pay my bill monthly, which avoids interest. There are no other fees. For family purchases, we use VISA, with no problems whatsoever.
My MasterCard has been compromised just once; I got a call from MasterCard asking me if I had recently bought some stereo equipment in Las Vegas. I had not. In fact, I've only been to Las Vegas one time in life, years before that telephone call. Several hundred dollars had been charged to my card, but it didn't cost me a thing because MasterCard insures their accounts. All I had to do was apply for a new MasterCard number.
To protect myself against myself, I set a low limit on MasterCard purchases. I have also set up a PayPal account which is charged through MasterCard, which makes payments for a simple matter for every dealer I buy from. EBay and Amazon purchases are amazing — one click and about three seconds complete transactions.
Bob
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Hi Georgi,
I have collected Bulgaria quite intensively. I obviously believe its stamps make for a great collection. The history of Bulgaria is fascinating, so it the history of the Balkan in general, and the stamps and postal history reflect this richness.
The worldwide interest in Bulgarian stamps is low, but increasing at a low level. The communist era stamps really ruined it for many collectors. There are some nice sets issued in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but for the most part: too many issues and too cheaply done. The Cyrillic alphabet also may be a turn off of for some collectors, who like to be able to easily read what it says on the stamps.
The more modern Bulgarian stamps form the 90s on are again beautiful, and not easily found. As the Communist era becomes an episode, wedged in between stretches of very collectible stamps, the interest in the country as a whole will increase. As one important indicator of increasing interest, an international Bulgaria specialist group has formed and published much new literature in the past years. This has to be seen against the background of other specialist groups disappearing for lack of interest. Publications generate interest and probably Bulgaria is on a good trajectory. Of course, it is always easy to get exceptional growth rates on a small base. Going from 500, to 2000 serious collectors worldwide is a 300% increase, but what is that compared to 50,000,000 folks collecting China. So, if you keep an interest in the stamps of your country, you will always be in the minority, but as has been said before, the beauty and richness of Bulgarian stamps makes easily up for that.
BTW: As another indicator for demand you will see that there is essentially only garbage offered on ebay, indicating to me that anything good is being quickly picked up.
Finally, @ nl1947
"the more sought after early issues from 1879-1925 require that you have in depth knowledge on determining the genuine stamps from the overwhelming amount of forgeries.
"
I quite disagree with this statement. I would have a hard time naming a more clean country than classic Bulgaria thanks to its exceptionally well made stamps, comb perfed, watermarked, on lined paper printed in St. Petersburg; none of the classic forgers touched them. Existent forgeries are line perf, perfed in the wrong gauge, do not have watermark, the wrong paper etc. etc. With the exception of some of the overprints, especially the 1884 set, forgeries are neither overwhelming nor particularly dangerous. (we have our own Bulgaria forgery guide right here. I have much of the original literature, and can say that the guide is very complete. A big thanks to Nelson for putting it together.)
Arno
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It's an awful shame I can't get those S/S! 
I've contacted the dealer, but he hasn't responded yet, probably won't.
Arno, you have a gorgeous collection!
Just a question, do you think it's a waste of money to buy the common stamps of the period MNH/the most expensive get to $5-6 per set here , in Bulgaria./? I mean, they aren't rare(excluding the few expensive S/S), so if one is to ever sell their collection, they won't get much profit from the common stamps. They'll have just given 5 times more cash than if they had bought CTO and used issues. I think CTOs are a good deal, because they're quite cheap and in almost perfect condition. The cancellations are quite charming, too, don't you agree? Plus, I don't think I'm ever going to sell my collection, so I don't need it to be of very high monetary value. I collect for the pleasure of learning and admiring those beautiful miniature works of art.
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Hi Georgi,
There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with collecting the communist era stamps in CTO condition. This what my used stamps are, because this is how you can find them, and this is also I believe what used stamps are valued at in the catalogs for this time period, CTO, not an elusive (almost) non-existent postally used condition. If you ask me to go MNH or CTO, "in the communist time period," CTO is OK.
Here are some additional thoughts to create a great collection:
#1 collect only MNH or used, consistently. If you are concerned with value, a uniform collection will always be valued more highly. So, pick used or MNH and stick with it.
#2 better have an honest gap in your collection than fill it with an inferior stamp, or used/CTO condition in a mint collection and vice verca.
#3 Always pick the best possible stamp. Zero tolerance for faults. Catalogs assume stamps in "very fine" condition, insist on "extra fine" condition. Rationale: Especially if you can only afford the more common stamps, condition will set you apart. Even if you only have the cheap stamps, your collection will be cherished by other collectors for its quality. I always believed that you can tell a good collection from the care that went into the cheap stamps.
#4 You asked how to ensure that you have a valuable collection: the value comes from your knowledge and care in assembling your collection. It is mostly not your stamps, it is your brain, your time spent, that creates the value. The time and knowledge it takes to pick out the best one out of 100 identical stamps. The time to assemble and present your collection in a neat fashion. Most importantly, the time to learn about, and hence be able to pick out, varieties, special cancellation, etc. I can give the same 1000 stamps to two collectors with the challenge to make the most money of it. One will not be able to sell much better than "mixture of 1000 stamps, $5," the other will be able to separate out various special interests, railway cancels, perfins, plate flaws etc etc. etc. and realize much more. The added-value comes from time spent and knowledge, not the stamps.
#5 Specific to Bulgaria: Stamps of the communist era are plentiful, both in CTO and in mint condition. Keep any stamps you get, and build a collection of these stamps "as you go", but I would not put any money in it. So, my answer is: Do not put money in this era stamps either CTO or MNH. You will find that these stamps magically find your way to you, because as of today not many collectors want them. Also, because of the uniformity of CTO stamps, it is difficult to create value by being more discerning and focusing on quality.
#6 The by far biggest opportunity for creating a desirable collection with the potential to increase in value is in collecting Bulgaria from 1990, especially from 2000 and on. The modern stamps all are printed in very small quantities, for commemorative stamps, typically less than 40,000; s/s are typically printed in a quantity of 15,000. So, I would actively seek "today's" stamps before they get out of sight. If collecting interest in Bulgaria increases at any level, these quantities will not be sufficient to meet demand. Especially considering that there are a lot of very desirable topical sets and s/s, which you will find are hard to get. Again, whether you wish to collect MNH or used, will be entirely up to you, but stick to it. Since you are at the source, you could go for used and hence really pick a challenge for yourself.
Arno
P.S. I am very impressed by your ability to communicate in English. Very few of American teenagers can communicate in any other foreign language like you do.
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Speaking of Bulgaria, has anyone ever seen this website:
http://bjornb.seymourfamily.com/bhb1/album-e.htm
Downloadable album pages to 1946. I have never collected Bulgaria but every time I see this site I am tempted. So far as I know the downloads are free.
Note the link does not seem to work in my post so- do a web search for 'Bulgaria stamp album pages' and you should find the site.
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-08-16 11:27:26)
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"The by far biggest opportunity for creating a desirable collection with the potential to increase in value is in collecting Bulgaria from 1990, especially from 2000 and on."
Yes, that's true. Dealers here sell the stamps issued after 1990 two or three times their face value. And that includes sets that entered the market just one year ago. I might start buying them at the post office and build a second collection starting with 2015 stamps.
"So, my answer is: Do not put money in this era stamps either CTO or MNH. You will find that these stamps magically find your way to you, because as of today not many collectors want them."
What do you mean, Arno? How else can I obtain stamps that are 40-50 years old, if not buying them? I can't soak them off incoming mail and I certainly don't know anyone who would give away their stamps. I actually don't know any collectors, except for you, guys. Bulgaria is a small nation and with the percentage of philatelists among the population not very high these days, you can imagine how many of them are there. I think the Bulgarian Philatelists' Union has about 2000 members.
P.S Thanks for sharing this site, Snick1946!
A bit off-topic:
-------------------
I got my hands on communist-era album pages for Bulgaria, but the stamp spaces aren't ordered in chronologically, but rather to fit as many stamps as possible in one page. Do you consider this a problem?
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"What do you mean, Arno? How else can I obtain stamps that are 40-50 years old, if not buying them? "
I simply meant not to buy them, neither mint nor CTO. Just let them be. I assume money is scarce and I believe it would be wiser to put it towards stamps that will likely be more expensive or more difficult to obtain in the future. The CTO issues of the Communist era will not go anywhere. They will still be there for you to pick up later, in both mint or CTO condition.
I am not sure if you have already taken a look at our auction and approval section. There are currently six books of Bulgarian stamps from five different members in the Approvals, and you can see from the sales percentage that people do collect Bulgarian stamps at least to some extent. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but there could be your opportunity to sell stamps you do not need and use the proceeds for some you want. A paypal account may also solve your payment problems, because you can use the balance received from your sales for purchases from the account without need for a credit card, debit card, or bank account (as far as I know).
@ Snick1946
These pages are absolutely stunning & awesome. I have a friend in Wilson-Salem, NC who uses them and his collection in absolutely beautiful. He said he started Bulgaria only because the pages with illustrations are just irresistible (if you all have not checked, follow the link Snick1946 provided and check out some sample pages). I tried to find them before, but couldn't, and am happy they are still available and have not been taken off line. See first page of free album below:
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10:52:10pm
Georgi -
One of the best way to "get" stamps without buying any since you don't currently have a way to purchase them online is by placing an "ad" in the trades section. You probably have a few duplicates in your collection - trading may be slow at first, but eventually you will find that more people and more duplicates that you don't want as well as expand your collection beyond Bulgaria.
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Thanks for the kind and encouraging words, Michael.
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The Bulgaria pages I linked to are indeed a treat. They have been out there for at least a decade and I was glad to be able to find them again, I think the creator said they will look best printed on Lighthouse blank pages. I recall when I first saw them I emailed him asking- innocently- if he planned to produce any subsequent pages for after 1947. His reply was 'Do you think I would provide pages for Communist stamps?' I found it sort of amusing.
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It depends on the demand the stamp(s) generate. If one's collection, let's say of 1000 stamps has an estimated value of $300 on today's market, there is a 99.99% chance that 30 years down the track it will still be worth the same amount.
Selling it to a dealer will be less, as the dealer will need to make a profit to what he had bought so he may give you $200 for the entire lot and then sell it with a mark-up.
I know there will be collectors who may not agree with me, but this is how stamps are listed from pristine condition downwards.
1. Mint unused
2. C.T.O
3. Commercially used
There are some commercially used stamps that will rate above a C.T.O. and there are a few commercially used stamps that are more valuable than a mint unused stamp.
Dealers have very little interest to none when it comes to the albums that house the stamps, when they obtain the album the pages are removed and each set on each page is sold as is, or they will remove whatever stamp a collector may want, though many dealers prefer not to break up sets.
A dealer may sell the binder if it's in excellent nick for a tenth of what you paid, or he will throw it in free if the client wants all the stamps housed in the binder, and that includes the hard-cover sleeve.
One would need to go to a reputable stamp dealer for good stamps; even though eBay is recommended by some collectors, it is wise to steer well away from eBay, Gumtree and other on-line sites that have a notorious reputation for scammers plaguing them.
If the price of a scarce or rare stamp is too good to be true on such auction sites, don't buy it.
For instance if a stamp is worth $2,000 and it is selling on eBay for $200, would you sell a $2,000 stamp for $200, of course you wouldn't, and neither would the person attempting to sell it if the stamp is purported to be what he says it is.
A collection is a collection, whether it be valuable or not, the interest in philately is the enjoyment of completing sets and the enjoyment at looking at what you have collected, even inexpensive sets can be "bleeping" hard to get.
For instance, I have a rare set of 1869 Australian Colonial colour trials that took me 7 months to locate, and yet it took me 2½ years to locate an Aussie stamp that was issued in 1999.
The rare colour trials:
The hard to locate year 2000 $1 Koala overprint International emergency issue with the transparent vertical blue line is on the left, how it originally looked is on the right (both with personalised tabs).
It was originally a commercial issue hastily made into a 2001 International stamp, hence the original year of issue 1999 still shown on its left side.
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First of all, I'd like to indicate that monetary value is of no importance to me. My enjoyment from the hobby suffers no attrition because I collect mostly low-value stamps.
But let's get to the main point. Just out of curiosity, how much do you think an almost complete/say, 97-98%/ collection of used Bulgarian stamps from the period between 1946 to 1990 will be worth? The majority of them ATM are -- and will be -- CTOs, I think. I know a mint collection will be considerably worthy, because MNH stamps from this era are quite expensive. As an example I'll note that the 360 used stamps I bought a week ago would be worth about $100 in mint quality.
Happy collecting!
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Auctions
re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
Dealers are buying classic era stuff at 10 percent of catalog as the lifelong collectors are passing away. There will be no comparison between what i spent on my stamps in the past 40 years and what the dealer who comes in one fine day will offer.
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11:25:12am
re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
If they are in very fine condition, probably 25% of catalog value at most. Dealers will pay less.
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
Hi georgi2201;
To give you an honest answer, will rain on your parade, but here goes, much less than what you paid.
I have collected for many, many years, and know that my collection is worth less than what I paid. I accepted that this is nothing more than a fun pastime, to while away those long winter nights.
A very few people with a gift for spotting a 'find' and snapping it up, and selling at a profit, can claim to have made an investment in stamps pay off. The average person like you or me would have better luck becoming day traders or commodity traders.
So think about what would be the most fun to collect and do that....forget the money....
TuskenRaider
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
Georgi,
I'm going to put a different perspective here.
I know no Bulgarian collectors. there are none in my stamp club. I've not talked to any at shows. No one has ever asked me for Bulgarian stamps.
In SOR, there are 12 people, including you, who list Bulgaria among their interests. If we add world wide collectors, that certainly increases the number who would buy Bulgarian stamps. Of those 12, only one actively buys lots in our auctions and approvals (and I didn't look to see if those were Bulgarian lots or others). With about 2,000 members, 12 collectors represents 6% of whom less than 10% of that smaller number buys stamps here.
In Bulgaria, I am sure the number is much higher, but I would be mightily surprised to see a collection of CTO stamps from the non-classic period command even 10% even with album pages and binders included.
I am not a dealer, so this is purely conjecture and anecdotal observations.
DAvid
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
Georgi,
You wrote:
"First of all, I'd like to indicate that monetary value is of no importance to me. My enjoyment from the hobby suffers no attrition because I collect mostly low-value stamps."
Have you considered that as a heirloom, what you have collected and how/why you did so would be precious information to those who follow you later on in years? Assuming that there are/will be no heirs that would care, it would make a wonderful gift to a church of your choosing, or to a veteran's group going forward.
From a monetary point of view, the contribution can be a legitimate deduction if you need one.
Best,
Dan C.
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
David said
"I would be mightily surprised to see a collection of CTO stamps from the non-classic period command even 10% even with album pages and binders included."
In my experience, which is limited, albums mean literally nothing to dealers. When I sold my Ireland, Denmark, and Sweden collections to a dealer, the expensive Lighthouse albums, in excellent condition with matching slipcases, weren't consider in the evaluation.
I collect CTOs, mainly because they are usually cheaper and easier to obtain than mint copies of the same stamps, as georgi2201 points out, and the "cancellations" don't obscure the design, which suits me fine. Most are intended for eventual use in my web pages, and CTOs work as illustrations almost as well as mint stamps. However, I am fully aware that I have paid a great deal more for these stamps than will ever be returned to me. Still, they are an excellent investment in pleasure and learning.
Bob
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
"...they are an excellent investment in pleasure and learning.
"
Exactly!
Thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge!
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
I assume you are asking how much it is worth to a dealer (i.e., how much will the dealer offer for your collection). Otherwise, you will get as many different answers as posts, since value is in the eye of the beholder.
You stated your collection is 1946-1990, 97%+ complete, mostly CTO. So I will assume since mostly CTO, you don't have any of the S/S or imperfs are that not assigned Scott numbers (many not even mentioned in Scott) as those typically are mint.
In that time period, there are fewer than 10% used stamps that catalog for >$1. Which basically means, to a dealer, it is a wholesale/bulk purchase unless you have the few premium items. I am only considering stamps with major Scott numbers (not the minor stamp varieties) or S/S -- there are less than half a dozen used stamps & S/S in that time period catalog for >$10 and they are pretty easy to spot (e.g., #569 $37.50, #843a $50, #1129a $12...). That's what the dealer is looking for. If you have any of the minor perforation varieties (minor Scott numbers) that catalog for >$10, you should point those out -- there are probably less than a dozen of those. There's nothing I'm aware of that's more than $50, but I didn't check thoroughly.
So, were talking about 3000 very common to common CTOs with possibly some modest premium items. You will get a penny a stamp since most of your CTOs are probably in complete sets. Tack on about 5%-10% for the premium items $10 or higher. In other words, expect roughly $25-$50 for the typical dealer buy price, depending on how many premium items you have and how badly the dealer needs the material.
As Bob noted, unless it's a luxury-grade specialty album, you will get nothing for the album/supplies. At most, it makes it more likely the dealer will make a full wholesale price offer because it's already organized.
Remember, the value of the collection to a dealer is not the sum of the stamps, because the dealer is unlikely to sell all the stamps in the collection. The dealer will offer more if the entire album can be easily "flipped" to a buyer they know.
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
Khj said,
"Remember, the value of the collection to a dealer is not the sum of the stamps..."
I've gotten to know two dealers quite well, and learned from them that they basically ignore common stamps when they evaluate collections. They have become adept at spotting uncommon and rare stamps, and that's where any value of a collection comes from. That doesn't mean, however, that they will always cherry-pick the best stamps for sale individually or in sets or small accumulations of "better" stamps, because they just don't have the time to do that. In our society, time is money.
The number of stamps and entire collections that are moving through the hands of Vancouver's few dealers is astonishing, and understandable when you consider most stamp collectors these days, like most of the readers of this discussion board, are in their "Golden Years," which of course refers to the number of times you have to get up to pee in the middle of the night. They or their beneficiaries are selling their collections left and right to dealers who are flipping them at a profit, all the time knowing that sometimes they are selling individual stamps worth far more than the price they get for the entire collection. If a dealer spends three days searching through collections for a stamp that catalogues at $1,000, and manages to sell it for $500, he has probably lost money.
Bob
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03:32:03pm
re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
Love the avatar bob! Reminds me of finding my dad's cruise books online from the USS Oriskany and the USS Falstaff.
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Whoa! I just saw a S/S worth $30 on sale for $0.99. It's on the first link @nl1947 posted. Don't you think it's too good to be true?
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I know..
But I don't have a credit card! My mother is scared from falling into some kind of credit card scheme and won't let me use her card. I've tried to convince her otherwise, but to no avail. I'm not sure the dealer will accept payment sent via postage.
I guess I'll have to wait a little bit more until I can have a credit card of my own.
What a drag!
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15 Aug 2015
05:28:08pm
re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
I often wonder the same thing. As most of you know my areas are Germany and Russia (up to end of USSR).
Since my German collection has been put together over the years primarily by dealing directly with people in the former DDR area, I've been able to get my paws on stamps and sheets that some of my dealer friends here in Canada have never seen before.
I keep my MNH separate to the CTO collection - likewise with the USSR. And of course I treasure USSR used specifically for post as those are harder to find.
A large portion of my German collection is not in SG or Scott - only in Michel specialised.
I'm thinking the only way I could actually sell my collection is through an auction house because it's not material that commonly would pass through a Canadian or American dealer's hands.
Likewise with my Queen Mum collection - I have s/s sheets perf and imperf - the imperf are slightly different coloured and appear to be proofs and over the past 10 years I've spoken with a number of dealers, posted a few examples here and I've heard "I've never seen those" - out of the entire set, I'm only missing three imperf ones that match the perf ones (that are listed in Scott). I was able to find one that I was missing on ebay a few years ago and I hope to find the other ones that I'm missing just so that I have both. At first I thought they were just issued in both perf and imperf but Scott didn't mention the imperf ones. Then one day I sat down and took a really close look at them all and noticed that although they are exactly the same, the shading is slightly different on the imperf ones.
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05:32:56pm
re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
If you have a bank account you can open an account on Paypal
It takes awhile but then you can transfer money int your Paypal account & pay from there.
I may be wrong about the rules in your part of the world but I don't think a credit card is required. If I buy with Paypal, they just transfer the amount from my bank account if there are insufficient funds in the Paypal account
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I don't believe this advise is just for Bulgaria. It's the same for nearly everything 1930s to date. I've just started to reorganize my USA stamp collection I put aside in the late 1970s. I'm up to the 1940s and 1950s, and I'm finding little here that actually commands any more than when I left collecting.
My father explained it to me back when I was a kid and was adding up my net worth via the Scott catalog. He told me that if every stamp collector saved ten of each stamp issue, then the hobby would have to grow better than TEN TIMES the current population for these stamps to be in demand and increase in value. Obviously this hasn't happened!
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"Georgi - sorry for asking - but how old are you?? "
I'm a teenager. I can legally possess a debit card, but it has to be requested by my mother. Soon I'll be able to do it on my own, but this auction will definitely be over until then.
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@Georgi:
The following comments probably won't help you to win that auction. Have you considered contacting the seller to see if he would accept a bank draft? One thing to remember: you might not get it for .99! Modern mint stamps and souvenir sheets are rarely rare! Another will come along.
I've never understood "Credit Card Fear". Perhaps the rules are different elsewhere, but using any well-known credit card here (I'm in Canada) seems safe. I use MasterCard, and always pay my bill monthly, which avoids interest. There are no other fees. For family purchases, we use VISA, with no problems whatsoever.
My MasterCard has been compromised just once; I got a call from MasterCard asking me if I had recently bought some stereo equipment in Las Vegas. I had not. In fact, I've only been to Las Vegas one time in life, years before that telephone call. Several hundred dollars had been charged to my card, but it didn't cost me a thing because MasterCard insures their accounts. All I had to do was apply for a new MasterCard number.
To protect myself against myself, I set a low limit on MasterCard purchases. I have also set up a PayPal account which is charged through MasterCard, which makes payments for a simple matter for every dealer I buy from. EBay and Amazon purchases are amazing — one click and about three seconds complete transactions.
Bob
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Hi Georgi,
I have collected Bulgaria quite intensively. I obviously believe its stamps make for a great collection. The history of Bulgaria is fascinating, so it the history of the Balkan in general, and the stamps and postal history reflect this richness.
The worldwide interest in Bulgarian stamps is low, but increasing at a low level. The communist era stamps really ruined it for many collectors. There are some nice sets issued in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but for the most part: too many issues and too cheaply done. The Cyrillic alphabet also may be a turn off of for some collectors, who like to be able to easily read what it says on the stamps.
The more modern Bulgarian stamps form the 90s on are again beautiful, and not easily found. As the Communist era becomes an episode, wedged in between stretches of very collectible stamps, the interest in the country as a whole will increase. As one important indicator of increasing interest, an international Bulgaria specialist group has formed and published much new literature in the past years. This has to be seen against the background of other specialist groups disappearing for lack of interest. Publications generate interest and probably Bulgaria is on a good trajectory. Of course, it is always easy to get exceptional growth rates on a small base. Going from 500, to 2000 serious collectors worldwide is a 300% increase, but what is that compared to 50,000,000 folks collecting China. So, if you keep an interest in the stamps of your country, you will always be in the minority, but as has been said before, the beauty and richness of Bulgarian stamps makes easily up for that.
BTW: As another indicator for demand you will see that there is essentially only garbage offered on ebay, indicating to me that anything good is being quickly picked up.
Finally, @ nl1947
"the more sought after early issues from 1879-1925 require that you have in depth knowledge on determining the genuine stamps from the overwhelming amount of forgeries.
"
I quite disagree with this statement. I would have a hard time naming a more clean country than classic Bulgaria thanks to its exceptionally well made stamps, comb perfed, watermarked, on lined paper printed in St. Petersburg; none of the classic forgers touched them. Existent forgeries are line perf, perfed in the wrong gauge, do not have watermark, the wrong paper etc. etc. With the exception of some of the overprints, especially the 1884 set, forgeries are neither overwhelming nor particularly dangerous. (we have our own Bulgaria forgery guide right here. I have much of the original literature, and can say that the guide is very complete. A big thanks to Nelson for putting it together.)
Arno
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
It's an awful shame I can't get those S/S! I've contacted the dealer, but he hasn't responded yet, probably won't.
Arno, you have a gorgeous collection!
Just a question, do you think it's a waste of money to buy the common stamps of the period MNH/the most expensive get to $5-6 per set here , in Bulgaria./? I mean, they aren't rare(excluding the few expensive S/S), so if one is to ever sell their collection, they won't get much profit from the common stamps. They'll have just given 5 times more cash than if they had bought CTO and used issues. I think CTOs are a good deal, because they're quite cheap and in almost perfect condition. The cancellations are quite charming, too, don't you agree? Plus, I don't think I'm ever going to sell my collection, so I don't need it to be of very high monetary value. I collect for the pleasure of learning and admiring those beautiful miniature works of art.
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Hi Georgi,
There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with collecting the communist era stamps in CTO condition. This what my used stamps are, because this is how you can find them, and this is also I believe what used stamps are valued at in the catalogs for this time period, CTO, not an elusive (almost) non-existent postally used condition. If you ask me to go MNH or CTO, "in the communist time period," CTO is OK.
Here are some additional thoughts to create a great collection:
#1 collect only MNH or used, consistently. If you are concerned with value, a uniform collection will always be valued more highly. So, pick used or MNH and stick with it.
#2 better have an honest gap in your collection than fill it with an inferior stamp, or used/CTO condition in a mint collection and vice verca.
#3 Always pick the best possible stamp. Zero tolerance for faults. Catalogs assume stamps in "very fine" condition, insist on "extra fine" condition. Rationale: Especially if you can only afford the more common stamps, condition will set you apart. Even if you only have the cheap stamps, your collection will be cherished by other collectors for its quality. I always believed that you can tell a good collection from the care that went into the cheap stamps.
#4 You asked how to ensure that you have a valuable collection: the value comes from your knowledge and care in assembling your collection. It is mostly not your stamps, it is your brain, your time spent, that creates the value. The time and knowledge it takes to pick out the best one out of 100 identical stamps. The time to assemble and present your collection in a neat fashion. Most importantly, the time to learn about, and hence be able to pick out, varieties, special cancellation, etc. I can give the same 1000 stamps to two collectors with the challenge to make the most money of it. One will not be able to sell much better than "mixture of 1000 stamps, $5," the other will be able to separate out various special interests, railway cancels, perfins, plate flaws etc etc. etc. and realize much more. The added-value comes from time spent and knowledge, not the stamps.
#5 Specific to Bulgaria: Stamps of the communist era are plentiful, both in CTO and in mint condition. Keep any stamps you get, and build a collection of these stamps "as you go", but I would not put any money in it. So, my answer is: Do not put money in this era stamps either CTO or MNH. You will find that these stamps magically find your way to you, because as of today not many collectors want them. Also, because of the uniformity of CTO stamps, it is difficult to create value by being more discerning and focusing on quality.
#6 The by far biggest opportunity for creating a desirable collection with the potential to increase in value is in collecting Bulgaria from 1990, especially from 2000 and on. The modern stamps all are printed in very small quantities, for commemorative stamps, typically less than 40,000; s/s are typically printed in a quantity of 15,000. So, I would actively seek "today's" stamps before they get out of sight. If collecting interest in Bulgaria increases at any level, these quantities will not be sufficient to meet demand. Especially considering that there are a lot of very desirable topical sets and s/s, which you will find are hard to get. Again, whether you wish to collect MNH or used, will be entirely up to you, but stick to it. Since you are at the source, you could go for used and hence really pick a challenge for yourself.
Arno
P.S. I am very impressed by your ability to communicate in English. Very few of American teenagers can communicate in any other foreign language like you do.
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
Speaking of Bulgaria, has anyone ever seen this website:
http://bjornb.seymourfamily.com/bhb1/album-e.htm
Downloadable album pages to 1946. I have never collected Bulgaria but every time I see this site I am tempted. So far as I know the downloads are free.
Note the link does not seem to work in my post so- do a web search for 'Bulgaria stamp album pages' and you should find the site.
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-08-16 11:27:26)
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"The by far biggest opportunity for creating a desirable collection with the potential to increase in value is in collecting Bulgaria from 1990, especially from 2000 and on."
Yes, that's true. Dealers here sell the stamps issued after 1990 two or three times their face value. And that includes sets that entered the market just one year ago. I might start buying them at the post office and build a second collection starting with 2015 stamps.
"So, my answer is: Do not put money in this era stamps either CTO or MNH. You will find that these stamps magically find your way to you, because as of today not many collectors want them."
What do you mean, Arno? How else can I obtain stamps that are 40-50 years old, if not buying them? I can't soak them off incoming mail and I certainly don't know anyone who would give away their stamps. I actually don't know any collectors, except for you, guys. Bulgaria is a small nation and with the percentage of philatelists among the population not very high these days, you can imagine how many of them are there. I think the Bulgarian Philatelists' Union has about 2000 members.
P.S Thanks for sharing this site, Snick1946!
A bit off-topic:
-------------------
I got my hands on communist-era album pages for Bulgaria, but the stamp spaces aren't ordered in chronologically, but rather to fit as many stamps as possible in one page. Do you consider this a problem?
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
"What do you mean, Arno? How else can I obtain stamps that are 40-50 years old, if not buying them? "
I simply meant not to buy them, neither mint nor CTO. Just let them be. I assume money is scarce and I believe it would be wiser to put it towards stamps that will likely be more expensive or more difficult to obtain in the future. The CTO issues of the Communist era will not go anywhere. They will still be there for you to pick up later, in both mint or CTO condition.
I am not sure if you have already taken a look at our auction and approval section. There are currently six books of Bulgarian stamps from five different members in the Approvals, and you can see from the sales percentage that people do collect Bulgarian stamps at least to some extent. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but there could be your opportunity to sell stamps you do not need and use the proceeds for some you want. A paypal account may also solve your payment problems, because you can use the balance received from your sales for purchases from the account without need for a credit card, debit card, or bank account (as far as I know).
@ Snick1946
These pages are absolutely stunning & awesome. I have a friend in Wilson-Salem, NC who uses them and his collection in absolutely beautiful. He said he started Bulgaria only because the pages with illustrations are just irresistible (if you all have not checked, follow the link Snick1946 provided and check out some sample pages). I tried to find them before, but couldn't, and am happy they are still available and have not been taken off line. See first page of free album below:
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16 Aug 2015
10:52:10pm
re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
Georgi -
One of the best way to "get" stamps without buying any since you don't currently have a way to purchase them online is by placing an "ad" in the trades section. You probably have a few duplicates in your collection - trading may be slow at first, but eventually you will find that more people and more duplicates that you don't want as well as expand your collection beyond Bulgaria.
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Thanks for the kind and encouraging words, Michael.
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The Bulgaria pages I linked to are indeed a treat. They have been out there for at least a decade and I was glad to be able to find them again, I think the creator said they will look best printed on Lighthouse blank pages. I recall when I first saw them I emailed him asking- innocently- if he planned to produce any subsequent pages for after 1947. His reply was 'Do you think I would provide pages for Communist stamps?' I found it sort of amusing.
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re: How much do you think my collection will be worth?
It depends on the demand the stamp(s) generate. If one's collection, let's say of 1000 stamps has an estimated value of $300 on today's market, there is a 99.99% chance that 30 years down the track it will still be worth the same amount.
Selling it to a dealer will be less, as the dealer will need to make a profit to what he had bought so he may give you $200 for the entire lot and then sell it with a mark-up.
I know there will be collectors who may not agree with me, but this is how stamps are listed from pristine condition downwards.
1. Mint unused
2. C.T.O
3. Commercially used
There are some commercially used stamps that will rate above a C.T.O. and there are a few commercially used stamps that are more valuable than a mint unused stamp.
Dealers have very little interest to none when it comes to the albums that house the stamps, when they obtain the album the pages are removed and each set on each page is sold as is, or they will remove whatever stamp a collector may want, though many dealers prefer not to break up sets.
A dealer may sell the binder if it's in excellent nick for a tenth of what you paid, or he will throw it in free if the client wants all the stamps housed in the binder, and that includes the hard-cover sleeve.
One would need to go to a reputable stamp dealer for good stamps; even though eBay is recommended by some collectors, it is wise to steer well away from eBay, Gumtree and other on-line sites that have a notorious reputation for scammers plaguing them.
If the price of a scarce or rare stamp is too good to be true on such auction sites, don't buy it.
For instance if a stamp is worth $2,000 and it is selling on eBay for $200, would you sell a $2,000 stamp for $200, of course you wouldn't, and neither would the person attempting to sell it if the stamp is purported to be what he says it is.
A collection is a collection, whether it be valuable or not, the interest in philately is the enjoyment of completing sets and the enjoyment at looking at what you have collected, even inexpensive sets can be "bleeping" hard to get.
For instance, I have a rare set of 1869 Australian Colonial colour trials that took me 7 months to locate, and yet it took me 2½ years to locate an Aussie stamp that was issued in 1999.
The rare colour trials:
The hard to locate year 2000 $1 Koala overprint International emergency issue with the transparent vertical blue line is on the left, how it originally looked is on the right (both with personalised tabs).
It was originally a commercial issue hastily made into a 2001 International stamp, hence the original year of issue 1999 still shown on its left side.
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