Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Here is a little about me and my reason for stopping by your site
I recently found a large collection of stamps and FDC's that were simply thrown out. I'm sure I am not the first person to have found stamps in a dumpster. But along with the stamps went his whole life. All his maps of his trips around the world (which is now why I'm sorry I didn't take everything.) I must have at least 20,000 stamps give or take. I've had this collection for a month and a half so far and it's very time consuming at the very least!
Well I finally got to the point where they are all out of the boxes and garbage bags. I meticulously put them into the only things I had available at this time, a 3 part plastic luggage tag. They are primarily used for ID Badges and I found those a few years back. I am really not a stamp collector per se. I am a collector of lots of stuff, as a matter of fact I have so much stuff it's unbelievable! Mostly all of it now is from the storage facility trash.
I started back in 1996, I would buy storage rooms, then look through the peoples belongings and pull out the goodies. I did that for a few years and sold the stuff online. I kept a storage room (which I still have)for the overflow of items that I would collect to sell, the only problem, I started getting attached to the items and found myself holding on to more and more stuff! Now it's a full blown sickness
Well I can go on but you get the idea. So now I found these stamps and postcards and as with most of the items I retrieve, I would like to simply preserve his collection and incorporate it into my own. Prior to this find I actually only had 14 stamps from years ago... Being I know nothing about stamps I am looking for help and guidance as to the proper preserving and storage climate I should keep them in. I will eventually put them into my climate controlled storage room but for now it's something new to keep my busy.
Tony
.
The majority of the stamps that I've looked at in the volumes range from 1860 to 1970
Some Really cool Postcards I am happy to have in my collection!
Here is a rare Stereo Scope Of the Vin Fiz 1911
Here is my rare Vin Fiz Coupon they dropped from along route
And Lastly Here was the Flight Path C.P. Rodgers Took on This Famous Flight!
Here Is the card where Rodgers crashed his plane and Died. Very sad ending to a fabulous time in aviation history!
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09:42:16pm
Hi Tony - welcome to the wonderful world of stamps. You did a great service retrieving them from their demise.
There are two things you need when you start to collect stamps - stamp tongs (they look like tweezers but they are made special for stamps so they are smooth edged) and a stock book - this is a book that has clear lined pockets where you can put your stamps.
The first thing to do would be to start separating them according to country. If you don't know the country yet, that's okay. You look for stamps that have the same "names" and put them in piles. For example, your Japan stamp. Even though you didn't know what country it was, you can look for other stamps with the same symbols and put them together. Once you have sorted some out, then you can put a picture up of one of them and ask "what country is this?"
Just keep sorting them into country piles and then put them into regular envelopes for the time being. If you know the name of the country, write the country name in pencil on the envelope. When you find out the country name of those in different characters, you can write them on the envelope at that time.
You'll always end up with stamps that you can't figure out. We all come across those. In my envelope sorting box, I have an "unknown" that is really for stamps that I absolutely have no clue whatsoever. Eventually I'll get around to putting one or two up here and often when I do, having collected for a long time, I shake my head and say "duh, I should've thought of that!"
Another thing you might want to do is go to the website https://www.stampworld.com/en/ - you can sign up for free and you will have an amazing worldwide catalogue right there. Take a look at the different countries and you will soon learn what characters mean what country.
Arabic countries can present difficulties for collectors - I definitely speak for myself here, despite the fact that I DO know Arabic!
For a good example on learning the difference between Korean, Japanese and Chinese stamps, go into stampworld.com and take a look at each of these countries. Korean has distinct characters that differ immensely from Japanese and Chinese. Japanese stamps often have in English characters Nippon as well as in Japanese characters. Look at modern Chinese stamps and then look back at older - 1940 for example. You will see a picture that looks like this 
.
Early Japanese stamps will have a picture that looks like this 
.
Little clues like this will help you set aside stamps that have these pictures and then try to piece them together to find out what country they are.
Take a look through the Asia section of stampworld.com and you will learn what the various characters are for countries. Remember though, don't get discouraged if you can't figure them out. Just set aside the ones that you absolutely can't figure out into an "unknown" envelope and we are here to help you.
There may be stamps that have overprints which often indicate occupation of a country by another country or they could be inflation overprints if it is just an overprint of numbers.
It is an exciting world you have entered. Don't let yourself get frustrated. Take a little time to learn how to identify the stamps and then just start separating them into country piles.
Here's an easy hint - if the stamp has a British King or Queen on it but no country - it is England.
You may come across stamps that were issued by bogus countries or local municipalities. There may also be what are called "cinderellas" - they are not postage stamps. The list goes on and on but no need to worry about those. If you can't figure it out - throw it into the "unknown" pile.
Kelly
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Thank you Kelly for the incite! lots of them were in envelops and I took them out not knowing any better. Your idea sounds so much easier I will have to spring and get the stamp holders, that is a way better idea. I just wish I only had to work with a few stamps. It took me 6 weeks to get them in these luggage holders lol. I have a nice pair of tongs I use for picking up my Computer Chips. although they are the ones that work in reverse and you have to push to open them. Maybe I can just go spring for stamp tongs too. I just love seeing such nice artwork. I am also a collector of art with a huge collection of those too.
I just never knew how beautiful a stamp could be because my generation hardly uses stamps. I can say I never put a stamp on an envelope! I'm 49 years old but still... My dad on the other hand only uses stamps, so I can see the reasoning. I will start pulling them out of the id card holders and place them in envelops haha I think I have another month wasted but It is so much fun!!
So much to learn so little time!
Tony
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10:52:06pm
Never time wasted - only time learnt! I'm 43. I started collecting when I was 8 years old when we used to find stamps in cereal boxes. I made tons of mistakes over the years. I collected until I was about 15 and then I became involved with "life."
I went back to collecting in spurts almost 20 years ago. Life has intervened time and again and they get put back on the shelf but I've learnt a lot and I have a LOT more to learn.
Enjoy it, love it, think of it as a nice steam bath. You savour every moment. After my Mum passed away last August, I had my Dad helping me to sort the stamps like I mentioned to you this past winter. He will be 77 in a few days and all I heard was "Oh, look at these nice pictures." He has no interest in stamp collecting but to see his face light up when he sees a stamp whose picture caught his eye, there are no words.
The joy of stamp collecting is the JOY - forget about "how much is this worth" or anything of that sort. Those of us who have more advanced collections may look up CV (catalogue value) from time to time, particularly if we are in need of a certain stamp to finish a set or a country.
Just bask in the fun and enjoyment. Give yourself a chuckle about your tags and definitely get yourself a set of stamp tongs - those are MUST HAVE things. If I had a spare pair around here, I'd send them to you, unfortunately I don't.
Most people prefer the round and the bent spade. DO NOT get the fine point - dealers often use those but for the average collector, they avoid them. Too easy to poke a hole in your stamp if you grasp it the wrong way. They come in 5" and 6" (there are also shorter ones, but generally the 5" are the most popular).
If you can't find anywhere to get them, send me a PM and I will buy you a pair and send it to you, ok?
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Oh thank you Kelly you are most kind! I am sure with eBay or Craig's list I can get a nice pair. I think I like the bent spade I had one once but who knows were it is !
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12:29:17am
I'll send you a pair - now that I know which you would like 
PM me your postal address - my gift to you as you enter this new world.
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Tony, I just read your initial post. I buy storage lockers as well. In fact the computer I'm using now came out of a locker. Glad I had it when my old computer motherboard failed!
One f my sons and I do this together. We ell what's in the lockers anyway we can from online, flea market, yard sale and Craig's List. It's fun, but plenty of work.
Regarding "dumpster diving", one time I found a pile of stock certificates in a dumpster. Each certificate had US revenue stamps on them. They were newer revenue stamps, but there was a large quantity. Was able to turn those into a few dollars. That was a nice find.
Keep on digging through your stuff. You appear to have an interesting find.
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Hi Michael!
Thanks for stopping by! I got in rather late tonight, Monday is a great night for picking. I didn't find anything to spectacular tonight the best days are usually in the middle of a month. Storage rooms have their auctions on the 3rd Thursday of the month so they usually they cut their locks on the 2nd Thursday or so. That is when you get the real good stuff for free! Most estates settle to have their loved ones belongings thrown out rather then having the pain of looking through their stuff 
it is rather sad when you look at it this way. That is how I have acquired a vast amount of stuff. I love what I do and I hardly ever get dirty because it is always packed away in boxes or bags.. Well you know how it is! But the joy you get, finding something for free, is a high like no other!!! I should give tours of my route in lower Manhattan, I have often joked about it, with my close friends. It's not something one goes and tells everyone! But I'm at the point I don't care I am still picking through 5000 signed prints from 5 months ago and have some rare signed flapper etchings from John Held Jr.! I just wish I could sell all this stuff and empty out my room! It's 14'x 20'x10' high! and Packed to the point you can't even get in!!! It's 3:51AM I must be off to bed I haven't even had time to look at a single stamp! I will check a few then lights out! Thanks again for writing!!!
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There's a lot of history in that collection you found... good for you!
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Tony, There were actually stamps produced by Vin Fiz to carry mail on that flight. To bad none of those cards have one of those stamps on them as these were the first flown trans continental covers. There are only 12 known (stamps or covers) to exist at this time and value between $47,000 and $90,000. Below is one of the stamps as well as a stamped cover.
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08:24:19pm
Hi all again it's Tony again,
Here is a little about me and my reason for stopping by your site
I recently found a large collection of stamps and FDC's that were simply thrown out. I'm sure I am not the first person to have found stamps in a dumpster. But along with the stamps went his whole life. All his maps of his trips around the world (which is now why I'm sorry I didn't take everything.) I must have at least 20,000 stamps give or take. I've had this collection for a month and a half so far and it's very time consuming at the very least!
Well I finally got to the point where they are all out of the boxes and garbage bags. I meticulously put them into the only things I had available at this time, a 3 part plastic luggage tag. They are primarily used for ID Badges and I found those a few years back. I am really not a stamp collector per se. I am a collector of lots of stuff, as a matter of fact I have so much stuff it's unbelievable! Mostly all of it now is from the storage facility trash.
I started back in 1996, I would buy storage rooms, then look through the peoples belongings and pull out the goodies. I did that for a few years and sold the stuff online. I kept a storage room (which I still have)for the overflow of items that I would collect to sell, the only problem, I started getting attached to the items and found myself holding on to more and more stuff! Now it's a full blown sickness Well I can go on but you get the idea. So now I found these stamps and postcards and as with most of the items I retrieve, I would like to simply preserve his collection and incorporate it into my own. Prior to this find I actually only had 14 stamps from years ago...
Being I know nothing about stamps I am looking for help and guidance as to the proper preserving and storage climate I should keep them in. I will eventually put them into my climate controlled storage room but for now it's something new to keep my busy.
Tony
.
The majority of the stamps that I've looked at in the volumes range from 1860 to 1970
Some Really cool Postcards I am happy to have in my collection!
Here is a rare Stereo Scope Of the Vin Fiz 1911
Here is my rare Vin Fiz Coupon they dropped from along route
And Lastly Here was the Flight Path C.P. Rodgers Took on This Famous Flight!
Here Is the card where Rodgers crashed his plane and Died. Very sad ending to a fabulous time in aviation history!
Login to Like
this post
A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent).
27 Nov 2016
09:42:16pm
re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
Hi Tony - welcome to the wonderful world of stamps. You did a great service retrieving them from their demise.
There are two things you need when you start to collect stamps - stamp tongs (they look like tweezers but they are made special for stamps so they are smooth edged) and a stock book - this is a book that has clear lined pockets where you can put your stamps.
The first thing to do would be to start separating them according to country. If you don't know the country yet, that's okay. You look for stamps that have the same "names" and put them in piles. For example, your Japan stamp. Even though you didn't know what country it was, you can look for other stamps with the same symbols and put them together. Once you have sorted some out, then you can put a picture up of one of them and ask "what country is this?"
Just keep sorting them into country piles and then put them into regular envelopes for the time being. If you know the name of the country, write the country name in pencil on the envelope. When you find out the country name of those in different characters, you can write them on the envelope at that time.
You'll always end up with stamps that you can't figure out. We all come across those. In my envelope sorting box, I have an "unknown" that is really for stamps that I absolutely have no clue whatsoever. Eventually I'll get around to putting one or two up here and often when I do, having collected for a long time, I shake my head and say "duh, I should've thought of that!"
Another thing you might want to do is go to the website https://www.stampworld.com/en/ - you can sign up for free and you will have an amazing worldwide catalogue right there. Take a look at the different countries and you will soon learn what characters mean what country.
Arabic countries can present difficulties for collectors - I definitely speak for myself here, despite the fact that I DO know Arabic!
For a good example on learning the difference between Korean, Japanese and Chinese stamps, go into stampworld.com and take a look at each of these countries. Korean has distinct characters that differ immensely from Japanese and Chinese. Japanese stamps often have in English characters Nippon as well as in Japanese characters. Look at modern Chinese stamps and then look back at older - 1940 for example. You will see a picture that looks like this .
Early Japanese stamps will have a picture that looks like this .
Little clues like this will help you set aside stamps that have these pictures and then try to piece them together to find out what country they are.
Take a look through the Asia section of stampworld.com and you will learn what the various characters are for countries. Remember though, don't get discouraged if you can't figure them out. Just set aside the ones that you absolutely can't figure out into an "unknown" envelope and we are here to help you.
There may be stamps that have overprints which often indicate occupation of a country by another country or they could be inflation overprints if it is just an overprint of numbers.
It is an exciting world you have entered. Don't let yourself get frustrated. Take a little time to learn how to identify the stamps and then just start separating them into country piles.
Here's an easy hint - if the stamp has a British King or Queen on it but no country - it is England.
You may come across stamps that were issued by bogus countries or local municipalities. There may also be what are called "cinderellas" - they are not postage stamps. The list goes on and on but no need to worry about those. If you can't figure it out - throw it into the "unknown" pile.
Kelly
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10:28:32pm
re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
Thank you Kelly for the incite! lots of them were in envelops and I took them out not knowing any better. Your idea sounds so much easier I will have to spring and get the stamp holders, that is a way better idea. I just wish I only had to work with a few stamps. It took me 6 weeks to get them in these luggage holders lol. I have a nice pair of tongs I use for picking up my Computer Chips. although they are the ones that work in reverse and you have to push to open them. Maybe I can just go spring for stamp tongs too. I just love seeing such nice artwork. I am also a collector of art with a huge collection of those too.
I just never knew how beautiful a stamp could be because my generation hardly uses stamps. I can say I never put a stamp on an envelope! I'm 49 years old but still... My dad on the other hand only uses stamps, so I can see the reasoning. I will start pulling them out of the id card holders and place them in envelops haha I think I have another month wasted but It is so much fun!!
So much to learn so little time!
Tony
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent).
27 Nov 2016
10:52:06pm
re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
Never time wasted - only time learnt! I'm 43. I started collecting when I was 8 years old when we used to find stamps in cereal boxes. I made tons of mistakes over the years. I collected until I was about 15 and then I became involved with "life."
I went back to collecting in spurts almost 20 years ago. Life has intervened time and again and they get put back on the shelf but I've learnt a lot and I have a LOT more to learn.
Enjoy it, love it, think of it as a nice steam bath. You savour every moment. After my Mum passed away last August, I had my Dad helping me to sort the stamps like I mentioned to you this past winter. He will be 77 in a few days and all I heard was "Oh, look at these nice pictures." He has no interest in stamp collecting but to see his face light up when he sees a stamp whose picture caught his eye, there are no words.
The joy of stamp collecting is the JOY - forget about "how much is this worth" or anything of that sort. Those of us who have more advanced collections may look up CV (catalogue value) from time to time, particularly if we are in need of a certain stamp to finish a set or a country.
Just bask in the fun and enjoyment. Give yourself a chuckle about your tags and definitely get yourself a set of stamp tongs - those are MUST HAVE things. If I had a spare pair around here, I'd send them to you, unfortunately I don't.
Most people prefer the round and the bent spade. DO NOT get the fine point - dealers often use those but for the average collector, they avoid them. Too easy to poke a hole in your stamp if you grasp it the wrong way. They come in 5" and 6" (there are also shorter ones, but generally the 5" are the most popular).
If you can't find anywhere to get them, send me a PM and I will buy you a pair and send it to you, ok?
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12:18:18am
re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
Oh thank you Kelly you are most kind! I am sure with eBay or Craig's list I can get a nice pair. I think I like the bent spade I had one once but who knows were it is !
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A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent).
28 Nov 2016
12:29:17am
re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
I'll send you a pair - now that I know which you would like
PM me your postal address - my gift to you as you enter this new world.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
Tony, I just read your initial post. I buy storage lockers as well. In fact the computer I'm using now came out of a locker. Glad I had it when my old computer motherboard failed!
One f my sons and I do this together. We ell what's in the lockers anyway we can from online, flea market, yard sale and Craig's List. It's fun, but plenty of work.
Regarding "dumpster diving", one time I found a pile of stock certificates in a dumpster. Each certificate had US revenue stamps on them. They were newer revenue stamps, but there was a large quantity. Was able to turn those into a few dollars. That was a nice find.
Keep on digging through your stuff. You appear to have an interesting find.
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likes this post.
Login to Like.
03:52:43am
re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
Hi Michael!
Thanks for stopping by! I got in rather late tonight, Monday is a great night for picking. I didn't find anything to spectacular tonight the best days are usually in the middle of a month. Storage rooms have their auctions on the 3rd Thursday of the month so they usually they cut their locks on the 2nd Thursday or so. That is when you get the real good stuff for free! Most estates settle to have their loved ones belongings thrown out rather then having the pain of looking through their stuff it is rather sad when you look at it this way. That is how I have acquired a vast amount of stuff. I love what I do and I hardly ever get dirty because it is always packed away in boxes or bags.. Well you know how it is! But the joy you get, finding something for free, is a high like no other!!! I should give tours of my route in lower Manhattan, I have often joked about it, with my close friends. It's not something one goes and tells everyone! But I'm at the point I don't care I am still picking through 5000 signed prints from 5 months ago and have some rare signed flapper etchings from John Held Jr.! I just wish I could sell all this stuff and empty out my room! It's 14'x 20'x10' high! and Packed to the point you can't even get in!!! It's 3:51AM I must be off to bed I haven't even had time to look at a single stamp! I will check a few then lights out! Thanks again for writing!!!
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re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
There's a lot of history in that collection you found... good for you!
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this post
re: Hi All Just a word or two about me :)
Tony, There were actually stamps produced by Vin Fiz to carry mail on that flight. To bad none of those cards have one of those stamps on them as these were the first flown trans continental covers. There are only 12 known (stamps or covers) to exist at this time and value between $47,000 and $90,000. Below is one of the stamps as well as a stamped cover.
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