Those were the days
pab1969
Posts: 1,183 ✭✭✭✭✭
I remember as a child, in the late 70's in New York City, my dad would take me to the stamp conventions. Yes, an entire arena full of dealers and to a young kid it was larger than life. I looked forward to these conventions and I always love the freebies the dealers would give me. I would spend hours in a 3 cent bin digging for the treasures to be found. I mastered the trick off soaking stamps to remove the paper like an artist. My dad got me into stamp collecting and I enjoyed my collection. As I got older my hobbies changed but I always appreciated stamps. It is sad to see that the hobby has died. Now that I am retired I come across stamp collections at estate sales. I end up purchasing them for practically nothing. I don't purchase them to make a profit only to reminisce. Occasionally I find some rarities that I couldn't afford as a kid that still have a place in my old collection. Seeing these collections for sale that people had put together takes me back to a simpler time when it was just me and my dad.
Comments
Stamp collecting isn't completely dead but it has changed. Today significant covers will still bring good money. Major rarities in high grade will still bring good money. Specialty items that APS exhibitors need to win gold medals will bring good money.
Unfortunately, those areas account for only a tiny fraction of the stamps available. Anything "ordinary" is dead.
Hello. The prices that people part with their collections is almost a steal. I have had some luck selling turn of the century postcards from these collections. There is a small market that still purchases them. One of these days I have to get organized and start selling off my collection. I'm not expecting any miracles. Most of the mint stamps will probably end up being used for postage. However, I have a nice collection of German WW2 items (blocks, postcards, etc.) and a decent US collection. (pre 1920). My kids aren't interested in inheriting them so I may as well try to get some money back.
Great topic...I still pick up a few now and then. Take care...CC
It's sort of ironic that Topps baseball cards inserted some player stamps in with their card packs back in the 1960's. Basically for free because the kids were buying the five cent wax packs for the cards.
Now in PSA 9 and 10 condition, these baseball stamps are worth a lot of money, especially the Mickey Mantle and other star players. While a George Washington five cent US postage stamp in mint condition from back then, it's tough to even get five cents for it.
I see those massive stamp collections selling on Ebay for remarkably low prices, and usually they don't even sell.
I still think postage stamps are cool though, and I've been looking to buy a Penny Black, and some early US issues at the right price.
I don't buy the collections on eBay. Whenever I go to estate sales I pick up entire collections for $10 to $20. I get home and I sort through them and still find a few rarities. I'm hoping to come across the zeppelin stamps one day. Not for resale value but to fill the three blank spaces I had in my US airmail collection since I was a kid.
I too miss those days, when more n more kids are into these hobbies, just before the coming of smartphones, everything is changed.