# How Can You Safely Appraise A Disorganized Stamp Collection?



## Hoc (Jan 3, 2008)

My father left us a stamp collection when he died.  There are thousands and thousands of stamps.  Some are in books, some are loose, some are in mint condition, etc. etc.  There are baseball cards, stamps, letters mailed on the first day of statehood or on the dates of significant events.

Some stamps were bought for as much as $200 in 1962.  Others, we have no idea.  We'd like to try to figure out what it is worth.  One concern is that, if we just take it to someone to appraise, and they find stamps worth a few hundred thousand dollars, what's to keep them from pocketing one or two of the best ones?

Anyone have any idea?  There are probably 50,000 stamps or so, many loose.  How do you safely figure out whether you have a hidden treasure?


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## bobcat (Jan 3, 2008)

Hoc said:


> My father left us a stamp collection when he died.  There are thousands and thousands of stamps.  Some are in books, some are loose, some are in mint condition, etc. etc.  There are baseball cards, stamps, letters mailed on the first day of statehood or on the dates of significant events.
> 
> Some stamps were bought for as much as $200 in 1962.  Others, we have no idea.  We'd like to try to figure out what it is worth.  One concern is that, if we just take it to someone to appraise, and they find stamps worth a few hundred thousand dollars, what's to keep them from pocketing one or two of the best ones?
> 
> Anyone have any idea?  There are probably 50,000 stamps or so, many loose.  How do you safely figure out whether you have a hidden treasure?



 I would purchase a stamp book to check the value of your stamps. Sometimes if you visit a stamp shop , they might sell one or you could ask the owner about the best one to purchase.  You can also visit the library.


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## cp73 (Jan 3, 2008)

Hoc said:


> Anyone have any idea?  There are probably 50,000 stamps or so, many loose.  How do you safely figure out whether you have a hidden treasure?



Seems to me your going to have to educate yourself on stamp collecting and spend some time sorting through all of them. There is no quick way around it unless you can find someone who is reputable and honest and have them do it.


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## grest (Jan 3, 2008)

My grandfather was an avid stamp collector, and always had books around that talked about the value of individual stamps.  I'm sure these types of books are still available, and might be worth your while.  As you do your research, if you see some that you think are worth something, then I would go ahead and have them appraised by someone in your area who is a philatelist.  Sounds like fun!
Connie


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## somerville (Jan 3, 2008)

On many older stamps, there are minor differences that make a huge difference in value.  It takes a trained eye to discern them.  I would try to find a knowledgable stamp collector to assist you.  Maybe there is a philatelic club in your area.


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## silverfox82 (Jan 3, 2008)

I collect coins rather than stamps but I'm sure the same principles apply. First and foremost, educate yourself. Get some books and learn the basics, talk to other collectors online, check out e bay listings to see what stamps are selling for. Take your time and be wary of any offers made, most buyers really don't have your best interests at heart. Dealers generally pay 50%-60% of retail but its an easy way to sell a large collection if you know what the value is. Go to a stamp show and talk to other collectors to find a reputable dealer in your area. You can also have your collection appraised for a fee but find one who is not also a buyer. Catalog your entire collection and store and handle them carefully, condition is as important as rarity. Have fun and I hope you find some real treasures.


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## silverfox82 (Jan 3, 2008)

I just checked e bay's stamp site and there is a software product that might be helpful. I don't know anything about it and am not endorsing it but it could be just what you need.


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## Jim C (Jan 3, 2008)

Hoc, all the above replies are good.  One more suggestion;  check his Homeowners policy for supplemental coverages for collectibles, etc. beyond that covered on the basic policy, under Section 1C Personal Property. The supplemental would be found in his endorsements and have an additional cost attached.  If he took a large amount of additional coverage, his insurer MAY have required him to provide them with some kind of inventory or certified appraisal.  Good luck.


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## Hoc (Jan 4, 2008)

bobcat said:


> I would purchase a stamp book to check the value of your stamps. Sometimes if you visit a stamp shop , they might sell one or you could ask the owner about the best one to purchase.  You can also visit the library.



Yeah, but that would probably take months, for a collection that could be worth a lot or a little.  Also, a book might not tell you the value of, say, a complete collection of all of the stamps of a single country over the past 50 years.  It would only tell you how much each stamp is worth individually.


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## dmharris (Jan 4, 2008)

Silverfox, what is the name of that software product?

Thanks in advance,


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## Hoc (Jan 4, 2008)

Jim C said:


> check his Homeowners policy for supplemental coverages for collectibles, etc. beyond that covered on the basic policy, under Section 1C Personal Property.



He didn't believe in insurance, and he's been dead for 30 years, anyway, so there's no record of coverage on the policy back then (he never got anything more than the bank required, despite keeping, for example, nearly a million dollars worth of jewelry in the house -- we lost that to a robbery in 1981).  

I really don't want to spend months educating myself on stamps (in which I have absolutely no interest) and then looking through each one of 50,000 or more loose stamps (I'm not exaggerating, there really are at least 50,000 -- maybe as much as 100,0000 , since they fill three large suitcases -- loose stamps, plus books and collections), just to find out that they're only worth, say, $10,000 or so.  My guess is that the value of my time in doing so (probably a hundred thousand dollars or so, assuming 6 months of work) is going to be more than the value of the collection.  Also, I don't know that there are any books that could help me figure out the value of 200 or so cancelled letters, mint collections of stamps issued by the post office.  And given that some of the stamps are complete collections from all over the world, I doubt that just a few books would help me learn about this stuff enough to know whether their value as a collection exceeds their value individually.  I really need to get them professionally appraised.


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## Hoc (Jan 4, 2008)

silverfox82 said:


> Have fun and I hope you find some real treasures.



I couldn't begin to imagine having fun.  In fact, it seems like the most miserable task I have ever had to do -- and I've had some pretty bad ones.  The whole concept of stamp collecting, to me, seems to be the most tedious, boring hobby on the face of the earth.


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## dmharris (Jan 4, 2008)

Hi Hoc,

It's great we don't all like to do the same thing, isn't it? I would take an earlier poster's advice and look for a local philatelic club. Go to one of their meetings, explain your situation and perhaps one of them would LOVE to take this on as an adventure and you could pay them or give them a % of what you sold the collection for? This way you know it would be done correctly. Yes there is a risk you'd lose something under the table, but you don't know what you have now, so you'd have to take that risk. Perhaps they would examine the collection at your place and you could watch them. Non-verbal cues can give you a tip-off if they're sorting through and really find something valuable. 

This would be an adventure for a philatelic. Let us know what you decide to do and especially if there is a real winner in the collection!


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## pcgirl54 (Jan 4, 2008)

Hoc,glad you posted as we have a similar suitcase filled with stamps that were given to DH when he was a boy by an elderly neighbor who passed away. With our busy lives this would take hundreds of hours. Our question has been who would we trust and how would we go about this.


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## wackymother (Jan 4, 2008)

You might call an auction house that does stamp auctions and ask them for a recommendation on a reliable appraiser. They might even take the collection on in order to get the sale. If you have stamps that cost a couple of hundred in the early 1960s, there MUST be some good stuff in there. Good luck, I hope you make a bundle from it!

BTW, I went over to eBay to see if there is a stamp dealers' forum, but there isn't, as far as I could see. Some of the forums have great people with incredible depth of information. You might poke around over on eBay--see who the most respected stamp dealers are, the ones with a lot of feedback and well-presented auctions, and then e-mail them for their suggestions. Some of the best eBay people are very generous with their knowledge.


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## Jestjoan (Jan 4, 2008)

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Stamps-Philately-1610/First-Day-Issues.htm

Maybe ask questions on this site.................


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## deh333 (Jan 4, 2008)

Hi Hoc,

I like the ideas mentioned so far.  Another thought.  Is there a young relative that you know that may be interested in beginning a new hobby?  If so, it may be fun just to take a handful of loose stamps, put them in a box and gift them to the child; with or without a map or globe.  

The reason I say the loose stamps is that I would guess that the odds are greater that the more valuable stamps would be placed in a book.


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## kathyj0205 (Jan 4, 2008)

Reading these posts just gave me the willies.  My DH has not 1 suitcase, but probably 20 large boxes filled with stamps.  He never throws a stamp away.  He tears them off of mail he receives at the office.  He has bought entire collections from other people. He has relatives save them for him.  Then he puts them in boxes.  He says he plans on doing something with them when he retires.  I hope his retirement lasts a long, long time.  I just hope I die first, so that I don't have to do anything with them. Every time we move, I hope he will get rid of some, but no, we just move the boxes.  Someday, I will be killed by an avalanche of boxes filled with stamps.
Kathy


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## wackymother (Jan 4, 2008)

I'm actually amazed that no one here on TUG is a stamp collector. And that there's no stamp discussion board at eBay. I guess it's true that stamp collecting is no longer a very popular hobby.


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## johnmfaeth (Jan 4, 2008)

I collected stamps as a kid and still have a passing interest. To hinge a stamp and put it in a book really destroys it's value. For example, just a couple of days back, there was a news story about one of three known examples of the "inverted" Jenny 24 cent airmail error stamp that sold for over 900K at auction. The other 97 in existance were "hinged" into books over the years and much less valuable.

You would be well served getting a professional appraisal, if you are unwilling to invest a lot of time. 

The best alternative is to learn yourself. You can eliminate lots of items before going to the appraiser. No regular US stamp of this century is very valuable if cancelled for example.

Good luck!


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## Dave M (Jan 4, 2008)

I'm a collector (of sorts). 

Based on your description, Hoc, I'm guessing that the majority of the loose stamps, perhaps all of them, came through offers such as the following: "1,000 different stamps for $5.00 when you accept our premier collection on approval." The 1,000 stamps (the number varies from about 100 on up) have no collecting value and are like the timeshare that won't sell for $1 on eBay. The theory is to convince the collector to take those incentives and then purchase some of the expensive stamps in the “premier collection”. Sound like timeshares? Those offers have been around since long before I first started collecting in 1956. My dad showed me a big box of stamps he accumulated from multiple similar offers and that he ultimately threw away. 

Many beginner collectors take advantage of such offers because (a) it quickly adds to the number of different stamps they have at a very low cost and (b) they don't know any better. The problem is that the volume quickly becomes overwhelming and the collector quickly learns that it’s not worth sorting all of those nearly free stamps. Thus is generated the big box (or boxes or suitcases) of loose stamps.

For that reason, I second the choice of going to a local collector and showing what you have. My guess is that they will be able to discern which parts of the collection might have any value within a matter of minutes. I'm far from an expert, but I believe I could make the same determination if I were going to be in your part of the world any time soon.  Unfortunately, I likely won't get there for about a year.


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## billwright1 (Jan 4, 2008)

There is a company that makes a coin and also a stamp program. You have to enter each item, but it then has pricing updates each year to give you the current value. I have used the coin program and it is good.
HobbySoft by CompuQuote is the name of it.  (877) 462-2980
www.compu-quote.net


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## dmharris (Jan 4, 2008)

I will be at the Newport Coast starting Feb 1, but I'm not an expert. I have collected US Commemorative stamps (new) since I was a kid. They are mostly in boxes. I too am waiting for the time to organize them. That will be either before or after I get all my recipe clippings in order!   :hysterical:


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## wackymother (Jan 4, 2008)

Dave M said:


> I'm a collector (of sorts).
> 
> Based on your description, Hoc, I'm guessing that the majority of the loose stamps, perhaps all of them, came through offers such as the following: "1,000 different stamps for $5.00 when you accept our premier collection on approval." The 1,000 stamps (the number varies from about 100 on up) have no collecting value and are like the timeshare that won't sell for $1 on eBay. The theory is to convince the collector to take those incentives and then purchase some of the expensive stamps in the “premier collection”. Sound like timeshares? Those offers have been around since long before I first started collecting in 1956. My dad showed me a big box of stamps he accumulated from multiple similar offers and that he ultimately threw away.
> 
> Many beginner collectors take advantage of such offers because (a) it quickly adds to the number of different stamps they have at a very low cost and (b) they don't know any better. The problem is that the volume quickly becomes overwhelming and the collector quickly learns that it’s not worth sorting all of those nearly free stamps. Thus is generated the big box (or boxes or suitcases) of loose stamps.




Dave--I'm not so sure about this. Yes, I'm sure there's some dross in there, probably plenty of dross in there, but look at Hoc's original post. He knows that his father actually went and bought some expensive individual stamps in the early 1960s. 

Yes, there were certainly adults who bought those giant collections of junk stamps, but it was much more of a kid thing in general. (I know I had a couple of envelopes full of them!) Forty years ago there were plenty of serious amateur stamp collectors. I wouldn't assume that just because there are a lot of stamps that they are all junk.


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## Dave M (Jan 4, 2008)

wackymother said:


> Dave--I'm not so sure about this. Yes, I'm sure there's some dross in there, probably plenty of dross in there, but look at Hoc's original post. He knows that his father actually went and bought some expensive individual stamps in the early 1960s.


Yes, I paid close attention to Hoc's original post. There are thousands of loose stamps, as well as stamps in books. I'm betting that the loose individual stamps are next to worthless. Those are the ones I referred to in my post: 





> I'm guessing that the majority of the loose stamps, perhaps all of them....


The ones in books and otherwise reasonably carefully preserved may well have significant value. A good philatelist can look at those books, etc. and tell in a matter of minutes if there is enough value to justify a thorough appraisal.


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## wackymother (Jan 4, 2008)

Hoc, I just found this thread about stamps and stamp collecting on the eBay Collectibles forum. 

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=5862


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## silverfox82 (Jan 4, 2008)

DM Harris, stamp recognition software usa 2008 cd with scott's #.


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## Poobah (Jan 5, 2008)

*Stamp Collection*

I collected stamps for years, but it waned after getting married and then kids, house, etc. But I am retired now and will probably resurrect the hobby. I resurrected my model railroad this winter. I love retirement, but I digress....

If the man was an avid collector, he probably put the more valuable stamps in the books. I can't imagine buying a valuable stamp and just throwing it into a box with a bunch of loose stamps.

The task may not be as onerous as you think. I would suggest that you start with just the United States stamps in the books. Look for ones that are mint (not cancelled) or cancelled very lightly. You could take these to a local stamp shop and have them point out ones that may be valuable.

If by "books" you mean stamp albums then it will be easy to identify the older stamps. If they were "stock books" (this is a book that has sleeves to store the stamps) then you need to look at them for mint, etc. If the stock pages have hand written numbers on them these are probably Scott numbers and you can look them up in a Stamp Catalogue.

If the albums were Scott Albums they too will have the Scott numbers.

As was posted, condition of a stamp is key to its value and that is where you need to get some professional support. Don't handle the mint stamps with your hands because they will leave a fingerprint on the gum. Use some tweezers.

The foreign stamps are a different story. They will no doubt be a lesson in political geography, because there will be stamps from countries that don't exist anymore. There may be some valuable ones in there, but I would start with the US of A.

If I lived out your way, I would be knocking on your door. I think sorting out a collection like this would be absolutely fascinating. I work cheap: a liter of Johnny Black!:whoopie: 


Cheers,

Paul


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## Hoc (Jan 5, 2008)

Poobah said:


> If the man was an avid collector. . . .



He wasn't.  Most of the stamps are loose, except for a book of the complete set of all of the stamps of Israel, mint condition, from its start through 1964.  There is a book full of various stamps of Japan, China, Korea, in a book that has glassine envelopes, but was not meant specifically for those stamps.

There are a bunch of cancelled mailed envelopes, a series of mint stamps issued by the post office with the folders, but the stamps were never put into them, and, as I said, about 50,000 to 100,000 loose stamps in a couple of suitcases.



Poobah said:


> The task may not be as onerous as you think. I would suggest that you start with just the United States stamps in the books.



There are very few US Stamps.  Just the post office sets (mostly from the 1970s, I think), and maybe 20,000-30,000 of the loose stamps.


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## Hoc (Jan 5, 2008)

Dave M said:


> I'm far from an expert, but I believe I could make the same determination if I were going to be in your part of the world any time soon.  Unfortunately, I likely won't get there for about a year.



Actually, I left them in Hawaii (Oahu), but if we are both out there at the same time at any time soon and you get tired of the sun and sea, I'd love to buy you a very nice dinner (actually, I owe you a dinner, anyway, from the last time I was in Boston), with or without stamps.


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