Best online or ebay buys. Brag post

edueku

OK, How about everyone discussing their best buys online past or present? It's always fun to get a little bragging in!

StampAlarm

OK, you start.

edueku

I will have to think about all the finds I've made.

coinpictures

Well this topic is burning up the boards...

rolew1946

The find that I consider the best in my collection is a cover with a Dallies, VA manuscript cancellation from 1870. The reason I consider it the best is because Dallies, VA was never a township. The only place Dallies, VA existed was in the post office department. The postmaster general assigned a postmaster that took the place of the postmaster at Bacon's Castle, VA. Bacon's Castle was never renamed and still exist today. After communication with the Surry County, VA historical society I confirmed that Dallies, VA never existed. I contacted the Virginia Postal History Society and my cover is the first reported example of the Dallies cancellation.

I have purchased lots on ebay and pulled a total of 5 Z-grills out of those lots and I have had some other great finds but the Dallies is what I consider to be the best.

Rolin Lewis

edueku

OK....
on cover EDU's
220a paid $20 ebay, sold for $2000+
254 paid aprox $15 sold without cert for around $600
266 paid aprox $1 sold for $1200+
267 paid aprox $5 sold for $1200+
268 paid aprox $10 sold for $1200+
269 paid aprox $10 sold for $1200+
272 paid aprox $10 sold for $1200+
279bh paid aprox $1 sold for $400+ (faulty stamp, small auction)
J30 with dated cancel,paid aprox $60 sold for $2000+
Postal stationary cover(can't remember #) paid about $4 sold for around $300
I think that's on my EDU's....
I still ahve several I haven't submitted including a #428 on cover pre-dating the current Scott listed EDU.
Prices sold for aproximated., it's hard to remember but Alan Burken bought several so he probably has a better idea of actual price.

edueku

If you check out the set registry for the Washington Bicentennial set I still have the 4th all time finest set. Other than than the cert fees each stamp cost me less than $20 buying through ebay. I think 2 are still the highest graded, #704 100 and #708 98J (both NH) ....
Some others (NH)...... for $5 to $20 each
267 90J
279 95
279B 95
279Bf 90
319F 95J ($5)
528 90J
528 98
716 98J
E1 98 (paid $30)
So many more but can't remember them all....got a list somewhere....

covers

My most recent ebay purchase was the cover here. I paid a good price and the condition is well below my normal standard. However, my purchase price was well below my bid. Why?

I wrote an article in the August, 2007 "Chronicle" (US Classics Society) regarding mail routes from Salt Lake City outward. In the winter months of 1854 to 1858, and all year round in 1855-1857, a special route was used to avoid the deep snows in the Sierra Nevada mountains (see map below). This cover is one of fewer than 5 known carried on the route and the only one to a foreign destination.

The cover was carried on the Old Spanish Trail to San Pedro (port of Los Angeles), then by steamer to San Francisco, then by steamer to Panama City, by rail across Panama to Aspinwall, by steamer to New York City and then by steamer to England.

And it is hard to explain to coin collectors why postal history is so very different .....

coinpictures

I don't have a whole lot of "braggers". I've bought a few nice country collections from my local dealer at below 5% of Scott and been able to double or triple my money, but nothing stellar.

I've found real nice revenue cancels in lots over the past 2-3 years

Probably my nicest "bang for the buck" piece is the R87a below, that I found in the APS stamp store. The nice thing about the APS is that if you're unsure of any item, you can request that it be authenticated as part of the checkout process; the stamp is run through the cert process before being shipped. If it's legit and does not have faults beyond what was part of the sales description, you pay the normal cert rates, if it's not, you pay nothing and don't have to purchase the stamp; the cert fee is then the seller's responsibility.

(I realize that APS certs are to philatelic certs what PCI or SEGS are to slabs, and not as "market acceptable" as PSE or PF certs, but it's still a measure of authenticity).

The only faults are a few pinholes caused by the acidity of the ink used in the signature (not uncommon on early revenues). Including the cert fee, I spent $350. Currently lists for $7,000 in Scott. These scarcer imperf revenues are rapidly spiraling out of sight...

edueku

Cool stuff guys, I hope more will be posted.