Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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I went to an auction and bought a mixed box lot, there was nothing much of value in it, but I filled quite a few holes in my collection.
At the very bottom of the box tucked into a corner was a very small glassine envelope which contained 6, yes SIX Penny Blacks, all 4 Margins with numbered Maltese Cross cancellations!!!!
You could have knocked me down with a feather!!
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I bought a used catalogue from a second hand bookshop for $10, thinking to myself "I'm going to find a Penny Black in one of these one day".
Out dropped a Penny Black, 4 margins, red MX. 
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Lightning has struck at least three times for me.
In an auction box lot that I paid $10 for, I found an unused US Washington Type II (Scott #634A).
In an APS sales book I found and bought a MNH People's Republic of China Year of the Monkey Scott #1586 (verified as genuine) for $168.00 against a $400 Scott value. In the next year's catalog, the value shot up over $1000. It's valued at $2150.00 in the 2020 catalog.
The crowning jewel was when I bought an upright Jenny sheet at a post office.
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I dislike telling this story and when I do I then feel partly responsible for answering the 100,000 “hey look! I found a rare stamp” threads; but since I often end up replying to those threads anyway I guess it does not matter if I fuel the overwhelming number of misconceptions about treasure hunting rare stamps.
A number of years ago I purchased an US accumulation from Europe, most for a single cover I wanted; it also had the usual assortment of faked/altered Washington-Franklins. As I was quickly sorting them, I found what appeared to be a 1914 12x10 (#423B) compound perforation stamp. I took a closer look and while it looked convincing to my hobbyist eye I simply mounted it in my album and penciled in ‘fake’ beside it. After all, at the time there was only 30 known stamps and it had a catalog value of $24,000.
A few years later as I was scanning all my album pages, I revisited the stamp with a higher resolution image. I really could not find any clue which indicated fake so I decided to post the image and ask some of the W-F experts to take a look. All of them said I should send it in for a cert. I did, it came back as legitimate. I later sold the stamp to cover some of my medical bills.
But for all the treasure hunters out there…the hobby has far better rewards than money. Rewards that can be guaranteed; like history, culture and comradery. If you want to gamble, try lottery tickets. If you want to make investments, try real estate or vintage Dennison stamp hinges.
But making stamp collecting about finding a stamp rarity is a fool’s errand, it is like taking up fishing in hopes of landing a world record fish. Fishing offers a lifetime of enjoyment by just getting out in nature and catching a few tasty fish. Setting your expectations that you might catch a world record fish will bring years of frustration and disappointment. Enjoy the hobby for what we know it can deliver.
Don
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I love buying mixed boxes at auction.
Due to the limited time you have for viewing these lots you can only roughly see what they contain. It is only when you get the box home that you can really find out what is inside.
There was one box that contained, among other things, a bundle of about 500 envelopes advertising the 2012 London Olympics. When I got them home I discovered that the majority of the envelopes were empty but 29 contained the Gold Medal Winners Minisheets.
However I have bought some "rubbish" in the past as well!!
Ah well that's life!!
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A question - How come none of this s*** ever happens to me??? All kidding aside, I'm glad for everyone who has found the hidden treasure! I've had a few good finds over the years, but am still waiting for the big eureka moment!!! Any minute now, I can smell it comin'!
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Harvey:-
My dear old mum had a saying which she used on many, many, many ocaissions. Whatever the question or statement it was :-
"Darling, you just never went to the right school."
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"How come none of this s*** ever happens to me???"
Harvey, by the time you and me get a kick at the can, someone has already went through the lots with their expert eyes wide open.
But I know there are dealers out there who make a living by just buying and re-selling old collections. I know some of them are even taking flights to visit the estates of recently deceased affluent stamp collectors.
As mentioned earlier, for most of us (fortunately) it is all about the hobby and the enjoyment it brings.
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I'm also an antique dealer and have been for about thirty years. There are many unsavory dealers out there. I know of some pickers who will do anything (or anyone) to make a profit. I bet there are people in the stamp business who are the same!
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I was thinking about what makes a stamp valuable. In a lot of cases it seems to be a different perforation, paper, watermark or a slightly different colour shade. It makes me think of the thousands of early American stamps that are sitting in collections that are either improperly identified or not identified at all. Consider Canada #32 which is different from other stamps because of the laid paper. Three have been found so far, but how many people actually can tell the difference between wove and laid paper? A lot of stamps which are valuable because of watermarks are also a problem - some watermarks are almost impossible to find. Colour shades are an other problem since colours oxidize or fade. I bet there are many rare stamps out there just waiting to be found!!
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The introduction to the Scott catalogues has a section on paper types.
Wove paper is a writing paper with a uniform surface, not ribbed. The papermaking mold's wires run parallel to each other to produce laid paper (will look like vertical or horizontal ribs), but they are woven together into a fine wire mesh for wove paper.
Examples of Laid Paper
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Hi Michael. I know the differences and always try to check, but how many collectors do that? I've run into albums from beginning collectors where the stamps are not numbered and they might have 20 stamps that look the same to them. I bet there are a lot (or some anyway) of stamps out there in albums that are fairly scarce varieties. That's half the fun of collecting, I remember taking major time trying to figure out exactly what a certain stamp is. That's especially true of early US.
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I once found a San Marino Sc. 133 in a batch of 100 San Marino stamps I bought for just a bit over 1 Euro. Another time I got a Cape triangle in a lot full of oddities from the same dealer. This time I paid a bit more. 4 euros I believe. I love going through that kind of assorted lots.
Not the best condition, but still it is a nice one to have.
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'
I was pawing my way thru a three-for-twenty-dollars box at NAPEX, and found a pretty little cover with a Penny Black; I did not dwell on it, but can conjure-up an image of three one millimeter margins (and one close call) and a legible postmark.
Knowing that the person sitting next to me was looking for 19th Century classics - and that I'm not looking for yet another Rabbit Hole, let alone a very wide & very deep rabbit hole - I ducked the threat, passed the cover over and asked: "Is this what I think it is?"
I like being nice, so we both went home happy.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey (who has no idea what that cover would sell for, but is sure it will be off the market for years to come)
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Auctions
i would like to start a thread so we can share similar experiences. Years ago i purchased a inexpensive(ok cheap) box of remainder albums..some literally in pieces. when i opened one really rough album..this stamp dropped out .....i had never seen a stamp of this value before..unused just waiting for me...could it possibly be real ? Its real..verified by a fellow in our club from Australia.
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Auctions - Approvals
re: It happens !
I went to an auction and bought a mixed box lot, there was nothing much of value in it, but I filled quite a few holes in my collection.
At the very bottom of the box tucked into a corner was a very small glassine envelope which contained 6, yes SIX Penny Blacks, all 4 Margins with numbered Maltese Cross cancellations!!!!
You could have knocked me down with a feather!!
6 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: It happens !
I bought a used catalogue from a second hand bookshop for $10, thinking to myself "I'm going to find a Penny Black in one of these one day".
Out dropped a Penny Black, 4 margins, red MX.
6 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: It happens !
Lightning has struck at least three times for me.
In an auction box lot that I paid $10 for, I found an unused US Washington Type II (Scott #634A).
In an APS sales book I found and bought a MNH People's Republic of China Year of the Monkey Scott #1586 (verified as genuine) for $168.00 against a $400 Scott value. In the next year's catalog, the value shot up over $1000. It's valued at $2150.00 in the 2020 catalog.
The crowning jewel was when I bought an upright Jenny sheet at a post office.
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Login to Like.
re: It happens !
I dislike telling this story and when I do I then feel partly responsible for answering the 100,000 “hey look! I found a rare stamp” threads; but since I often end up replying to those threads anyway I guess it does not matter if I fuel the overwhelming number of misconceptions about treasure hunting rare stamps.
A number of years ago I purchased an US accumulation from Europe, most for a single cover I wanted; it also had the usual assortment of faked/altered Washington-Franklins. As I was quickly sorting them, I found what appeared to be a 1914 12x10 (#423B) compound perforation stamp. I took a closer look and while it looked convincing to my hobbyist eye I simply mounted it in my album and penciled in ‘fake’ beside it. After all, at the time there was only 30 known stamps and it had a catalog value of $24,000.
A few years later as I was scanning all my album pages, I revisited the stamp with a higher resolution image. I really could not find any clue which indicated fake so I decided to post the image and ask some of the W-F experts to take a look. All of them said I should send it in for a cert. I did, it came back as legitimate. I later sold the stamp to cover some of my medical bills.
But for all the treasure hunters out there…the hobby has far better rewards than money. Rewards that can be guaranteed; like history, culture and comradery. If you want to gamble, try lottery tickets. If you want to make investments, try real estate or vintage Dennison stamp hinges.
But making stamp collecting about finding a stamp rarity is a fool’s errand, it is like taking up fishing in hopes of landing a world record fish. Fishing offers a lifetime of enjoyment by just getting out in nature and catching a few tasty fish. Setting your expectations that you might catch a world record fish will bring years of frustration and disappointment. Enjoy the hobby for what we know it can deliver.
Don
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Auctions - Approvals
re: It happens !
I love buying mixed boxes at auction.
Due to the limited time you have for viewing these lots you can only roughly see what they contain. It is only when you get the box home that you can really find out what is inside.
There was one box that contained, among other things, a bundle of about 500 envelopes advertising the 2012 London Olympics. When I got them home I discovered that the majority of the envelopes were empty but 29 contained the Gold Medal Winners Minisheets.
However I have bought some "rubbish" in the past as well!!
Ah well that's life!!
Login to Like
this post
03:45:46pm
re: It happens !
A question - How come none of this s*** ever happens to me??? All kidding aside, I'm glad for everyone who has found the hidden treasure! I've had a few good finds over the years, but am still waiting for the big eureka moment!!! Any minute now, I can smell it comin'!
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Auctions - Approvals
re: It happens !
Harvey:-
My dear old mum had a saying which she used on many, many, many ocaissions. Whatever the question or statement it was :-
"Darling, you just never went to the right school."
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Approvals
re: It happens !
"How come none of this s*** ever happens to me???"
Harvey, by the time you and me get a kick at the can, someone has already went through the lots with their expert eyes wide open.
But I know there are dealers out there who make a living by just buying and re-selling old collections. I know some of them are even taking flights to visit the estates of recently deceased affluent stamp collectors.
As mentioned earlier, for most of us (fortunately) it is all about the hobby and the enjoyment it brings.
1 Member
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Login to Like.
06:15:21pm
re: It happens !
I'm also an antique dealer and have been for about thirty years. There are many unsavory dealers out there. I know of some pickers who will do anything (or anyone) to make a profit. I bet there are people in the stamp business who are the same!
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this post
06:55:15pm
re: It happens !
I was thinking about what makes a stamp valuable. In a lot of cases it seems to be a different perforation, paper, watermark or a slightly different colour shade. It makes me think of the thousands of early American stamps that are sitting in collections that are either improperly identified or not identified at all. Consider Canada #32 which is different from other stamps because of the laid paper. Three have been found so far, but how many people actually can tell the difference between wove and laid paper? A lot of stamps which are valuable because of watermarks are also a problem - some watermarks are almost impossible to find. Colour shades are an other problem since colours oxidize or fade. I bet there are many rare stamps out there just waiting to be found!!
Login to Like
this post
re: It happens !
The introduction to the Scott catalogues has a section on paper types.
Wove paper is a writing paper with a uniform surface, not ribbed. The papermaking mold's wires run parallel to each other to produce laid paper (will look like vertical or horizontal ribs), but they are woven together into a fine wire mesh for wove paper.
Examples of Laid Paper
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07:57:07pm
re: It happens !
Hi Michael. I know the differences and always try to check, but how many collectors do that? I've run into albums from beginning collectors where the stamps are not numbered and they might have 20 stamps that look the same to them. I bet there are a lot (or some anyway) of stamps out there in albums that are fairly scarce varieties. That's half the fun of collecting, I remember taking major time trying to figure out exactly what a certain stamp is. That's especially true of early US.
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this post
Auctions - Approvals
re: It happens !
I once found a San Marino Sc. 133 in a batch of 100 San Marino stamps I bought for just a bit over 1 Euro. Another time I got a Cape triangle in a lot full of oddities from the same dealer. This time I paid a bit more. 4 euros I believe. I love going through that kind of assorted lots.
Not the best condition, but still it is a nice one to have.
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re: It happens !
'
I was pawing my way thru a three-for-twenty-dollars box at NAPEX, and found a pretty little cover with a Penny Black; I did not dwell on it, but can conjure-up an image of three one millimeter margins (and one close call) and a legible postmark.
Knowing that the person sitting next to me was looking for 19th Century classics - and that I'm not looking for yet another Rabbit Hole, let alone a very wide & very deep rabbit hole - I ducked the threat, passed the cover over and asked: "Is this what I think it is?"
I like being nice, so we both went home happy.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey (who has no idea what that cover would sell for, but is sure it will be off the market for years to come)
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