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Stamp collecting is an enjoyable hobby. Consider continuing your family tradition by maintaining and adding to the existing collection. The sentimental value may be far greater than the monetary value. You could become a member of our Glacier Stamp Club and enjoy broadening your friendship base. Later, handing it down to your own children will create an ongoing legacy for your own family. Stamp collecting (the hobby of kids and kings) is educational: one learns geography, history, culture, art and the sciences. Don’t think of collecting as an investment; it is a hobby. The original collector got his value from it as a hobby.
If collecting stamps doesn’t appeal to you, there are other options: sell it in whole or in parts, give it to a kid who wants to collect, donate it to your local stamp club, or donate it to an organization. Seriously, consider having a knowledgeable philatelist examine the stamps so you don’t give away the farm. A word about the market: over the last decade so many collections have come on the market, the market is overwhelmed. Some dealers have excess inventory because of all the collections acquired, while buying clients are becoming fewer, thus their stock is larger and they offer less for purchases.
Bring your collection to the local stamp club meeting to discuss your collection with local club members. When you bring it to the stamp club, please have an idea what your expectations are. Another option is to bring it to our fall stamp show where dealers will evaluate your collection and may offer you a purchase price.
A small collection normally contains common stamps which are of very little value each. Cheap stamps during your grandfather’s day are cheap stamps today. For example, a small collection of 500 stamps might be worth a penny a stamp; a substantial collection of 100,000 stamps may be worth only a nickel a stamp. However, a large collection in high quality albums may be more valuable because it may contain higher quality, older classic stamps. Of course, an occasional rare stamp in good condition may be of great value; however, those are few and far between. Hint: As one counts the stamps, please note that those stuck to the page, are torn, missing a portion, straight edged, have pinholes, have stains, or are pre-cancels, are not even counted.
A non-collector who tries to sell a collection tends to overestimate the value of the stamps they are trying to sell. One could visit the local library and research the “Scott Catalogue” for individual stamp values. “Scott Catalogue” value is not a dollar amount that you will realize in selling your stamps. It is a reference that collectors and dealers use as a basis for valuing a stamp. Collectors pay somewhat less than “Scott’s” value (and sometimes substantially less), and dealers offer to buy at considerably less than “Scott’s” value (and often substantially less for collections of just common stamps). Values listed are for an almost perfect stamp (post office fresh); for less than perfect, the value drops drastically. Three points of value are condition, condition, and condition.
If you decide to sell your collection, consider selling to a club member, to a dealer at our fall show, or market it on an internet auction site. Consider donating to a charitable organization, veterans’ hospital, school, or senior citizens’ centers if an expert confirms that your stamps are of little cash value. Also, please consider donating to our stamp club because we make packets that we give to kids who come to visit us.
What do I do with a shoe box of stamps still on envelope paper? If the envelope names someone famous keep it intact and whole; take it to a reputable dealer for evaluation. Common stamps on paper are hardly worth the time and effort to soak, dry, press and sort. It is difficult to justify investing a couple hours of one’s time to accumulate a couple dollars in common stamps that most collectors already have multiple examples.
A suggestion: mint (new unused) stamps are best disposed of by using as postage on your outgoing mail. Dealers offer only 30% to 50% of face value. Forever stamps sell for more and higher value denominations also sell for more.
Please, come and visit us at our Glacier Stamp Club meeting.