What to do with an old stamp collection?

HollowHead · 03-02-2013, 20:21

My asking about an old coin collection here yielded great and helpful answers (thanks, all) so here goes: what do I do with a collection of stamps? There are thousands and thousands from around the world ending by the early seventies and many are in sheets and most are uncancelled. Sell the beer-case sized box as a lot or spend the next year going through them? Thanks, HH

Mr KV · 03-02-2013, 20:29

If you can find the right collector you might be able to make some good money from it. I personally would sell it or keep holding on to it.

I also have a large coin collection that I've been sitting on for 10+ years. Plan to keep it until I'm older then sell.

HollowHead · 03-02-2013, 20:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr KV

If you can find the right collector you might be able to make some good money from it. I personally would sell it or keep holding on to it.

I also have a large coin collection that I've been sitting on for 10+ years. Plan to keep it until I'm older then sell.

We want to sell it as we have no interest in stamps. The local stamp place wants $70./Hr. to inventory it and it could take days...it's that big. We thought about the local stamp club at the HS but found out they disbanded years ago...nobody does stamps anymore. HH

rhikdavis · 03-03-2013, 07:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by HollowHead

The local stamp place wants $70./Hr. to inventory it

I will do it for only $35 an hour. Yar.

It would definitely pay off to have them appraised professionally.

Pay them in stamps.

waawaaweenie · 03-02-2013, 20:38

probably going to get the same advice you got for the coin collection, find a really trustworthy appraiser and then decide

stamps can be as valuable as coins

ilgunguygt · 03-02-2013, 21:13

Definately break them up. Its not likely but there could be a million dollar stamp in there. Its time to do some work man!

GIG4FUN · 03-02-2013, 21:26

Take them to Pawn Stars in Vegas...?
(Seen their show History chnnl.?)

I've been there a few times when we are in Vegas. He buys things like this.

HollowHead · 03-02-2013, 21:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilgunguygt

Definately break them up. Its not likely but there could be a million dollar stamp in there. Its time to do some work man!

I have this vision of wifey and I spreading tens of thousands of stamps all over the house based on country, denomination and year only to have a breeze come through and completely screw it all up.

HH

ilgunguygt · 03-02-2013, 21:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by HollowHead

I have this vision of wifey and I spreading tens of thousands of stamps all over the house based on country, denomination and year only to have a breeze come through and completely screw it all up.

HH

I'm not gonna lie, that mental image made me laugh out loud!

Seriously though, I dont think I could bring myself to not check them. The kind of person that I am I would always question whether or not I gave up a fortune.

HollowHead · 03-02-2013, 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilgunguygt

I'm not gonna lie, that mental image made me laugh out loud!

Seriously though, I dont think I could bring myself to not check them. The kind of person that I am I would always question whether or not I gave up a fortune.

Agreed. Thanks to some here, what I thought was pedestrian sterling crap in the same collection in coins turned out to be platinum and palladium. Nothing good could be that shiney, right?

HH

Mr KV · 03-02-2013, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by HollowHead

We want to sell it as we have no interest in stamps. The local stamp place wants $70./Hr. to inventory it and it could take days...it's that big. We thought about the local stamp club at the HS but found out they disbanded years ago...nobody does stamps anymore. HH

Wow, had no idea they were charging that kind of money.

You should take pictures of them all (High Res) if you have the time and maybe try to find a stamp forum to post uo your collection. Not even sure those exist but most likely there is one out there.

Al Czervik · 03-02-2013, 22:08

Same boat here. I have boxes of them that my mother left. I have no idea if they are worth anything, and I have no interest in them.

HollowHead · 03-02-2013, 22:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Czervik

Same boat here. I have boxes of them that my mother left. I have no idea if they are worth anything, and I have no interest in them.

I have to admit that I'm obsessed only because what I thought was a bunch of worthless paperweights in coins turned out extremely well for us. And this was a box that sat out in the shed...

HH

vikingsoftpaw · 03-03-2013, 00:35

Somewhere on a stamp collectors special interest group is a question:

"My father had a gun, it's old and blue. Unlike the good modern gun made of plastic these days. It had a horse rearing up on it and the barrel says 'Python'.

Should I turn it in for a pair of Beyonce tickets?

*ASH* · 03-03-2013, 02:26

dont happen to have a upside down jenny stamp ?? id give you 10 pmags for it

schild · 03-03-2013, 04:28

About fifteen years ago my wife and I set off to set her stepfather's stamp collection that was huge and dated back to the thirties.
These were full sheets of U.S. stamps, we sold them for not much more than face value.

sourdough44 · 03-03-2013, 05:00

I don't see much $$ in even an above average stamp collection. A relative has/had one. I looked up some of the values & they were dismal. This was from the 70's & slightly earlier.

aomagrat · 03-03-2013, 06:01

If you have any uncancelled US stamps you could use them.

***okie*** · 03-03-2013, 06:04

It's going to take a lot of time to sell'em one at a time, I think I would sell the whole lot

Dr. Leaky · 03-03-2013, 06:22

My father had a pretty good stamp collection. After he died my mother found a buyer for the really good stuff and divided up the rest of the US stamps by face value and gave it to the kids. We used it as postage and it was kind of fun - you'd use rows of 1 and 2-cent stamps to cover today's postage rates. Our mailman got alarmed and told us that we had valuable stamps there, but they had been checked and were worth face value only.

I also got an unfinished album of Austrian stamps as well and am having the same problem - don't know anything about them and don't really care much. I did look some up on the 'net and they weren't really worth more than a few cents each. I'm thinking to put the whole thing in our next garage sale for $5 if I can get it and let someone else invest the time in going through it - if they score, good for them.

***fx77*** · 03-03-2013, 11:13

be careful.. An appraiser could find one very valuable stamp and offer you a bulk rate for the entire collection just to get that valuable stamp
I have a relative who is a watch world's expert collector, maker and manufacturer, and he used to go to shops with lots of old watches. He would find one in the case he wanted...very valuable unknown/unappreciated to the seller, and he would offer a good fee for all the old watches for "parts." Then he would walk away with the valuable watch ..just sayin'