Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
any input would be appreciated
thanks
richard brink
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Dear Richard,
Based upon the eye of the beholder, and what the market will bear. Pretty much all else is hype.Scarcity, condition,cancel, gum, defects all pale in comparison to how badly someone wants something, and then the seller tries to get whatever he can for it.
Dan C.
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According to Mr. Stephen R. Datz in Top Dollar Paid! the catalogues (Scott, Gibbons, Michel, et al) are a basic reference and a general guide to pricing. Supply and Demand determines the market price of a stamp. Demand appears to be the dominant factor in determining the price.
A couple of historical examples:
1. Compare the price of US Scott number 2 and 4. There were millions of number 2 issued and only 3883 of number 4. The only explanation of the disparity in price would be the demand for postage stamp as opposed to the demand for the reproduction.
2. Look at the Zeppelins. Stamps issued primarily for collectors and destroyed after only a month on sale. At best you can only have 61,296 complete sets. In the 1980's a full set of Zeppelins would go for 8-10K. Now you would be lucky to get 2K for a complete set perfectly centered and never hinged. The demand is much lower now then 30 years ago. The supply probably has dropped due to age.
To be honest even the classics are relatively cheap today in comparison to peak markets of the 1980's.
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Thanks for the reply guys. Well there is a lot to learn. I remember my first album just hinging the stamp to the page and now days that devalues the stamp.
Slowly but surely I am learning thanks again
Richard Brink
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Yes, I am not sure that hinging devalues a used stamp. Just the unused stamps. I am convinced that the mint never hinged obsession was invented by the mount makers. Crystal Mounts do far more damage than hinges ever did.
Collecting stamps should give you pleasure in the acquisition and display . Study them for the history they represent or record. Stamps are not meant to be an investment.
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with the cost of mounts it does add up in cost. The big benefit I see is one can replace a stamp with a better one and the mount helps better protect the stamp. Now I wonder who actually looks at the back of the stamp at the gum rather than the condition of the face? If the hinge doesn't affect the face I really don't see a difference between NH and LH or MH it's the face of the stamp that one admires not the gum on the back
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There are many collectors who have that attitude: collecting a stamp by its face, not its rear (so to speak) 
However, there are those who want the back of the stamp to be in a particular condition as well, sort of taking the stamp as a whole, rather than just a part (or side).
It all comes down to one thing: What is your comfort factor for adding a stamp to your collection? If a stamp meets the parameters that you have set for your collection, then add it and don't worry about anything else.
Just keep in mind that when/if it comes time to sell, overall condition will dictate the market value of the stamp. If you have lower quality stamps in your collection, you cannot expect to get much back. If your stamps are top-notch, you will get more (but not necessarily a whole lot more).
The bottom line is collect what you want. If the back doesn't matter to you, then you have one less thing to worry about.
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If you want to invest in stamps, there is only one way to do it. You must purchase the scarce, higher dollar items that are in almost or absolute pristine condition for the issue. I'm not talking about the common stamps that are getting grades of 98 that are priced at astronomical prices (nothing but a rip-off), or stamps that are worth a few dollars or even tens of dollars. Stamps that are contained in "regular" collections are generally not of investment quality. These stamps may go up a dollar or two a year in catalog value, but overall on the auction block, and in the market place they will not bring much.
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10:50:54am
I want to clarify the term investment used by myself & Michael in the previous two posts. Correct me if I'm wrong) He is using the term investment by referring to single stamps that would auction for hundreds & thousands (more likely the latter).
For someone living on an extremely limited budget, currently living beyond their means by purchasing stamps that cost $5 to $20 each, that is an investment, if in 30 years those same stamps sell at $15 to $50 each. When it comes time to sell that collection, what the person originally paid may have doubled or tripled in 30 years or more. Perhaps for the average individual, it doesn't look like much but for someone who has, like I said, lived beyond their means over the years, by purchasing their stamps, any appreciation in value when that collection goes to auction will give the satisfaction of investment.
Kelly
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Kelly,
you and Michael are talking about the same thing: the expectation that a stamp or stamps is likely to return to the buyer substantially more than the buyer paid (certainly a rate of return higher than CPI or rate of inflation or perhaps equal to S&P). Whether that rate is accomplished by a single stamp or many stamps is irrelevant; it is the expectation of having more money than one spent some years earlier.
I have NO expectation that the stuff I buy now will be worth more later. It might, but that's not why I buy it. I will highlight certain elements for my family to treat with care and not take to the recycling center because it will be worth SOMETHING.
Michael's cautionary comments are intended to direct folks to stamps that are more likely to rise in value, but even that is full of risk, as the huge decline in values of even quality material in the late 80s proves.
But for us, "investment" always indicates an intention to be able to sell for more than purchased, after adjusting for inflation and without subtracting for enjoyment.
David
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Since I shifted this discussion into the dicey realm of stamp investment, I think I will add my 2 cents to the discussion. Michael is correct. If you are collecting stamps with an eye towards making a profit for you or your heirs then you need to focus on the rare stamps of the past. One of the reasons for the fall off in catalogue value between the 1929 and 1930 U.S. issues was the Great Depression. Many people bought sheets of commemorative stamps from the Post Office with the idea that they could repeat the substantial profits made on the Classic US stamps of the 19th and very early 20th century. When they did not make their fortune, they took the stamps to the dealers and unloaded them at a discount. The glut of stamps ruined the expectations of huge profit.
Stamps do not have any intrinsic value other than the face value for postage. Collectible stamps have only the value that some other "damned fool" wants to place on them. Hence like real estate the rule is "condition, condition, condition" and then only if there is a demand.
In the 1980's when there was a huge demand for classic stamps many entpreneurial individuals offered investment portfolios in stamps, selling beautiful notebooks and subscriptions to potentially valuable stamps (mounted in document protectors). The stamps could be bought at the post office or cheaply at the local stamp dealers. In fact, they actually fueled the demand and jacked up the prices for many of the commonly available collectible stamps. The market crashed and most of the high priced items were worth much less than their purchase price.
The moral is if you want to invest in stamps focus on the truly rare items! Otherwise collect only what you like.
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11:45:43am
David,
Very true. That's why when people ask me about collecting stamps as an investment, I always tell them, if you want to collect stamps because you want to enjoy the stamps, then stamp collecting is awesome. Find something that interests you and collect it. If, at some time in the future, what you've collected is worth a little more than what you spent on it, that will be nice, but that's not the purpose of collecting.
I love my collection because I love to sit and enjoy the stamps, it's a way to experience a piece of history that I could not do in person and that is why I collect my stamps. If they do appreciate in value, then I will enjoy the few extra dollars when I sell them in some far future time. As you've said, we've all seen the "market" on stamps go up and down over the years. I know I've seen things that I have and say "dang, that was catalogued at $2 in such and such a year and now it's only catalogued at $1.25?, hmph". Does that stop me from collecting? Absolutely not.
I remember though when I was a kid, hearing dealers (who I now seriously question their motives), would appear to push higher value stamps at people. They were trying to convince the ill-informed that this particular stamp would be a good "investment". Some poor soul would spend hundreds of dollars on that stamp (not understanding the issues of condition, etc) and no doubt when they went to sell it later, would find out it was actually only worth 1/4 of what they actually spent on it. We've all had a time or experience, I would say, that we paid more for a stamp than what was reasonable - maybe because it finished off a particular part of the collection or being ill-informed about something we thought we were getting a good deal. So we live and learn.
But, as far as pricing and people wanting to look at an "investment" side, I try to steer people who ask me away from that topic and tell them, no - collect because you have an interest or a passion for it.
Hope my previous posts were not misunderstood.
Kelly
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@ Kelly - no misunderstanding at all regarding what you state. You communicate well.
I love your comment - currently living beyond their means by purchasing stamps. That was choice material! I certainly have resembled that remark on tons of occasions in my 50 years of collecting stamps! 
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I want to shift the discussion a little, trying to make sure we covered Richard's original posting.
Pricing happens lots of different ways. catalogues try to give a neutral value: what a stamp in a particular condition is likely to cost if bought from a dealer; auctions must balance between what they want to receive and what's likely to generate interest; sales pamphlets are just that, and represent what the dealer wants.
Identical stamps might be priced differently because they are in different venues (auction, stamp store, stamp show, Scott or Yvert) in different locales (for a while folks in Portugal were buying up Europa issues, seriously affecting the market) or because the sellers have different audiences or experiences (SOR auctions often have nice stamps priced insanely low; but this is not always true; some are priced at the top end of the market, too).
And then, one has a variety of other things that might affect the cost, assuming the grade is the same: SON cancels can command more as can colored cancels and fancy cancels; and on-cover examples might change the thing completely from a minimum value stamp to a rare postal usage.
David
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wow, there is a lot to consider here. I am still thinking on if I need to spend the money on mounts but if I see a better stamp I can replace it if it is in a mount compared to just hinged in the book. I was just a bit confused on the price differences from the sources that I have. Granted being a retired business owner I realize the need to make a profit to cover the overhead thus a higher asking price in some cases. I am also learning about the conditions and grading of stamps. For my own personal view my preference mint never hinged but for a lot of stamps that are out of my price range I will settle for used but prefer lightly canceled and not through the face.
It would be nice to at some point be able to sell doubles when I have them to recoup some of what I have spent on my collection but I am not into buying bulk stamps with the sole purpose to sell to make money. If I do that it would be in the photography or electronic area since that is what I know. At any rate I can fix them and then sell for a profit if I want to make a profit. Now that I am hooked on stamps I just want to be able to grow my collection at a reasonable price thus the question to try to get the best bang for the buck as I can being on a fixed income. Is it hard to remove a hinged stamp from an album without ruining the page or the stamp?
Thanks for the replies,
Richard Brink
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Is it hard to remove a hinged stamp from an album without ruining the page or the stamp?
It depends on the hinge and the album page, and how much saliva was applied to the hinge at the time the stamp was placed in the album. Many times, the saliva overflows the hinge and winds up on the stamp. Thus, the stamp gets stuck to the page.
If using hinges, use very little saliva, and after the stamp has been placed on the album page, life the stamp and tap down the hinge with your finger. If you feel any moisture, get a tissue and soak it up before the moisture gets on the stamp.
If using mounts, don't soak up the gum on the mount, and don't moisten the entire mount (watch the edges in particular), and especially if it is a split back mount. The moisture will get onto the stamp from the seam and damage the gum. I see this alot.
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Richard,
If you have acess to a copy of Scott's Specialized US catalogue you might take a look at their article on grading stamps. It is also available on the Linn's web site to digital subscribers. The editors have written an excellent description of how they grade a stamp, provided a chart illustrating each grade of similar stamps. The article also has an illustrated gum chart showing the differences between the various labels (MNH, MLH, MH, etc) that we often take for granted. Grading is relatively subjective although EzStamp offers a software program that will mathematically grade a scan of a stamp.
The American Philatelic Society(APS) does not grade a stamp's centering when they expertize a stamp. They will render an opinion on the catalogue number, genuineness, condition of the gum, any alterations and overall condition of the stamp. Philatelic Foundation will render an opinion on the authenticity, etc. Professional Stamp Experts will also grade the stamp numerically. The process of certification is expensive and normally will only be done in the case of valuable stamps. APS charges members a minimum of $30 per item. By the time you add postage and USPS registration fees, you can easily double the price.
When Scott prices a used stamp they generally assume a very fine stamp has unobtrusive cancellations and is sound (free of any defects such as thins, tears, and/or stains). It is sort of assumed that any collector wants the very finest condition that he or she can afford. One also expects that a collector wants to preserve the condition of the stamp as he found it.
In the past year, I have broken down almost 10 collections and I find an astonishing range of conditions. The only advantage to using mounts after a mint stamp has already been hinged is aesthetics. Ditto for used stamps. Bye the way in my opinion the best mounts are showgard or hawvid. The worst is crystal mount.
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The only advantage to using mounts after a mint stamp has already been hinged is aesthetics. Ditto for used stamps.
I have to disagree with you on that one. The advantage to putting a stamp in a mount is to minimize future damage. Adding another hinge on the back of a previously hinged stamp provides the chance for more damage to the stamp (thinning, gum damage, etc.).
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Just one issue came to mind in looking at these threads. Remember that if you bought a $5 Columbian when it was issues in 1893, you could have instead invested the cash and at interest rates over the past 119 years have more money. But you wouldn't have a really cool rare stamp either. So I am holding onto my $5 John Bassett Moore stamp in hope...
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Curious.... I wonder how many people had $5 to spend on a stamp in 1893
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04:59:17pm
There are two things that affect the number of $5.00 stamps likely to have been saved in the year or so after being printed in 1895. First there were only about 70,000,000 people in the population of the country and stamp collecting was a new hobby.
Second the average worker's annual salary was little more than $300 for a 48 or 50 hour work week.
Allowing for a little seaman's approximation that would be well over $500.00,today.
With a population that seems to exceed 310,000,000 in the US these days and only about 60,000 or 70,000 active stamp collectors in the entire country, that is around 0.02% (.00022) of the population and would be only around 15,000 active collectors in 1895, only a few of which might have had a week's salary in disposable income lying around to buy one stamp for the future.
Any $5.00 stamps bought with few exceptions had to be for actual use and here again one would have to be shipping a large boulder to Hawaii from Maine accrue that much of a postal fee.
It is a miracle that so many examples survive.
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Wikipedia says the dollar value Columbians were bought by speculators, which makes sense to me as they seem more available mint than used.
Also, I remember seeing an article somewhere showing lists from what was the post office departments philatelic sales equivalent and some of the old high values were still available for sale decades later, but I cannot remember which sets, may have been the Trans-Mississipis.
Josh
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09:21:22am
" .... they seem more available mint than used. .... "
That just proves that there were not all that many people in Maine who had any burning need to mail a boulder to someone in Hawaii to congratulate them on becoming a territory.
Happy Labor Day
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Ah, but how many shipped a coconut or pineapple from Hawaii to Maine?
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04:15:40pm
Until mid-1900 they would have used Hawaiian Territorial stamps. I wonder how long it took the USPS to get regular US stamps out to the islands for use. In some instances of transfer of sovereignty there is a grace period when dual use is accepted. I don't know that much about Hawaiian philately, but someone might know.
Now I wish I had spent more afternoons visiting the stamp store that was in the Ala Moana shopping mall and some of that money left in Waikiki for stamps. The funny thing is that quite a few times I paused at the store's display window and looked at the items on sale, but just didn't think to go inside.
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duh, you're right about that.....
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How exactly is pricing figured out? I have seen the same stamp listed with different pricing on mystic's website, the official blackbook price guide to united states postage stamps and on the stamp manage program I am trying out. How does these stamps get priced with such big fluctuations? Also is the pricing that stamp mage uses come from the scott catalog?
any input would be appreciated
thanks
richard brink
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Dear Richard,
Based upon the eye of the beholder, and what the market will bear. Pretty much all else is hype.Scarcity, condition,cancel, gum, defects all pale in comparison to how badly someone wants something, and then the seller tries to get whatever he can for it.
Dan C.
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
According to Mr. Stephen R. Datz in Top Dollar Paid! the catalogues (Scott, Gibbons, Michel, et al) are a basic reference and a general guide to pricing. Supply and Demand determines the market price of a stamp. Demand appears to be the dominant factor in determining the price.
A couple of historical examples:
1. Compare the price of US Scott number 2 and 4. There were millions of number 2 issued and only 3883 of number 4. The only explanation of the disparity in price would be the demand for postage stamp as opposed to the demand for the reproduction.
2. Look at the Zeppelins. Stamps issued primarily for collectors and destroyed after only a month on sale. At best you can only have 61,296 complete sets. In the 1980's a full set of Zeppelins would go for 8-10K. Now you would be lucky to get 2K for a complete set perfectly centered and never hinged. The demand is much lower now then 30 years ago. The supply probably has dropped due to age.
To be honest even the classics are relatively cheap today in comparison to peak markets of the 1980's.
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Thanks for the reply guys. Well there is a lot to learn. I remember my first album just hinging the stamp to the page and now days that devalues the stamp.
Slowly but surely I am learning thanks again
Richard Brink
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Yes, I am not sure that hinging devalues a used stamp. Just the unused stamps. I am convinced that the mint never hinged obsession was invented by the mount makers. Crystal Mounts do far more damage than hinges ever did.
Collecting stamps should give you pleasure in the acquisition and display . Study them for the history they represent or record. Stamps are not meant to be an investment.
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
with the cost of mounts it does add up in cost. The big benefit I see is one can replace a stamp with a better one and the mount helps better protect the stamp. Now I wonder who actually looks at the back of the stamp at the gum rather than the condition of the face? If the hinge doesn't affect the face I really don't see a difference between NH and LH or MH it's the face of the stamp that one admires not the gum on the back
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
There are many collectors who have that attitude: collecting a stamp by its face, not its rear (so to speak)
However, there are those who want the back of the stamp to be in a particular condition as well, sort of taking the stamp as a whole, rather than just a part (or side).
It all comes down to one thing: What is your comfort factor for adding a stamp to your collection? If a stamp meets the parameters that you have set for your collection, then add it and don't worry about anything else.
Just keep in mind that when/if it comes time to sell, overall condition will dictate the market value of the stamp. If you have lower quality stamps in your collection, you cannot expect to get much back. If your stamps are top-notch, you will get more (but not necessarily a whole lot more).
The bottom line is collect what you want. If the back doesn't matter to you, then you have one less thing to worry about.
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
If you want to invest in stamps, there is only one way to do it. You must purchase the scarce, higher dollar items that are in almost or absolute pristine condition for the issue. I'm not talking about the common stamps that are getting grades of 98 that are priced at astronomical prices (nothing but a rip-off), or stamps that are worth a few dollars or even tens of dollars. Stamps that are contained in "regular" collections are generally not of investment quality. These stamps may go up a dollar or two a year in catalog value, but overall on the auction block, and in the market place they will not bring much.
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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).
19 Jun 2012
10:50:54am
re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
I want to clarify the term investment used by myself & Michael in the previous two posts. Correct me if I'm wrong) He is using the term investment by referring to single stamps that would auction for hundreds & thousands (more likely the latter).
For someone living on an extremely limited budget, currently living beyond their means by purchasing stamps that cost $5 to $20 each, that is an investment, if in 30 years those same stamps sell at $15 to $50 each. When it comes time to sell that collection, what the person originally paid may have doubled or tripled in 30 years or more. Perhaps for the average individual, it doesn't look like much but for someone who has, like I said, lived beyond their means over the years, by purchasing their stamps, any appreciation in value when that collection goes to auction will give the satisfaction of investment.
Kelly
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Auctions
re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Kelly,
you and Michael are talking about the same thing: the expectation that a stamp or stamps is likely to return to the buyer substantially more than the buyer paid (certainly a rate of return higher than CPI or rate of inflation or perhaps equal to S&P). Whether that rate is accomplished by a single stamp or many stamps is irrelevant; it is the expectation of having more money than one spent some years earlier.
I have NO expectation that the stuff I buy now will be worth more later. It might, but that's not why I buy it. I will highlight certain elements for my family to treat with care and not take to the recycling center because it will be worth SOMETHING.
Michael's cautionary comments are intended to direct folks to stamps that are more likely to rise in value, but even that is full of risk, as the huge decline in values of even quality material in the late 80s proves.
But for us, "investment" always indicates an intention to be able to sell for more than purchased, after adjusting for inflation and without subtracting for enjoyment.
David
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Since I shifted this discussion into the dicey realm of stamp investment, I think I will add my 2 cents to the discussion. Michael is correct. If you are collecting stamps with an eye towards making a profit for you or your heirs then you need to focus on the rare stamps of the past. One of the reasons for the fall off in catalogue value between the 1929 and 1930 U.S. issues was the Great Depression. Many people bought sheets of commemorative stamps from the Post Office with the idea that they could repeat the substantial profits made on the Classic US stamps of the 19th and very early 20th century. When they did not make their fortune, they took the stamps to the dealers and unloaded them at a discount. The glut of stamps ruined the expectations of huge profit.
Stamps do not have any intrinsic value other than the face value for postage. Collectible stamps have only the value that some other "damned fool" wants to place on them. Hence like real estate the rule is "condition, condition, condition" and then only if there is a demand.
In the 1980's when there was a huge demand for classic stamps many entpreneurial individuals offered investment portfolios in stamps, selling beautiful notebooks and subscriptions to potentially valuable stamps (mounted in document protectors). The stamps could be bought at the post office or cheaply at the local stamp dealers. In fact, they actually fueled the demand and jacked up the prices for many of the commonly available collectible stamps. The market crashed and most of the high priced items were worth much less than their purchase price.
The moral is if you want to invest in stamps focus on the truly rare items! Otherwise collect only what you like.
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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).
19 Jun 2012
11:45:43am
re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
David,
Very true. That's why when people ask me about collecting stamps as an investment, I always tell them, if you want to collect stamps because you want to enjoy the stamps, then stamp collecting is awesome. Find something that interests you and collect it. If, at some time in the future, what you've collected is worth a little more than what you spent on it, that will be nice, but that's not the purpose of collecting.
I love my collection because I love to sit and enjoy the stamps, it's a way to experience a piece of history that I could not do in person and that is why I collect my stamps. If they do appreciate in value, then I will enjoy the few extra dollars when I sell them in some far future time. As you've said, we've all seen the "market" on stamps go up and down over the years. I know I've seen things that I have and say "dang, that was catalogued at $2 in such and such a year and now it's only catalogued at $1.25?, hmph". Does that stop me from collecting? Absolutely not.
I remember though when I was a kid, hearing dealers (who I now seriously question their motives), would appear to push higher value stamps at people. They were trying to convince the ill-informed that this particular stamp would be a good "investment". Some poor soul would spend hundreds of dollars on that stamp (not understanding the issues of condition, etc) and no doubt when they went to sell it later, would find out it was actually only worth 1/4 of what they actually spent on it. We've all had a time or experience, I would say, that we paid more for a stamp than what was reasonable - maybe because it finished off a particular part of the collection or being ill-informed about something we thought we were getting a good deal. So we live and learn.
But, as far as pricing and people wanting to look at an "investment" side, I try to steer people who ask me away from that topic and tell them, no - collect because you have an interest or a passion for it.
Hope my previous posts were not misunderstood.
Kelly
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
@ Kelly - no misunderstanding at all regarding what you state. You communicate well.
I love your comment - currently living beyond their means by purchasing stamps. That was choice material! I certainly have resembled that remark on tons of occasions in my 50 years of collecting stamps!
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Auctions
re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
I want to shift the discussion a little, trying to make sure we covered Richard's original posting.
Pricing happens lots of different ways. catalogues try to give a neutral value: what a stamp in a particular condition is likely to cost if bought from a dealer; auctions must balance between what they want to receive and what's likely to generate interest; sales pamphlets are just that, and represent what the dealer wants.
Identical stamps might be priced differently because they are in different venues (auction, stamp store, stamp show, Scott or Yvert) in different locales (for a while folks in Portugal were buying up Europa issues, seriously affecting the market) or because the sellers have different audiences or experiences (SOR auctions often have nice stamps priced insanely low; but this is not always true; some are priced at the top end of the market, too).
And then, one has a variety of other things that might affect the cost, assuming the grade is the same: SON cancels can command more as can colored cancels and fancy cancels; and on-cover examples might change the thing completely from a minimum value stamp to a rare postal usage.
David
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
wow, there is a lot to consider here. I am still thinking on if I need to spend the money on mounts but if I see a better stamp I can replace it if it is in a mount compared to just hinged in the book. I was just a bit confused on the price differences from the sources that I have. Granted being a retired business owner I realize the need to make a profit to cover the overhead thus a higher asking price in some cases. I am also learning about the conditions and grading of stamps. For my own personal view my preference mint never hinged but for a lot of stamps that are out of my price range I will settle for used but prefer lightly canceled and not through the face.
It would be nice to at some point be able to sell doubles when I have them to recoup some of what I have spent on my collection but I am not into buying bulk stamps with the sole purpose to sell to make money. If I do that it would be in the photography or electronic area since that is what I know. At any rate I can fix them and then sell for a profit if I want to make a profit. Now that I am hooked on stamps I just want to be able to grow my collection at a reasonable price thus the question to try to get the best bang for the buck as I can being on a fixed income. Is it hard to remove a hinged stamp from an album without ruining the page or the stamp?
Thanks for the replies,
Richard Brink
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Is it hard to remove a hinged stamp from an album without ruining the page or the stamp?
It depends on the hinge and the album page, and how much saliva was applied to the hinge at the time the stamp was placed in the album. Many times, the saliva overflows the hinge and winds up on the stamp. Thus, the stamp gets stuck to the page.
If using hinges, use very little saliva, and after the stamp has been placed on the album page, life the stamp and tap down the hinge with your finger. If you feel any moisture, get a tissue and soak it up before the moisture gets on the stamp.
If using mounts, don't soak up the gum on the mount, and don't moisten the entire mount (watch the edges in particular), and especially if it is a split back mount. The moisture will get onto the stamp from the seam and damage the gum. I see this alot.
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Richard,
If you have acess to a copy of Scott's Specialized US catalogue you might take a look at their article on grading stamps. It is also available on the Linn's web site to digital subscribers. The editors have written an excellent description of how they grade a stamp, provided a chart illustrating each grade of similar stamps. The article also has an illustrated gum chart showing the differences between the various labels (MNH, MLH, MH, etc) that we often take for granted. Grading is relatively subjective although EzStamp offers a software program that will mathematically grade a scan of a stamp.
The American Philatelic Society(APS) does not grade a stamp's centering when they expertize a stamp. They will render an opinion on the catalogue number, genuineness, condition of the gum, any alterations and overall condition of the stamp. Philatelic Foundation will render an opinion on the authenticity, etc. Professional Stamp Experts will also grade the stamp numerically. The process of certification is expensive and normally will only be done in the case of valuable stamps. APS charges members a minimum of $30 per item. By the time you add postage and USPS registration fees, you can easily double the price.
When Scott prices a used stamp they generally assume a very fine stamp has unobtrusive cancellations and is sound (free of any defects such as thins, tears, and/or stains). It is sort of assumed that any collector wants the very finest condition that he or she can afford. One also expects that a collector wants to preserve the condition of the stamp as he found it.
In the past year, I have broken down almost 10 collections and I find an astonishing range of conditions. The only advantage to using mounts after a mint stamp has already been hinged is aesthetics. Ditto for used stamps. Bye the way in my opinion the best mounts are showgard or hawvid. The worst is crystal mount.
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
The only advantage to using mounts after a mint stamp has already been hinged is aesthetics. Ditto for used stamps.
I have to disagree with you on that one. The advantage to putting a stamp in a mount is to minimize future damage. Adding another hinge on the back of a previously hinged stamp provides the chance for more damage to the stamp (thinning, gum damage, etc.).
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09:36:56pm
re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Just one issue came to mind in looking at these threads. Remember that if you bought a $5 Columbian when it was issues in 1893, you could have instead invested the cash and at interest rates over the past 119 years have more money. But you wouldn't have a really cool rare stamp either. So I am holding onto my $5 John Bassett Moore stamp in hope...
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Curious.... I wonder how many people had $5 to spend on a stamp in 1893
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
02 Sep 2012
04:59:17pm
re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
There are two things that affect the number of $5.00 stamps likely to have been saved in the year or so after being printed in 1895. First there were only about 70,000,000 people in the population of the country and stamp collecting was a new hobby.
Second the average worker's annual salary was little more than $300 for a 48 or 50 hour work week.
Allowing for a little seaman's approximation that would be well over $500.00,today.
With a population that seems to exceed 310,000,000 in the US these days and only about 60,000 or 70,000 active stamp collectors in the entire country, that is around 0.02% (.00022) of the population and would be only around 15,000 active collectors in 1895, only a few of which might have had a week's salary in disposable income lying around to buy one stamp for the future.
Any $5.00 stamps bought with few exceptions had to be for actual use and here again one would have to be shipping a large boulder to Hawaii from Maine accrue that much of a postal fee.
It is a miracle that so many examples survive.
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Wikipedia says the dollar value Columbians were bought by speculators, which makes sense to me as they seem more available mint than used.
Also, I remember seeing an article somewhere showing lists from what was the post office departments philatelic sales equivalent and some of the old high values were still available for sale decades later, but I cannot remember which sets, may have been the Trans-Mississipis.
Josh
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
03 Sep 2012
09:21:22am
re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
" .... they seem more available mint than used. .... "
That just proves that there were not all that many people in Maine who had any burning need to mail a boulder to someone in Hawaii to congratulate them on becoming a territory.
Happy Labor Day
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Ah, but how many shipped a coconut or pineapple from Hawaii to Maine?
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
03 Sep 2012
04:15:40pm
re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
Until mid-1900 they would have used Hawaiian Territorial stamps. I wonder how long it took the USPS to get regular US stamps out to the islands for use. In some instances of transfer of sovereignty there is a grace period when dual use is accepted. I don't know that much about Hawaiian philately, but someone might know.
Now I wish I had spent more afternoons visiting the stamp store that was in the Ala Moana shopping mall and some of that money left in Waikiki for stamps. The funny thing is that quite a few times I paused at the store's display window and looked at the items on sale, but just didn't think to go inside.
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re: How to Understand Stamp Pricing
duh, you're right about that.....
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