Options
help with inherited stamp collection
wil33562
Posts: 2
in Stamps Forum
About three years ago I inherited three large boxes of stamps and related material from my aunt.
There are several first day issue stamps in the collection. There are alot of used envelops with stamps on them that date back to the 1880's. There are quite a few unused stamps that date back to the 1930's or so.
I have really never been into stamps collecting of any kind and these have just been setting in a closet since I inherited them. I don't know of anyone around my community that collects stamps, nor is there any kind of stamp dealer in town to help.
Where can I go to find out the true value of these stamps? I honestly don't know if they are worth a grand total of $10 or $10,000.
Thanks for your help,
Kris
There are several first day issue stamps in the collection. There are alot of used envelops with stamps on them that date back to the 1880's. There are quite a few unused stamps that date back to the 1930's or so.
I have really never been into stamps collecting of any kind and these have just been setting in a closet since I inherited them. I don't know of anyone around my community that collects stamps, nor is there any kind of stamp dealer in town to help.
Where can I go to find out the true value of these stamps? I honestly don't know if they are worth a grand total of $10 or $10,000.
Thanks for your help,
Kris
0
Comments
Welcome to the Stamp Forum.
Since you have no nearby dealers, then I would try to obtain a copy of the Scott catalogs. If its just US material, all you need is the Specialized Catalog; otherwise there are 6 other volumes for the world. Your library may have copies or many sellers sell older copies at next to nothing prices. You can also request a free mail-order catalog from companies such as Mystic (nice cat actually) for their US catalog but their selling prices are way above current market levels. They sell almost at Scott. You will also need to cancel their approval service as they will start sending you stamps with a bill. Condition counts as most of the stamps are valued in Scott for Very Fine examples. eBay and Yahoo can also give you a general idea of what things are going for.
If some of the stamps are still tied to a piece, then you may want to keep them that way; all depends on the issue/cancellation.
Scott will list values for FDC, but if yours are cachets, then you will need specialized books if you want to maximize the value.
There is a big difference if you just want cat value or trying to sell though... keep that in mind.
Or a better idea just send them to me....
Oh yeah Welcome to the Stamp forum...