Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
What I am struggling with is the US Stamp collection. Up until last year I keep adding the new stamps each year to the original collection my father started many moons ago. I decided not to add to it anymore. Since I have no children and my nephews and niece have NO INTEREST in stamps - I tried to show them. So one day I am afraid the collection will wind up in some garage sale or even worse just be tossed out. Do any of the stamps that were issued past the 1980's even have a chance of selling - if I break them out ? Or would that be a waste of time. Would it be better to try to sell the collection as a whole ? I am sure the older issues may do well but would I just be left with the newer stamps - if I broke it up ? Any ideas ? Thanks, Steve
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Hi Steve, if you try selling them as postage you may get 50-70% below face. If you break them down the forever stamps bring $1-$1.75 the rest you should get face or 25% above face for singles Plate Blocks sell for more. It depends on how much time you want to spend on them. Look to see what is available and selling. Year sets, singles, plate blocks. Use the rest for postage of your orders.
Hope that helps.
Keep on stamping
Richard
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I'm in a similar situation. I tried to infect my son with stamp collecting, but he apparently has natural immunity. So, my suggestion? Consign the entire collection to an auction dealer.
I have made arrangements to (slowly) disburse my collection with the help of Weeda Stamps of Victoria, British Columbia. I've been buying from Weeda for years, knew the former owner, Beverly Fox, well and know the current owner, Firmin Wendells. When I told Firmin that I would describe my covers and stamps as best I could, he said, in effect, "No, don't do that! That's our job. All you have to do is send the material and we'll separate it into lots for the auction." I will, of course, make sure that Weeda is apprised of the potential value of my best covers and stamps. And some will go to my son whether he wants them or not. If he dumps them, I will haunt him!
The only reason I can think of for you to sell the U.S. collect piecemeal by yourself is that you are used to buying and selling, and probably enjoy it, to a point. Since learning years ago that selling stamps on approval was a sure path to the looney bin, I haven't sold a thing except for an occasionally trading individual covers and two or three entire small collections to a dealer for covers I needed for exhibits.
Then there's this: I really don't care whether my collection sells for big bucks or small. For the last 40 years, most of my discretionary income (my allowance!) has gone to stamps and covers. I've gotten great recreational/educational value for the money I've spent, and I've enjoyed sharing my collection through my Ephemeral Treasures web pages.
We really don't need the money I could get from selling my collection. It's been a big surprise that even though we live in one of the most expensive cities in Canada (Vancouver), we are able to save much more than we spend each month, thanks to my wife's excellent "money laundering" skills and generous American taxpayers, who are still paying big bucks for my disability pension for my "tour of duty" in South Vietnam. I realize that many collectors have to view their collections as an asset that they can convert to cash. Fortunately I'm not in their situation.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Bob
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Being a youth, (and one of 3 on SoR) I have not been able to PAY kids to come to my local stamp club.
-Ari
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There are collectors who are interested in replacing mint hinged stamps and filling in missing stamps from US collections which reach up into the late 1990's as well as those who would like to find additions for their collections into more modern issues. Having available stamps to complete these collections would be a godsend to them if available at fair prices even if those fair prices were basically face value. I recently purchased Scott Platinum pages which have a fairly large complement of stamps that actually are hinged and I am looking for replacements for the hinged stamps as well as stamps to fill the missing stamps of which there are hundreds at the least. My pages start with 1947 and go through 1996. Currently I have $735 of face value in the albums but I am finding that many of the stamps are hinged plus there are many missing stamps which I would like to fill in. Out of the five albums which contain pages I have completed lists of stamps I need as replacements/additions through Scott #1703 and am continuing to work my way through the remaining pages of the albums.
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Thanks for all of the responses. I think I will eventually break up the collection and sell parts of it here via approval books at low cost and for some of the higher valued older stamps - I will try some auctions down the road or put stamps up in my Hipstamp store. For some of the highest valued stamps - I may just keep them for longer time and just will them to one of my nephews and include information on what there approximate value is. Of course I may change my mind and I may keep some of the newer forever stamps and just use them for future postage. I will continue to sleep on this for awhile - it is the last of my late father's collections I have left in tact at this point... Steve
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I forgot to add - if anyone here is reading this and is looking for the later year issues (up to 2024) - I am sure I have them. They are all Mint Never Hinged. Just drop me a message with a want list and I can check for you... Steve
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Selling on eBay and using stamps for postage, I buy my stamps for 50-60% of face from people I know in the stamp business. Right now two 39 cent stamps equal the current 78 cent rate.
As I get postage lots, I will save an example of the newer stamps. I do confess I don't have much of a connection to them, especially the endless useless sets.
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Just looking for suggestions. As some of you may know - I came up with the nickname of "Father & The Son Stamps" about 15 years ago when I first started selling stamps online - in the old BIDSTART site. My dad was still alive and he had accumulated a massive worldwide collection over his years collecting. He had duplicate, triplicates and much more in folders, albums, boxes etc.. He got me interested in stamps when I was a very young boy and I started collecting myself - but of course these were duplicate collections from what he had. I have sold off most of the worldwide collection. I still collect some countries of my own and what I do now is if I see a good collection on EBAY - I buy it and take out the stamps I need and sell off the rest.
What I am struggling with is the US Stamp collection. Up until last year I keep adding the new stamps each year to the original collection my father started many moons ago. I decided not to add to it anymore. Since I have no children and my nephews and niece have NO INTEREST in stamps - I tried to show them. So one day I am afraid the collection will wind up in some garage sale or even worse just be tossed out. Do any of the stamps that were issued past the 1980's even have a chance of selling - if I break them out ? Or would that be a waste of time. Would it be better to try to sell the collection as a whole ? I am sure the older issues may do well but would I just be left with the newer stamps - if I broke it up ? Any ideas ? Thanks, Steve
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Auctions
re: Is It Worth It ?
Hi Steve, if you try selling them as postage you may get 50-70% below face. If you break them down the forever stamps bring $1-$1.75 the rest you should get face or 25% above face for singles Plate Blocks sell for more. It depends on how much time you want to spend on them. Look to see what is available and selling. Year sets, singles, plate blocks. Use the rest for postage of your orders.
Hope that helps.
Keep on stamping
Richard
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this post
re: Is It Worth It ?
I'm in a similar situation. I tried to infect my son with stamp collecting, but he apparently has natural immunity. So, my suggestion? Consign the entire collection to an auction dealer.
I have made arrangements to (slowly) disburse my collection with the help of Weeda Stamps of Victoria, British Columbia. I've been buying from Weeda for years, knew the former owner, Beverly Fox, well and know the current owner, Firmin Wendells. When I told Firmin that I would describe my covers and stamps as best I could, he said, in effect, "No, don't do that! That's our job. All you have to do is send the material and we'll separate it into lots for the auction." I will, of course, make sure that Weeda is apprised of the potential value of my best covers and stamps. And some will go to my son whether he wants them or not. If he dumps them, I will haunt him!
The only reason I can think of for you to sell the U.S. collect piecemeal by yourself is that you are used to buying and selling, and probably enjoy it, to a point. Since learning years ago that selling stamps on approval was a sure path to the looney bin, I haven't sold a thing except for an occasionally trading individual covers and two or three entire small collections to a dealer for covers I needed for exhibits.
Then there's this: I really don't care whether my collection sells for big bucks or small. For the last 40 years, most of my discretionary income (my allowance!) has gone to stamps and covers. I've gotten great recreational/educational value for the money I've spent, and I've enjoyed sharing my collection through my Ephemeral Treasures web pages.
We really don't need the money I could get from selling my collection. It's been a big surprise that even though we live in one of the most expensive cities in Canada (Vancouver), we are able to save much more than we spend each month, thanks to my wife's excellent "money laundering" skills and generous American taxpayers, who are still paying big bucks for my disability pension for my "tour of duty" in South Vietnam. I realize that many collectors have to view their collections as an asset that they can convert to cash. Fortunately I'm not in their situation.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Bob
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Approvals
re: Is It Worth It ?
Being a youth, (and one of 3 on SoR) I have not been able to PAY kids to come to my local stamp club.
-Ari
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this post
re: Is It Worth It ?
There are collectors who are interested in replacing mint hinged stamps and filling in missing stamps from US collections which reach up into the late 1990's as well as those who would like to find additions for their collections into more modern issues. Having available stamps to complete these collections would be a godsend to them if available at fair prices even if those fair prices were basically face value. I recently purchased Scott Platinum pages which have a fairly large complement of stamps that actually are hinged and I am looking for replacements for the hinged stamps as well as stamps to fill the missing stamps of which there are hundreds at the least. My pages start with 1947 and go through 1996. Currently I have $735 of face value in the albums but I am finding that many of the stamps are hinged plus there are many missing stamps which I would like to fill in. Out of the five albums which contain pages I have completed lists of stamps I need as replacements/additions through Scott #1703 and am continuing to work my way through the remaining pages of the albums.
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Approvals
re: Is It Worth It ?
Thanks for all of the responses. I think I will eventually break up the collection and sell parts of it here via approval books at low cost and for some of the higher valued older stamps - I will try some auctions down the road or put stamps up in my Hipstamp store. For some of the highest valued stamps - I may just keep them for longer time and just will them to one of my nephews and include information on what there approximate value is. Of course I may change my mind and I may keep some of the newer forever stamps and just use them for future postage. I will continue to sleep on this for awhile - it is the last of my late father's collections I have left in tact at this point... Steve
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: Is It Worth It ?
I forgot to add - if anyone here is reading this and is looking for the later year issues (up to 2024) - I am sure I have them. They are all Mint Never Hinged. Just drop me a message with a want list and I can check for you... Steve
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Is It Worth It ?
Selling on eBay and using stamps for postage, I buy my stamps for 50-60% of face from people I know in the stamp business. Right now two 39 cent stamps equal the current 78 cent rate.
As I get postage lots, I will save an example of the newer stamps. I do confess I don't have much of a connection to them, especially the endless useless sets.
Login to Like
this post