Stamp Collectors Price Guide
Uncovering the history and value of stamps Stamp collection values reflect the rarity, antiquity, and quality of the individual stamps collected. Today, stamp collecting and philately (the study of stamps) are among the world’s most enduring, popular hobbies. The spirit of innovation that shaped Victorian Britain led to the introduction of prepaid, adhesive postage stamps in 1840. The world’s first stamp, the Penny Black, featured a black-and-white illustration of Queen Victoria.
As its name suggests, this kind of stamp originally cost a penny (the price of posting a letter at the time) – but its value has increased dramatically. Now, pristine Penny Blacks are often worth thousands of pounds. As soon as they were issued, Penny Blacks and the other stamps that followed became collectables.
The British Museum’s Zoology expert, John Edward Gray, was the first stamp collector; he bought Penny Blacks and saved them for posterity. There are many reasons why millions of collectors find stamps appealing. Stamps are tangible links with the past and a variety of countries.
They’re miniature works of art with a practical purpose. What’s more, over half a million different kinds of stamp have been issued, and so there’s always scope to enlarge a collection. Most exciting is the fact that stamps can be valuable; rare, unusual examples often achieve high prices at auction. 5 signs your stamps may be valuable The following factors have considerable influence on your stamp collection values. Condition Collectors look for the best examples of particular stamps. As paper is fragile, stamps with creases, folds and tears are common. An imperfection or repair could easily reduce a stamp’s value by as much as 90%.
Unused stamps are more highly prized than those that have travelled through the postal system. That’s why the sheet of 38 Victorian Two Pence Blue stamps, which George V acquired during the Twenties, is particularly special. Rarity It’s tempting to assume that all antique stamps must be valuable simply because they’re old, but that’s not the case. Take the blue, one-cent stamp from 1861 that features Benjamin Franklin, for example. It’s too common to be worth more than a couple of pounds. The harder a stamp is to find, the more valuable it’s likely to be.
Borders The larger and more even a stamp’s borders, the more attractive it is to collectors. If the design is perfectly centred and surrounded by clear borders, the stamp can be regarded as a fine example. Variations When different versions of a particular stamp are produced, they’re known as variations.
For example, if stamps that are normally blue are printed in gold to celebrate a special occasion, they’re variations. Variations are often more obscure – and more valuable – than the originals. Errors ‘Error’ stamps result from mistakes in the production process, such as ink smears, missing perforations, inverted images, etc. They’re particularly valuable, thanks to collectors’ love of quirks. A selection of the most valuable stamps.
Baden 9 Kreuzer Green (1851): This German stamp, with ‘9’ in the centre, was mistakenly printed in green ink instead of pink. Four copies survive; the only unused one was auctioned in 2008 for just over €1.3m (around £1.2m).
Treskilling Yellow (1855): This Swedish stamp, featuring a crest, is also the product of a printing error (bluish ink should’ve been used, not yellow). As the only one of its kind in existence, it’s valued at $2.3m (around £1.9m). British Guiana One Cent Magenta (1856): Only one example of this record-breaking stamp, which features a ship, survives. It was commissioned for an emergency stamp issue after a stamp delivery from Britain failed to arrive. It was recently sold for just under $9.5m (around £7.7m), making it the world’s most valuable stamp.
Stamp collection values: how much are my stamps worth? Examining stamps and referring to price guides will give you clues about your collection’s value. But for an accurate, up-to-date valuation, it’s always advisable to consult an expert. Our department, led by experienced valuer Henry Cooke, has the expertise to help you uncover the true worth of your stamp collection.
Moreover, we offer a free valuation service for anyone who’s interested in selling their items at one of our. Selling your stamps We frequently hold Collectors Sales, which have a broad appeal. It’s the ideal event at which to sell your stamps and other collectables (such as militaria, automobilia and toys).
If you’d like to place items in The Collectors Sale or estimate your stamp collection values, please call Mallams in Abingdon today on 40.
Stamp Stuff. Stamp Projects. More stamp stuff. Supplies books and More. Collecting U.S Stamps. You Might Also Like.
More Stuff. Hi, Thanks for visiting my website. My name is Will and if you have questions or would like to contribute projects or ideas you can contact me Stamp Collecting Prices This is a tricky question and there is no really good answer other than the selling price of a stamp or a stamp collection is totally dependant upon what a person is willing to pay for it. That being said you shouldn't despair. I still can give you some guidelines for the prices of stamps. Fanuc cnc macro programming manual. Maybe you have some stamps you want to sell.
Or maybe you inherited a whole collection of stamps and you are wondering what it all is worth. Or maybe even you want to buy some stamps or a collection and you just want to get good value. So what do you do? How do you know what good value is for stamps whether you be selling them or buying them. Well, maybe you grabbed some of those stamps and checked on them in one of the stamp pricing guides like the Scott guide to stamps.
You are pretty happy about the stamp prices. You then start adding them up, checking more and more stamps. And before you know it you are very happy! I hate to say it but you can forget about those pricing guides. They are way off.
I never see stamps sell for those prices. Ten percent of that listed value is more in line with what stamps actually sell for. The Bad News First The overwhelming majority of stamps and stamp collections are almost worthless. Yup, sorry to say that but it is true.
If you have boxes of stamps, albums accumulations of stamps the big stamp companies will buy that stuff but they buy it by the pound! Yup, by the pound! That is a bit disheartening. But if those stamps are mint, uncirculated stamps that still can be used on letters you can get a little bit of a better deal for them. The stamp companies will generally pay about 60% of the face value! So, if the stamp has a ten cent denomination on it buyers will give you six cents for it.
If you have inherited a large stamp collection with lots of stamps, or lots of mint stamps you can get a pretty good check from stamp buyers for it. That's something to consider.
You got a stamp collection for free and you got some money for it. Not too shabby and with very little work on your part. Now the kind of good news A lot of the value of stamps and stamp collections comes from the work that is put into it. That means if you want to make the maximum money from a stamp collection you are going to have to put some work into it. There are stamps that start to get some value. Foreign stamps sometimes are in demand and 19th century stamps from the US can be of value.
Then there are others. And there are rare stamps that turn up in collections. They can be worth hundreds of dollars and occasionally even more. But these stamps have to be identified and verified. So, if you are selling a stamp collection you have to do your homework and your due diligence. Is it all organized neatly and understandably? Or it is hap hazard in a bunch of boxes and albums?
Are you willing to learn about stamps and stamp collecting? Then are you willing to do the work of going through the collection? If you are willing to do the work and spend the time it is possible to extract more value from a stamp collection. The Higher Value Stamps This is a bit difficult to explain because value is relative and it is different for different people.
But there are stamps worth 200 dollars, 500 dollars or even several thousand dollars. And these stamps do turn up in stamp collections.
So, this may be big money for you! You should either do your research and/or get some expert help!
For example this is the One Dollar Columbian stamp. It was issured in 1892 and it is in spectacular mint condition. A stamp like this can currently sell for anywhere around a thousand dollars.
Yup:) Even more. And the five dollar Columbian stamp depicting the head of Columbus can sell for around four thousand dollars.
Stamps like these do occasionally turn up in private collections that people have inherited. Doing your Research The Scott catalog is one of the accepted means of looking up stamps, identifying them and finding their values: This is the perfect catalogue to take along to shows, club meetings or just to have close by when searching on the computer. Features listings and values for more than 4,000 stamps, plus full color stamp illustrations all identified by Scott Catalogue numbers. Pages are designed to be used as a convenient inventory and checklist. Wondering how to get the highest price for your stamp collection? Best selling Top Dollar Paid! - The Complete Guide to Selling Your Stamps takes the mystery out of it and helps ensure maximum profit.
It's a concise factual guide and an entertaining, revealing, behind-the-scenes narrative about the real-life world of stamp dealing written by veteran dealer, Stephen R. Datz, whose decades of experience include arranging for the sale of President Gerald R. Ford's collection-and making sure he got top dollar for it. Critically acclaimed, Top Dollar Paid!
Stamp Collectors Price Guide Book
Is an absolute must for anyone who buys, collects, invests, or is in the market to sell. Newly revised and updated. Here are other Scott catalogs: Ebay: I also do searches on ebay to get a sense for what stamps are currently selling for. Mystic and Kenmore stamp companies The stamp prices with these companies is high. But you are absolutely assured of good quality stamps. You can be confident with these companies.
Stamp Collectors Near Me
I have bought many stamps from these two companies. And I will often go to their websites to search for stamps and find out what they are selling a particular stamp for. Seek out impartial experts! This is probably one of the best things you can do.
Find experts, or long time stamp collectors and ask them for an assessment. They will have no financial stake in your collection so you could get pretty good advice. But how do you find these people? Well, you have to find a stamp club in your local area or in your city!
A good way to do this is to check the American Philatelic Society Website. They have an easy search tool to help you find a local club. It is right here.