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Old Stamp Collections

Walshdriver

Walshdriver

Member
Gentlemen,

I have three old stamp collections. One of my father's, one from my childhool, and one from my wife's childhood. How would I go about selling these collections. I know of no-one in the Pittsburgh,PA area. Is there somewhere I could send the collections and get a fair price. Not looking to get rich only don't want to give them away for nothing. Any help??

Thanks:music:
 
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I believe there is a dealer around the South Hills Village. My brother used to collect stamps a while back and I think there was a shop. You could always ebay.

Tom
 
Good luck.

I inherited my grandfather's stamp collection in 1996. Generally, unless the stamps are rare, they are worth less than face value. Why? No one collects stamps any more.

I received 87.5 percent of the stamps' face value.

PM me for the dealer I used in Connecticut. No telling if he is still around, though.

If there is any silver lining, I took a number of stamp sheets and had them framed (atomic power stamps from the 50s, etc).

Ken
 
KeninDC said:
Good luck.

I inherited my grandfather's stamp collection in 1996. Generally, unless the stamps are rare, they are worth less than face value. Why? No one collects stamps any more.

I received 87.5 percent of the stamps' face value.
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Lick 'em and stick 'em. Use them for postage.

It really is a shame, knowing the love and care that went into those collections. I was lucky to get face value for most of my mom's stamps. For sentimental reasons, I kept the core of her collection (the good stuff) and sold all the plate blocks etc. All the misc. pieces got mailed away.

Go to a book store and get a Scott's stamp guide to see what you have.
 
Generally speaking you won't get the price listed in Scott. I have several collections that include the older, rarer stamps from Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Canada and USA. Gave up on collecting after moving here because there was no way to pay for the new issues. In Canada I could write a check on my Royal Bank account in whatever funds, Kroner, Guilders, etc. Then Sweden and Australia sold their stamps through a dealer in Colorado who insisted I take three of everything. The starw that broke it was when the USPS started issuing stamps commemorating everything under the sun, strictly a gimmick to make money.
 
As an old-time collector...

99.99% of stamps aren't very valuable. The valuations in the Scott's catalogs are like "MSRP", or full retail, if you want to compare to Kelley Blue Book for cars. If you want to sell the collections to a dealer, you'll get "trade-in" or wholesale value.

While most stamps are not valuable, some are. So, you need to find a trustworthy dealer or a helpful local collector who will take a look and tell you if you have something worthwhile.

It would really suck to sell your collection for a coupla hundred bucks, only to find out later that one stamp was worth $100K.
 
I never trust a dealer for much.. Too many times I've seen them say it's only worth blah blah blah, then in the same breath ask if you are looking to sell it... I tell them if you are willing to pay double what you are telling me it's worth...

I've got a muzzle loader that several dealers told me it was one of the best examples they've seen of the particular model.. and it was worth $400 or so.. then ask if I want to sell it... I know for a fact it's easily worth over $1000...
 
Hence my use of the word "trustworthy".

Keep in mind, though, that there's a very big spread between a dealer buying at wholesale and selling at retail and outright "cheating" you.

If he knew the gun was worth $1,000 at retail, and offered you $400 wholesale, that's how he makes his living. Maybe he figured that after the two of you finished dickering, he'd end up paying you $600.

Now, if he knows something's worth $5,000, and offers you $400...well...:thumbsdn:
 
No, you certainly won't get anything close to the prices listed in Scott's but it will indicate anything you have that may be valuable. It's a good resource.

Check in your area for philately clubs and those hotel stamp shows, more good resources.

As I stated earlier, before I would sell for less than face value, I'd use them for postage. Imagine your friends surprise when they get a Christmas card with that "inverted jenny" stuck in the corner........!!!!
 
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