What are my stamps worth...

I get calls weekly (as do many other dealers), asking how can they get a value of their stamp collection.  This question is usually posed by someone who is new to stamp collecting many times by virtue of an inheritance of a grandparent or someone else they were close to.  They could have received these in single approval cards, but usually they are found in a stamp stockbook, or printed stamp album.

Stamp collecting is not exactly a new trend sweeping through the world; In fact, philately (or the study of stamps), and stamp collecting have been of interest to many enthusiasts for over centuries. In fact, the American Philatelic Society (APS), which is the biggest congregation of philatelists and stamp enthusiasts in the world has over 40,000 members, was established in the year 1886.

However, the standards by which the marketability and collectable worth of stamps have more or less remained constant. Stamps, generally, are determined as worthy of being collected on the basis of the quality of the stamp and rarity.

Under the qualification of quality is firstly the physical wholeness of the stamp. In effect, it must not be creased, folded, and must still have complete perforated sides. In addition, considerations on its centeredness have the capacity to jack the prices up or drive them down. Centeredness means that the design is placed in equal distances from the perforated edges on all sides. An alternate definition for centeredness is that the perforated area under the design is much larger in measure than the one at the top.   These perforations are measured and cataloged using a perforation gauge.

Color also plays a huge factor in the quality of the stamp. Consistent exposure to the sun and wrong storage methods can cause the color of the design to fade. Moreover, many amateur stamp collectors make the mistake of soaking stamps to remove them from the paper without taking into consideration the ink used to print the stamp and the ink of the cancellation on a used stamp. Stamps issued before the 1940s were printed using fugitive ink, which runs in water. Other times, a used stamp will have a cancellation that runs on water. Soaking the stamp will cause the cancellation’s ink to run into the design, completely compromising the quality of the stamp.  When drying the stamps, many people use a stamp drying press or stamp drying book.

Aside from that, the condition of the gum or adhesive film at the back of the stamp is also taken into consideration. A stamp with its gum more or less still intact is much better than one that has been severely damaged by licking and sticking.

A mint or unused stamp has equal chances of being as expensive as a used stamp, and this is best determined by the availability of the stamp. A stamp with lesser propensity of being used on letters would be more expensive if it were acquired as a used stamp; a stamp, on the other hand, that was used in letters in huge volumes would obviously be much more expensive in its mint condition.

The exception to this general rule of thumb is stamps that were already acquired at a steep price. These stamps, acquired expensive even when they are used, will likely to have prices hiked if the great demand to acquire it continues to increase.

However, there may be great difficulty in trying to assess objectively the possible market value or worth of a stamp. Expert philatelists who are connoisseurs in stamp valuations are most likely able to objectively assess the worth of the stamp.

These expert philatelists are not very hard to find. They are usually some of the stamp enthusiasts who’ve had much experience in trading, selling, and collecting stamps. Their services are made most accessible to members of philatelic clubs of which they are part. Some associations that afford their members the services of expert philatelists include the American Philatelic Society (APS) and the American Stamp Dealers Association (ASDA).

On the other hand, other options are of greater accessibility especially to amateur stamp collectors. Across the country, most libraries have more or less an extensive collection of stamp catalogues that help guide stamp enthusiasts in finding out the various stamps issued under a particular theme or subject classification. Moreover, stamp catalogues contain a wealth of information as regards a certain price level for which these stamps are sold in the market.

Usually, stamp prices are a little bit higher than how they would be sold by individual sellers. Nonetheless, these catalogues are useful guides when it comes to at least being aware of what price range the stamp would fall under.  The most commonplace stamp catalogues available in the libraries include the US-based Scott, Britain's Stanley Gibbons, and Germany's Michel Catalog.

Stamps or Covers...why not both?

A recent collector said to me this past week, "I have a collection of about 500 stamps and some are individual but many are still on envelopes (covers).   I want to display my entire collection - what do you recommend?"

Besides having individual stamps, covers or more specifically, postal stationary, has become a widely growing area.  There is so much history that can be on any of these envelopes, a famous person, a town from a bygone area, interesting postal cancellations....

This collector actually has a wide range of choices.  It depends on whether they would like the First Day Covers stored in the same album as your stamps, or if they would like to store them separately.  In all of our stamp album systems, we have pages that will fit covers (2 and 3 pocket pages), along with pages for individual stamps with 6 to 8 strips on a page.  You simply select a ringbinder in one of these systems, and the number of pages of each style you need to basically create your own customized album with pages for each.

Alternatively, you could purchase a separate stockbook for stamps .  A 32 page model stockbook would most likely fit 500 stamps, but you might want to consider a 64 page stockbook to allow room for growth.

And then lastly you could purchase a separate cover album for all of the envelopes you have.  All of our postal stationary albums include some of the same systems for stamps mentioned above, but some are just made for covers specifically.  With SAFE, you have endless solutions.