Vital! my boyhood collection has degenerated to accumulation levels. Given I am a truck driver so am gone for a week at a time I realise it's likely gonna have to wait until I retire to make any sort of headway at organising The Hoard. Every time I go home for a vacation and bring stock I am amazed at how large the accumulation portion really is... I know for a fact I'll be in for many years of happy rediscovery when it happens! Ahh, retirement. 😁
I only have 3000 -ish stamps that fit into one album, but it comes from 280 different countries. Yes I count different government that issue the stamps from same country as different countries LOL, ie: Yemen, North Yemen, South Yemen, Upper Yaffa (they are all from Yemen but I counted them as 4 countries); or People's Republic of China, Republic of China (1912-1949), Taiwan, Manchukuo, Hong Kong, Macau as 6 differrent countries tho they are all now China. What I'm trully collecting is to get stamp(s) from different countries at least one. So, many of my stamps is only one from its country lol. Currently I'm lacking of stamps from Macedonia, South Sudan, and unrecognized countries like Abkhazia or Transnistria. Btw hi I'm amateur stamp collector from Indonesia 🇮🇩 (ironically the most stamps I have is from Japan lol)
@@anggitaputri3123 : I was given the H.E. Harris "Citation" Stamp Album at Christmas 1967. I stopped actively collecting in '73. I have the album, and it has 6,000 stamps. All painstakingly and lovingly mounted with stamp hinges. My MNH are in Hawid mounts. But, sadly 😥 no one cares about stamps anymore. It was the world's most popular hobby from about 1880 to 1970. It was described as: "The King of hobbies, and, the hobby of Kings". This superlative was bourne out by the fact that His Majesty King George V was a very avid collector all his life. The collection is at Windsor Castle and it is deemed to be the most valuable stamp collection in the 🌎 🗺 🌏 world.
I inherited my collection from my Grandfather 3+ years ago. I never had the heart to sell it, but have slowly gotten into philately and really began to enjoy it thanks to your videos. I am also really tempted to make some stamp art with the duplicates. Thanks!
I am very happy to hear that you are enjoying philately as your Grandfather did :) Stamp art is a great way to put those duplicates on display and remember your Grandfather by.
Great advice exploring stamps my collection i inherited from my great grandfather's stamp collection is worth in the £100s of thousands of pounds but to me they are priceless to me because of theyre connection with the family! I am going to pass these on to my chidren when i go and hope they appreciate them as much as i do but once i go i wont care what tbey do with tnem as i wont be around cheers regards stewy Sheffield LONDON England 😀
I've just been viewing a number of philatelic videos on YouYube. Mostly they seem to be produced by people just to make a random video on a topic that they know nothing about. So much misinformation. I've lost count of the number of viewers who have been convinced that their old green stamp must be an original Ben Franklin worth $600,000. I have also watched a few of your videos now, and find it refreshing to see someone who does the research, tells the truth, and promotes interest without giving people false hope. Keep up the good work. Incidentally, I am a philatelic writer for an Australian national stamp magazine, writing mostly about stamps and postal history of Greater New Guinea.
Thank you Hans that means a lot. Part of the reason for making these videos was to put some better philatelic content out there on TH-cam ... I was discouraged by the misinformation as well when searching for videos. Glad you like the channel 😀
You've right ! A lot of ppl are like this (often seen in garage sales btw) "It's old so it must be valuable !" but they are common stamps Or "I have a lot of stamps" to mean they own only 100 stamps ! The most ambiguous phrase is "i don't know the value". So there are two solutions : the price is way more expensive or the price is sometimes ridiculous (€0,10 for stamps with high catalogue value).
I got a big, mostly unsorted, stamp collection from my mom's friend. Her father collected them, and none of her children were interested. She was happy to know the collection went to someone who cared.
Mine are in a box, my father passed 17 years ago. I look at the box every few years and then put it away. I am now excited to go through and organize them ♥
My father is in a box, but I do have my late brother's stamp album and although there is not much value in the collection, the album is priceless to me.
Very interesting video. I am a philatelist since 1972 (age 8). I started in Paris (25 albums), L.A.: 20 albums and now, only 29 albums here, in my apartment in Israel. I didn't inherit my stamp collection, I started it with my mother when I was a child. Today, I only have 29 albums in my final apartment. I hope to get more stamps. I love philately. I keep on doing it and probably will until I cannot anymore. Thanks for your videos. David
Hi David, wow you are a loyal and dedicated philatelist! I love that you have taken your collection with you over the years. Its hard work building and maintaining such an extensive collection, so well done! Thanks for watching in Israel!
First of all, thank you for answering. I keep on watching youtube, and especially you, because, you "make this hobby fun". Don't get me wrong: I don't need videos on philately to push my enthusiasm, but if somebody does, your videos are very interesting. Until later. . I'll be looking for other of your videos....and let's keep this hobby alive. Until next time, David Barban
Very good David I have been collecting stamps since I was 8yrs old Also and have an extensive inherited Australian State stamps From my Late Grandfather and a Full set of Extremely Rare Mint Kangaroos I have added to it over the years and will be a collector till I Die like my Grandfather and his Father before him they were Dedicated Collectors and want to keep up the family Tradition in honour of my Family members I will leave them to my kids,Nieces and I h ope they value them as much as I do!!! They may sell them but I won't care when I'm Dead Lol!!!! Whenever I make a new purchase I always keep Receits and Have a written up To Date approximate Catalouge Value of my collection so that my family knows what it's approximately worth? As if stored on a computer this can be wiped,lost? I hope this helps cheers regards from stewy Hudson and family Dalby Queensland Australia
I really appreciate the solid advice you give. It's always straight forward, & honest. When we inherit stamp collections, I discovered that I had to become a great deal more knowledgable about stamps and their history to just scratch the surface. After getting a stereoscope and some software, I quickly realized that I probably won't find anything super valuable in the collection. I have yet to positively identify every stamp yet, but it keeps me coming back to it on rainy days. Many of them are so similar that it's almost impossible to tell them apart from each other.. making them difficult to even think about trying to sell them. (presidential stamps )
Thank you Mark. You are so right! A significant level of commitment and effort is required to learn about the inherited collection and properly identify any value, it sounds like you are doing a good job. Taking your time and saving it for rainy days makes it so much more enjoyable :)
Funny I come across your video I inherited three large books of stamps. The stamps were my grandfather's and my uncles My grandfather was an electronic technician for NASA and traveled the world with the military in my uncle started the collection while he was in a boarding school in Scotland.
Full of great advice! In the US, members of the American Philatelic Association can obtain estate stickers to place in their albums or on boxes and bins with information on contacting the APS for assistance with inherited collections. Their site mirrors most of what is here, but not in nearly as an entertaining manner.
Excellent video ! That is much better from what I say to most people phoning to me asking for me to purchase their collection. I am specialised in Space stamps and covers, so from now on I will give them a checklist using your advice, this is much more enjoyable, enthusiastic and relax. There are a lot of used stamps collection around ...
I am a full time picker, I have 3 different stamp collections. I do books and music to make a living. The last stamp find I got over 12 Lbs of stamps mostly from the 1890s-1840s.. they are all divided up in tiny wax paper envelopes there is also three books of worldwide stamps from the same age. Pretty interesting stuff
I went to a house in Tasmania and collected a 75 litre container full of stamps from all over the globe. The China virus had broken out and I spent month's sorting out the stamps. This raised my interest about stamps and especially at that stage Aussie stamps. My intellectual capacity to obsolve the history of stamps was limited, but I read and realised that too many stamp collector's in their deliberations of stamp collecting, made the subject boring and too dogmatic . Through your website my wife and I have taken great delight at the humour, knowledge , and simplistic way you present your stamp programs. We sincerely thank you for this, and we now aspire to many aspects you have delightfully displayed in order to make our hobby more interesting. Nota bene ; Could you please do a segment about Artists who have painted or designed their work specifically for stamps at the behest of Philately organisations or postal authorities. In Australia I have just begun counting and collating how many artists works are depicted on the Aussie stamps since Federation . Not finished, but do far over 120. This includes children. Thanks sincerely. Your a " rummin " ( Tassie saying for good bloke )
The foremost stamp designer/engraver is probably Czeslaw Slania -- see primarily Sweden, where he was the official royal crown engraver (also of Monaco and Poland) including of paper currency. He is often quite witty, and a lovely delicacy. Do a Google search on his name.
I really appreciate this video. I have a collection my grandma started for me in the 1980's and because she was a postmaster, I always just assumed it was full of great stuff. Thing is, having been knocking around in various closets for 35 years even the full plates and plate blocks have gone down in condition. Literally none of my stamps are postmarked except the FDC envelopes which also suffer from storage conditions. It hurts a little but it's good to know they are not worth what I think they should be worth.
Wonderful presentation. Simply illuminating! With the unfortunate death of P-22, LA's beloved mountain lion, the subject of postage stamps is all over the news. Several congressmen have recommended that the US Post Office issue a postage stamp to honor him. I'm all for it. It may even generate increased interest in philately. And the preservation of mountain lions.
I met you in "Conversation with Philatelists". Great video! A very honest view of what collections are worth for stamp dealers. And it is entertaining! Great job! Congratulations!
Gave up stamp collecting in my mid teens but it was a fascinating hobby - taught me so much about the countries of the world, and their history, especially of the British empire and its many colonies. Still have all my albums and also my dad’s albums though haven’t looked at them in decades. Sadly, I doubt that I’ll be able to get my girls interested in stamps - but will give it a try, if only for the educational value.
@@josephpostma1787 - Coins are wonderful, true history in your hand; but stamps are so much easier to interpret especially for the young. What’s more stamps are so much cheaper - essentially free if you take them from your received mail!
@@sirrathersplendid4825 Yeah, plus they are lighter, takes up less room, but you can't manhandle stamps like you can with coins, they also won't be worth less than melt, but you have some real good savings up front when it comes to postage stamps.
I began collecting at 8-years-old and continued through junior high -- then "The Beatles" changed the world. Returned to it in the 1970s during a prolonged period of illness and stress. US poetess Emily Dickinson wrote that "Books take one world's away". Stamp collecting does that -- and with pictures. Each stamp is a window into the culture that produced it. And there is history behind every one. I wholly recommend it, even if only dealing with stress -- it is a break from worry.
@@jnagarya519- Wasn’t the Beatles that changed the world so much as the female contraceptive pill. 🤓 Hard to pin down what exactly killed stamp-collecting. Perhaps the video-game or the internet in general. And yet coin collecting continues from strength to strength, despite the imminent demise of physical currencies. 🫣
Over the past few years the stamps of some countries have varied hugely in value. Some, like Eastern Europe (former Soviet) and South America have barely moved or gone down. But a few countries, like Chinese stamps have skyrocketed (for the better stamps, not the common ones).
Good info! Though the subject of your video is “inherited postage stamps”, your suggestions and great advice can be applied by a family who has inherited any collection, whether it’s books, or victrolas, or dolls, etc.
Can I add a tip? If you have a ton of old letters or postcards, DO NOT try to remove the stamps! In all cases, they will be more valuable still on the envelopes (and by old I mean 1920's or earlier in the USA). One thing I see a lot of in people's collections - especially in California - is mail sent from China to the USA in the years immediately preceding WWII. Some of these can be VERY valuable, but far more so if they're still on the envelopes. If you're going to find something of serious value in a collection like the one in this vid, it will most likely be stuck to one of those old letters, and NOT in the albums - which will be full of pretty pedestrian stuff. You've done a great job with this channel. I've been collecting since the 1970 First Man on the Moon stamp when I was 7. Much respect from an old timer (even though I'm usually the youngest person at Westpex)!
Very good point. I get the impression that there are far fewer collectors these days and most of those who consider themselves ‘serious’ have moved on to collecting postmarks and used envelopes.
Truly you are possessed with a wisdom beyond your years, what we leave to posterity is often what was good in us and we leave it with the intention of passing that goodness on.
Yellow! Hiya *waves* The gift of our ancestors prayers have been made manifest . I am . Thank you for sharing clarity. "Love is the fragrance of the Soul"
@@crystal3009 The fragrance of a fire with wood from your woods, the cedar from a hope chest, a bakery in the city, the smell of the ocean or a farm as you get closer, the smell of an Elk bed, perfumes left on sweaters in the closet, the smell of a newborn baby or a box of puppies, an old leather baseball glove, these smells and scents are a conduit to the past and yes a part of our soul. Thank you Crystal and may all your fragrances be of love.
Thanks! My great-grandfather really loved collecting stamps and we have had his stamps for a while. I am only 14 but plan on going through it the eBay way:) The first day I looked at them, I thought I had an 1867 Washington "Z" grill... before I knew what a grill was. He has the citation stamp album and a separate united states album (including bunches of envelopes of loose stamps). I have been going through by country and found a few worth value so far. Thanks again for the video!
This is awesome I love your channel it’s getting me back into philately! I’ve collected stamps on and off since 1990. My grandma used to take me to the post off and get me a mint sheet of commemorative stamps.
Thank you Alex, I started just a few years later (around '94) and loved getting mint commemoratives from the post office, just like you I was on and off with collecting. Thanks for watching :)
@@josephpostma1787 you can't cancel money . Then that would ruin the trust in the American dollar. If it would just cancel after a hundred years where is the trust. They throw out obsolete money through inflation.
@@wertiaaudit5746 Yep, but are you saying used stamps are currency? I think that is like saying movie tickets are money, they are only good for one trip 'round. You used to be able to trade in stamps back in for cash aleast in Great Britain (UK, whatever you called those countries in a country).
Remember, British collectors, that our catalogues from Stanley Gibbons are also price lists from a business that sells stamps. Other countries' catalogues aren't. But I agree that a figure of 10% of catalogue value is nearer what you might expect when you sell.
I have inherited my Dad’s stamp collection. We got on but he was always closed off, I didn’t even know he used to be a stamp collector. It’s still early days but I’m wondering if I should finish his collection for him, he has so many loose stamps and a few albums with spaces. It sure really. But it’s been great to find this video. Going to refer back to it.
I inherited my stamp collection from my uncle and this video is tempting me to sort them out and create a good storage for it since they are just lying in envelopes!
Thanks for making this video I inherited my dads stamp collection it is a vast collection he collected for over 40yrs Mainly international stamps / high value stamps
~ Finished watching just now (don’t remember when I started it but it wasn’t at the very beginning; I didn’t know that YT keeps track of where you left off like the tv...haha) Love your ever-faithful “box buddy” on the shelf who is constantly giving you a smile of approval! :) Another great vid!!
Wow this was great. I loved collecting stamps as a kid in the 70’s. I remember finding abando’s in the woods and going straight for the stamps. I have no idea why I had this obsession lol, but I definitely had a lot of fun and found some interesting, and old stamps. I also read a few of the letters which was also quite interesting.
@@josephpostma1787do you collect stamps? I forgot about this video, and looked up stamp collecting once again. I collect coins, which is my main focus, but recently picked up a few stamps to go along with my Benjamin Franklin half dollar album. Do you know a good stamp dealer on eBay or where a good place to start would be?
Interesting video! I came here because of my father's stamp collection. He's in his mid-80s and has collected stamps all his life, since he was a child. In fact, he's been a bit obsessed, spending almost every penny on stamps from all over the world. He would write to post offices of about every country there is who would send him complete sets. He has tons of albums stored away, he's complaining that he is running out of space. Unfortunately my siblings and I are not interested in them, the whole topic has been one of contention, my mother often cursing him for spending all that money on those "goddamn stamps". He tries to show them to anybody and get them interested but most start running when they hear the word "stamps". He thinks they are a huge investment and got a bit upset when I told him that they're maybe worth 10 - 15% of what he paid for them. He insists they are worth a lot and I don't have the heart to confront him with reality. I respect that it's been his hobby all his life and don't want to disillusion him. I've asked him to create something of a catalog because we children don't know what to do with them when we inherit them, but he wasn't interested. It would be a big job. Getting them evaluated would cost a small fortune because of the sheer size of the collection. On the other hand giving them away to a dealer who makes an offer also seems wrong to me. It would be a shame to simply get rid of his life's work. But none of us want to keep them, which means they will go under the hammer some day.
Thank you for watching the video and for this comment. You are not alone in this dilemma, and I can completely relate. Unfortunately you are correct with what the value might be. My only suggestion or recommendation would be to see if your father can spend some time pulling his favorite and best (or most valuable) stamps together. If he could get a smaller selection of the important stamps, then perhaps those may be worth keeping and/or appraising, while the rest you could either sell or donate. Not an easy decision to make, but he may like the challenge of finding his best stamps to show and pass on to the next generation. :/
If he was buying expensive stamps, or stamps that not many collected, the value would be more... But just doing the math, and figuring out how many people make $$$ off of the hobby tells you that it's not a great investment. Usually the person selling the stamp will call it a great investment.... (radar up). I collect stamps, and have for 20 years, but I know what they're worth. They're worth more to me than to anyone else. And that is fine. If you want to know WHY I collect stamps, it's because every country has artists design their stamps, so that each one is a miniature piece of art. Some of the engraved stamps are just incredible works of art. It's a way to get great art, for a few cents.
This sounds like the type of collection that would be best disposed of via a stamp auction house. If you don't have the time or knowledge to separate out stamps of value, then the auction house will do that in return for a percentage of the sale valuer realised. They would normally separate valuable items or groups and describe and sell them individually, then sell any remainders as box lots.
If he knows values of his stamps, he must own some stamp catalogues or similar references. In addition, I don't understand if he collects stamps bc he loves it or bc he wants to invest. This will determine the future of the collection ! If this collection is made on purpose to make money, sell it but, on the contrary if the collection was made by passion, keep it !
The most disgusting thing you can do is to alter the collection , keeping it in its entirety is very important. I saw a valuable cover collection of early US stamps made considerably less valuable by removing the stamps from the covers and throwing the envelopes away. The lady who got the collection did not understand the importance of keeping these early issues on cover. Then there are people who throw parts of a collection in the trash thinking that it can't be worth much. I found a large box of Christmas seals thrown out in the trash bin. The collection went back to the early years of Christmas stamps. I kept it and expanded on it.
Very nice video. - Altho you lists alot of dealers and such, don't forget the power of facbook groups. There are general groups and more specialised groups. One of the groups I admin has it focus on German stamps and we get alot "Just inhertied this, What is this worth" typical it's a few Hindenburg and Hitler stamps and people expect it to be expensive stuff! - Often the term "The emotional value overweighs the money value" is the correct response - while sometimes, "Teach a man how to fish and he can feed himself", the online free catalogs like stampworld or colnet can help alot, but as you said in the video, catalogvalue and marked value are 2 different things.
Most of my stamps are from 1800's to 1930's. So they can't be used as a postage stamp today. I prefer colleting the older stamps they seem to be way more interesting. When I first got my stamp collection I had know clue the history and value behind them but happily I have learned so much. It is very time consuming but worth it.
Graham I am a hooked philatelist. I probably will do that all my life, and my stamps are not woth much. I'll give them when I cannot do this anymore. But great video. David
I was left a huge collection by my grandad as I always told him to get them valued for insurance purposes. Then he left them to me. Found a plate 77 penny red and almost chocked. At that moment I felt I had just won the lottery.Then I found it was a cardboard copy and was gutted but lol'd at what I felt was a practical joke from beyond. My collection has loads of reds and blacks. And I have a mint and used copy of every stamp. Plus a bag full of loose ones.
@John Stevens I need to know their value before I sell. I'd be worried about selling and not realising there is a now rare stamp withing the collection.
I have 2 albums full of stamps from early 80s. They are Polish. When John Paul II was visiting in Poland my mom who worked at the post office has 1st dibs on being able to get these stamps so she collected them for me, she has long passed away but I do have these stamps. I would love to sell them to someone who collect European stamps. None were used, they are not in any single casings but I have always used tweezers to touch them. I also have white envelopes and cards with a John Paul II stamp on them, I know she was sending them something to get that done and it was a limited edition so those were never used. I've always wondered what to do with them and never appraised them before or took them anywhere.
How’s it going, thank you for the useful and educational information. My father passed and left me his stamp collection that his father gave to him. It’s been in my family for 120+ years. I don’t know a whole lot about the collection but I have done some research and got a small portion of the collection appraised and insured. I won’t disclose the ammount but I was quite surprised. I have looked around the area I live in and haven’t had much luck. If your interested and you might be able to help me out or at least guide me into someone that specializes in stamps, I would definitely appreciate it
My grandpa was a stamp collector and he started a collection for me when I was a little boy and he gave me his collection before he died. My Mom is adamant that the collection is worth thousands and thousands of dollars and that it's a very serious investment. I had several different dealers look the collection over and 300 dollars was the highest offer I got. I put it back in storage.
Good info I have some good stamp collections including imperial German colonies but the information on them is so so Please do an episodes on on them Thanks Waiting anxiously
Thank you for posting this video. I just inherited my grandmothers stamp collection, which I didn't even know she did. I wasn't sure what to do with it but I think I'll explore creating some stamp art. I've enjoyed your other video's, they are very informative to a novice like me.
You are very welcome Karen, definitely explore stamp art, its a beautiful way to showcase the stamps and remember your grandmother by. Thanks for watching :)
I have about one full book full of stamps when I started in 2010 and now in 2020 and yes I am still doing it because they are super cool and fun to do and not knowing how much they worth and how special they are all these time now and then. 😎😎🥰🥰🥰🥰🍀🍀📔🤔🔖🍀🍀🥰🥰🥰🥰👱🏻♀️🍀🍀🍀🍀😅😅😀😀
Good video. I have collected stamps for a long time and, since my friends know this, I have been asked several times to look at collections. It's difficult since usually the collections are worth very little. Unless the person, or their relatives who did the collecting, were serious collectors the stamps are mostly low denominations that came off letters. Unless the collector made a serious effort to fill in the gaps very little value exists. There are sometimes exceptions - you might find a few stamps that by a total fluke are quite valuable - either errors, higher denominations, or maybe the collector just lucked into some valuable stamps. Usually serious collectors put their stamps in an album and try to fill gaps. Believe me, a valuable collection takes time and lots of money to accumulate. So if there is an album with few gaps there is usually good value. The more gaps, usually the less value. Stamp collecting is fun, but a lot of work - with all the variation between similar stamps it can take hours to identify a single stamp, the early US stamps are especially bad this way. Good luck and happy collecting!!!
another way is to contact other collectors , if they would consider buying or swapping to fill their collections. Even 1 or 2 stamps or a set would be welcome to fill a void.
Thanks mate! Good video, I just inherited stamps. Some of them a couple hundred years old, and there from all around the world. I need money but I don’t want to make a rash decision. I actually am interested in starting to collecting them instead of selling potentially. I need to get them organized and figure out how to collect them. I’ll check out your videos
Hi Bob, sounds like you have a fascinating collection. I am happy to hear that you are considering pursuing the hobby with your inheritance. As you learn about the stamps, you may find that some are awesome pieces to keep and own, some you could bundle and sell or even sell on their own, some could inspire you to look for others. It's all about how you decide to approach the hobby, and what interests you. You make the rules over your own collection. Thanks for watching :)
@@ExploringStamps So far it has been fun! I have 3 boxes of loose stamps and a box of stamp albums that i inherited and bought! I found a stamp from the year 1870 that is really cool!
here is a question: I received a few stamp albums that are orginized by country and date. They have little pictures of the stamps that the stamps go on. The albums are not full. I don't really like the albums themselves and the layout but so much work has already been put into them. Should i put them in albums i like?
That is a good question. Those albums were pretty popular at one point, and help to guide a collector to achieve a full collection while displaying the stamps in a simple layout. I myself don't like the layout, but its a personal choice. If the stamps will not be damaged when removing them, then it is completely okay to place them into a different album of your choice or showcase them another way. It is your collection, you get to make the rules and decisions on what to collect and how to store them. Enjoy!! :)
I've been collecting coins for over 12 years now. I've recently gotten into stamps for their use as postage as some dealers I buy from sell bulk lots at up to 50% off face value. So for every $1000 face, I pay $500. Saves me tons when I use them for my Ebay packages! There are some I've kept myself. But do love using them. Hoping someone takes a liking of them while on their way through the mail or once received
I collect coins, and have recently been interested in stamps. That’s a great idea, I think I may have to ask my lcs about purchasing some stamps to use for sending packages now. I just don’t know if he would give me any under face value unfortunately.
@@Kenlydford there's a shop in Traverse city i get them from and he does do some local shows in Royal oak etc. Next show will be Jan 14 and there are a few dealers that have them too
I collected stamps for many years. Just United States and United Nations. I have singles, plate blocks, first day covers, and some full sheets. As far as I know, they are probably not worth the effort of trying to appraise them. But at least the US stamps can still be used as postage. I have one stamp that I think is worth a lot ... compared to what it cost. It is a half-cent stamp. I have a full sheet of 100. 50 cents. I think it might be worth as much as $300 today. I'll probably try to find a museum or library that would keep the collection intact and not sell it.
I have a collection from my still-living father, who received some older stamp collections from relatives and did a lot of stamp collecting himself. He will turn 90 soon, and has run out of room and energy to persist in his hobby. I plan to keep the older family collections and those books already filled out. Making art from the more common and numerous stamps is also a plan. However, he has saved many unused American stamp themed pages, which he has said I could just sell for cost if I like. How would I do that, and where is the best place to start on that.
My advice would be a freezer small unplugged from the power supply using sealed tight plastic containers even getting a large freezer that does not work at all as long as you can use it as a Table and secure your items when you open the freezer I actually tested this out outside in weather conditions from snow ice pouring flood rain's of water and extreme heat as well just make sure it is nice and clean and all rubber seal of the freezer is intact
I have a stamp collector book circa 1976 that my former step brother collected and ended up in my stuff and trailing around with me since the 90s. It has cccp stamps, Canadian, Australian and some other stuff too. But im probably just gonna get rid of it.
To be realistic, for example, the collection as inherited is form in the video, where all the various types of binders are stored in two bins, the collection could possibly be sold by the pound. If there are are stamps that are worth something significant, the original stamp collector would have store them uniquely, and would have identified them. A collector would not have stored the valuable stamps with no identifications among the "thousands" of common stamps. By no means, that valuable gem stamps may exist among the bulk collection, but unless those valuable stamps are identify by someone, the entire collection of all the stamps would be considered just common collectible material.
Absolutely. If going the selling route, that would be one of the best approaches for doing so. And as we both mention, if they are not stored in any elaborate way, then its unlikely there are any valuable items included (not impossible...but not likely) Thanks - Graham
I'm not sure everyone does the same. Sure, I do know of people who isolate their valuable items and store them in a bank's safety deposit system. Personally, I store my collections in some logical order. My country collections are stored in albums in chronological order, not in order of value. My most valuable item is a $10,000 German New Guinea postcard from 1905. It lives next to less valuable items of the same time period. I try to set up my albums to tell a story, rather than show off any wealth.
You can find find good stamps in bulk/messy accumulation of stamps because previous owner could have no enough knowledge to tell the difference between a common stamp and a rarer variety (Watermarks, dies, luminescence...). Some ppl are way too lazy or lack of time to organize their collection (and search for varieties listed below) and as humans we tend to make errors. Even so called professionals !
I agree with a lot of the content, but that outlier collection that you are being asked to appraised, and you are floored with the value you see. Sort of like that one collection I appraised in Kansas (free of charge, was doing it for a friend of a neighbor), and was absolutely floored. Entire sheets of good stuff, like Washington Franklins, 4th Bureau series, Presidential series, oh man and lots of classic stuff, and used my UV lights to check for alterations...nope....the real McCoy as they call it...told the gal who inherited it along with the house and lots of acreage as well, that she could buy even more land and a brand new pickup...LOOL! Got a dealer contact in Chicago, and told him about that collection, and he flew in...she walked away with 6 digits....oh man...mercy...just a pain the you know what to sort everything out...took me days...still run into them via Facebook closed groups. Oh man...they post pics of them, and wonder what to do. But yes, most are of little value.
I recently found your channel and love your content! Could you make a video about fake stamps? I bought some off of eBay and I was wondering if there's a way to tell.
Thank you Abhijeet. I will definitely consider making that video. I myself would like to learn more about fakes and forgeries, which can be very collectible items as well. Thanks for the suggestion :)
I was surprised to see there are a few more valuable than .25cents used, or mint. Few and far between, but can base a collection around the time periods. And not try to collect every stamp. Collect the more interesting and well printed. There are stamp volumes that give estimated values, or computer programs. But with the programs be sure to read the details. Dont just look at the picture. The program i have, shows same picture for different colors, etc. Be careful read it all. I still get excited when i think about my stamp from Hungary that has a bit value. No overprint on the moon. Take care.
I'm just getting around to finally going thru my inherited stamps, this helps a lot thank you! I have found myself falling in love with stamps, and plan on keeping some to start my own collection. I have run into a problem tho... Wether or not I plan to keep a certain stamp, I very much like to learn about each one. However, I find this very difficult with certain countries that are not in English, or a Latin based language. How do you go about figuring out what country these stamps are from?? Advice?
So happy to hear that you are falling in love with stamps :D The challenge that you face is a fun one to overcome, some detective work needs to happen. The first tool to use is Google, you would be surprised as to how often I figure out a stamp's origin based on typing in descriptive words including the imagery, currency or value... whatever is available. If you have a hunch as to the country and maybe time period, use a site called colnect.com you can see every stamp issued by year/country. When I come across stamps with the cyrillic text for example, I look for a cyrillic keyboard online and construct the words out, then i copy and paste that into an online translator such as Google translate. At the end of the day, the detective work adds to the philatelic experience and you will probably find it enjoyable.
@@ExploringStamps Very true...now that google exists. I started my stamp collection at the age of 8 in 1972. It was detective work, as mentionned earlier, but withouth the internet. David Barban
Oh boy...I'm in trouble. I inherited my grandmother's stamp collection when I was 9 yrs old. Nothing documented among the stamps. Since she died suddenly, her stuff was just divided among family randomly. A few stamps were sorted. A bag of stamps marked "valuable". I tried to add to it and learned a few things about stamps, but I never really got into it and I was a kid. I forgot all about them until yesterday. I'm nearly 38 now and this collection is too overwhelming to sort through. I don't handle overwhelming too well. *deep sigh*
Hello, any thoughts on whether to leave hinged stamps hinged onto the paper they are attached vs. removing them? Secondly, I have a great deal of stamps in sets of 4, do you have any suggestions on the best way to display these in a three ring binder?
Hello Mark, good questions. The first answer (in my opinion) depends on what you plan on doing with these stamps. If you are just looking to sell them and move on, then it may be better to keep them on the pages and approach a dealer or sell as a lot online. If you plan on reorganizing and enjoying the collection for yourself, then it is of course entirely up to you but probably better to separate the stamps and have them removed from the pages. The second question about a block of stamps, personally I like to keep my stamps in stockbook pages which can be purchased for your binder, they come with a variety of pocket sizes, as an example look up Vario pages by 'Lighthouse' www.lighthouse.us/vario-stock-pages.html I hope this helps.
Exploring Stamps: Thank you. With regard to the hinging, do I lessen or increase the value by removing the hinge? I guess I don’t quite understand why hinging lessens value. Thanks for your time. mp
Hinging damages the stamp, especially mint stamps with the adhesive gum. Removing the hinge does put the stamp in a better position for sale. If the stamp is used and has no gum then there is usually minimal damage and effect to the value, if it’s mint however then be careful removing the hinge as the value of the stamp decreases with damage. 🙂
bought a stamp collection folder with stamps from late 1800 to up to 1930 . Watching your videos I came to conclusion that some can be very valuable as I do have some from "dead countries" as Nyassa and Danzig ... Interested to sell it as I think it could have big value in the U S A collection since 1856 up to 1929 . I think I could use some help and advice . Could you please help?
thank you so much . i am 13 years old i love stamp collecting . i started stamp collecting at the of 7 and now i have i have 2300 stamps . and i am selling them to like exchanging . i give a stamp they give me stamp . i even have the very first canada stamp.
A tip on using uncancelled stamps for postage: If the stamp is pretty old, then someone else may want that stamp off your envelope before it gets to it's destination. My brother had 2 letters returned because of this...sticky fingered postal employees. So he covered the stamps with tape. He also got the letter back. It seems the machine can't read the florescence of the ink covered with tape. So he started taping the bottom half of the stamp and they got through. I have been doing this for years and have yet to have a stamp stolen from the envelope or not go through.
I have been given a collection from my uncle, six huge boxes. The stamps are frome all over the world but mainly Canada and USA. The problem is they are placed loose in envelopes.Ex: I have 50+ 2 cent George Washington and so forth. I know little about stamps, but your videos have helped me sort them a bit. I put what I think is good in a book, but what to do with the rest of them?
I was once told by a picker that it is important to know the difference between a stamp collection and a stamp accumulation.
Vital! my boyhood collection has degenerated to accumulation levels. Given I am a truck driver so am gone for a week at a time I realise it's likely gonna have to wait until I retire to make any sort of headway at organising The Hoard. Every time I go home for a vacation and bring stock I am amazed at how large the accumulation portion really is... I know for a fact I'll be in for many years of happy rediscovery when it happens!
Ahh, retirement. 😁
Actually simple.Which countries do you have in maximum?This matters a lot.
I only have 3000 -ish stamps that fit into one album, but it comes from 280 different countries.
Yes I count different government that issue the stamps from same country as different countries LOL, ie: Yemen, North Yemen, South Yemen, Upper Yaffa (they are all from Yemen but I counted them as 4 countries); or People's Republic of China, Republic of China (1912-1949), Taiwan, Manchukuo, Hong Kong, Macau as 6 differrent countries tho they are all now China.
What I'm trully collecting is to get stamp(s) from different countries at least one. So, many of my stamps is only one from its country lol.
Currently I'm lacking of stamps from Macedonia, South Sudan, and unrecognized countries like Abkhazia or Transnistria.
Btw hi I'm amateur stamp collector from Indonesia 🇮🇩 (ironically the most stamps I have is from Japan lol)
As kids most were stamp accumulators 😊
@@anggitaputri3123 : I was given the H.E. Harris "Citation" Stamp Album at Christmas 1967. I stopped actively collecting in '73. I have the album, and it has 6,000 stamps. All painstakingly and lovingly mounted with stamp hinges. My MNH are in Hawid mounts. But, sadly 😥 no one cares about stamps anymore.
It was the world's most popular hobby from about 1880 to 1970.
It was described as:
"The King of hobbies, and, the hobby of Kings". This superlative was bourne out by the fact that His Majesty King George V was a very avid collector all his life. The collection is at Windsor Castle and it is deemed to be the most valuable stamp collection in the 🌎 🗺 🌏 world.
I inherited my collection from my Grandfather 3+ years ago. I never had the heart to sell it, but have slowly gotten into philately and really began to enjoy it thanks to your videos. I am also really tempted to make some stamp art with the duplicates. Thanks!
I am very happy to hear that you are enjoying philately as your Grandfather did :) Stamp art is a great way to put those duplicates on display and remember your Grandfather by.
Great advice exploring stamps my collection i inherited from my great grandfather's stamp collection is worth in the £100s of thousands of pounds but to me they are priceless to me because of theyre connection with the family! I am going to pass these on to my chidren when i go and hope they appreciate them as much as i do but once i go i wont care what tbey do with tnem as i wont be around cheers regards stewy Sheffield LONDON England 😀
@@stuarthudson3885 best of luck with it, as it seems to be a rare hobby anymore.
I have several collections of stamps that can be purchased. who can i sell it to
@@stuarthudson3885 I have several collections of stamps that can be purchased. who can i sell it to
Everyone should be so lucky to inherit a stamp horde such as the one featured to get started!
Agreed! It gives you a tremendous starting point to first explore and sort, plenty of enjoyment for a beginner or even the seasoned philatelist.
I've just been viewing a number of philatelic videos on YouYube. Mostly they seem to be produced by people just to make a random video on a topic that they know nothing about. So much misinformation.
I've lost count of the number of viewers who have been convinced that their old green stamp must be an original Ben Franklin worth $600,000.
I have also watched a few of your videos now, and find it refreshing to see someone who does the research, tells the truth, and promotes interest without giving people false hope.
Keep up the good work.
Incidentally, I am a philatelic writer for an Australian national stamp magazine, writing mostly about stamps and postal history of Greater New Guinea.
Thank you Hans that means a lot. Part of the reason for making these videos was to put some better philatelic content out there on TH-cam ... I was discouraged by the misinformation as well when searching for videos. Glad you like the channel 😀
You've right ! A lot of ppl are like this (often seen in garage sales btw) "It's old so it must be valuable !" but they are common stamps Or "I have a lot of stamps" to mean they own only 100 stamps ! The most ambiguous phrase is "i don't know the value". So there are two solutions : the price is way more expensive or the price is sometimes ridiculous (€0,10 for stamps with high catalogue value).
@robin56rf78 I got mine in the 80s but the catalogs that came with it were from the 70s. Probably not worth much, right?
I got a big, mostly unsorted, stamp collection from my mom's friend. Her father collected them, and none of her children were interested. She was happy to know the collection went to someone who cared.
Oh absolutely, I would also be happy knowing the stamps went to someone who cares. Glad they found a new and caring home :)
Mine are in a box, my father passed 17 years ago. I look at the box every few years and then put it away. I am now excited to go through and organize them ♥
My father is in a box, but I do have my late brother's stamp album and although there is not much value in the collection, the album is priceless to me.
I'm not sure if TH-cam has read my mind or something but this is EXACTLY the video I needed to pop in my recommended feed. Thanks for the info
Very interesting video. I am a philatelist since 1972 (age 8). I started in Paris (25 albums), L.A.: 20 albums and now, only 29 albums here, in my apartment in Israel. I didn't inherit my stamp collection, I started it with my mother when I was a child. Today, I only have 29 albums in my final apartment. I hope to get more stamps. I love philately. I keep on doing it and probably will until I cannot anymore. Thanks for your videos. David
Hi David, wow you are a loyal and dedicated philatelist! I love that you have taken your collection with you over the years. Its hard work building and maintaining such an extensive collection, so well done! Thanks for watching in Israel!
First of all, thank you for answering. I keep on watching youtube, and especially you, because, you "make this hobby fun". Don't get me wrong: I don't need videos on philately to push my enthusiasm, but if somebody does, your videos are very interesting. Until later. . I'll be looking for other of your videos....and let's keep this hobby alive. Until next time, David Barban
Very good David I have been collecting stamps since I was 8yrs old Also and have an extensive inherited Australian State stamps From my Late Grandfather and a Full set of Extremely Rare Mint Kangaroos I have added to it over the years and will be a collector till I Die like my Grandfather and his Father before him they were Dedicated Collectors and want to keep up the family Tradition in honour of my Family members I will leave them to my kids,Nieces and I h ope they value them as much as I do!!! They may sell them but I won't care when I'm Dead Lol!!!! Whenever I make a new purchase I always keep Receits and Have a written up To Date approximate Catalouge Value of my collection so that my family knows what it's approximately worth? As if stored on a computer this can be wiped,lost? I hope this helps cheers regards from stewy Hudson and family Dalby Queensland Australia
@Mary Jane I have enough stamps and albums of stamps. I don't have the room for more, but thanks.
I really appreciate the solid advice you give. It's always straight forward, & honest. When we inherit stamp collections, I discovered that I had to become a great deal more knowledgable about stamps and their history to just scratch the surface. After getting a stereoscope and some software, I quickly realized that I probably won't find anything super valuable in the collection. I have yet to positively identify every stamp yet, but it keeps me coming back to it on rainy days. Many of them are so similar that it's almost impossible to tell them apart from each other.. making them difficult to even think about trying to sell them. (presidential stamps )
Thank you Mark. You are so right! A significant level of commitment and effort is required to learn about the inherited collection and properly identify any value, it sounds like you are doing a good job. Taking your time and saving it for rainy days makes it so much more enjoyable :)
Funny I come across your video I inherited three large books of stamps. The stamps were my grandfather's and my uncles My grandfather was an electronic technician for NASA and traveled the world with the military in my uncle started the collection while he was in a boarding school in Scotland.
And the journey begins...thanks for the start.
Full of great advice! In the US, members of the American Philatelic Association can obtain estate stickers to place in their albums or on boxes and bins with information on contacting the APS for assistance with inherited collections. Their site mirrors most of what is here, but not in nearly as an entertaining manner.
Excellent video ! That is much better from what I say to most people phoning to me asking for me to purchase their collection. I am specialised in Space stamps and covers, so from now on I will give them a checklist using your advice, this is much more enjoyable, enthusiastic and relax. There are a lot of used stamps collection around ...
I am a full time picker, I have 3 different stamp collections. I do books and music to make a living. The last stamp find I got over 12 Lbs of stamps mostly from the 1890s-1840s.. they are all divided up in tiny wax paper envelopes there is also three books of worldwide stamps from the same age. Pretty interesting stuff
Post office opened in 1847 sooooyou have grilled stamps
@Michael Lange The penny black came out in 1840 and you can classify pre-stamps into certain collections as well.
@@TLabsLLC-AI-Developmenthow much is the penny black worth now, do you know?
Super! my favorite hobby love it I get chills when I see stamp albums. Like a kid in the candy store. Thank you for educating us.
I went to a house in Tasmania and collected a 75 litre container full of stamps from all over the globe. The China
virus had broken out and I spent month's sorting out the stamps. This raised my
interest about stamps and especially at that stage Aussie stamps. My intellectual capacity to obsolve the history of stamps was limited, but I read and realised that too many stamp collector's in their deliberations of stamp collecting, made the subject boring and too dogmatic . Through your website my wife and I have taken great delight at the humour, knowledge , and simplistic way you present your stamp programs.
We sincerely thank you for this, and we now aspire to many aspects you have delightfully displayed in order to make our hobby more interesting.
Nota bene ; Could you please do a segment about Artists who have painted or designed
their work specifically for stamps at the behest of
Philately organisations or postal authorities.
In Australia I have just begun counting and collating how many artists works are depicted on the Aussie stamps since Federation . Not finished, but do far over 120. This includes children. Thanks sincerely. Your a " rummin " ( Tassie saying for
good bloke )
The foremost stamp designer/engraver is probably Czeslaw Slania -- see primarily Sweden, where he was the official royal crown engraver (also of Monaco and Poland) including of paper currency.
He is often quite witty, and a lovely delicacy.
Do a Google search on his name.
I really appreciate this video. I have a collection my grandma started for me in the 1980's and because she was a postmaster, I always just assumed it was full of great stuff. Thing is, having been knocking around in various closets for 35 years even the full plates and plate blocks have gone down in condition. Literally none of my stamps are postmarked except the FDC envelopes which also suffer from storage conditions. It hurts a little but it's good to know they are not worth what I think they should be worth.
Wonderful presentation. Simply illuminating! With the unfortunate death of P-22, LA's beloved mountain lion, the subject of postage stamps is all over the news. Several congressmen have recommended that the US Post Office issue a postage stamp to honor him. I'm all for it. It may even generate increased interest in philately. And the preservation of mountain lions.
I met you in "Conversation with Philatelists". Great video! A very honest view of what collections are worth for stamp dealers. And it is entertaining! Great job! Congratulations!
Gave up stamp collecting in my mid teens but it was a fascinating hobby - taught me so much about the countries of the world, and their history, especially of the British empire and its many colonies. Still have all my albums and also my dad’s albums though haven’t looked at them in decades. Sadly, I doubt that I’ll be able to get my girls interested in stamps - but will give it a try, if only for the educational value.
I have learned all that thanks to my foreign coin collection, I will be checking out this other hobby of kings.
@@josephpostma1787 - Coins are wonderful, true history in your hand; but stamps are so much easier to interpret especially for the young. What’s more stamps are so much cheaper - essentially free if you take them from your received mail!
@@sirrathersplendid4825 Yeah, plus they are lighter, takes up less room, but you can't manhandle stamps like you can with coins, they also won't be worth less than melt, but you have some real good savings up front when it comes to postage stamps.
I began collecting at 8-years-old and continued through junior high -- then "The Beatles" changed the world.
Returned to it in the 1970s during a prolonged period of illness and stress. US poetess Emily Dickinson wrote that "Books take one world's away". Stamp collecting does that -- and with pictures. Each stamp is a window into the culture that produced it. And there is history behind every one.
I wholly recommend it, even if only dealing with stress -- it is a break from worry.
@@jnagarya519- Wasn’t the Beatles that changed the world so much as the female contraceptive pill. 🤓
Hard to pin down what exactly killed stamp-collecting. Perhaps the video-game or the internet in general.
And yet coin collecting continues from strength to strength, despite the imminent demise of physical currencies. 🫣
Over the past few years the stamps of some countries have varied hugely in value. Some, like Eastern Europe (former Soviet) and South America have barely moved or gone down. But a few countries, like Chinese stamps have skyrocketed (for the better stamps, not the common ones).
Can you tell me more which ones went up and which ones went down? Please
Good info! Though the subject of your video is “inherited postage stamps”, your suggestions and great advice can be applied by a family who has inherited any collection, whether it’s books, or victrolas, or dolls, etc.
This is such a great video to send people - I've just sent another link this morning to someone enquiring about an uncle's album. Thank you, Graham.
Thank you Suzanne! That is exactly why I made the video, glad to hear that it's helping.
Can I add a tip?
If you have a ton of old letters or postcards, DO NOT try to remove the stamps! In all cases, they will be more valuable still on the envelopes (and by old I mean 1920's or earlier in the USA).
One thing I see a lot of in people's collections - especially in California - is mail sent from China to the USA in the years immediately preceding WWII. Some of these can be VERY valuable, but far more so if they're still on the envelopes.
If you're going to find something of serious value in a collection like the one in this vid, it will most likely be stuck to one of those old letters, and NOT in the albums - which will be full of pretty pedestrian stuff.
You've done a great job with this channel. I've been collecting since the 1970 First Man on the Moon stamp when I was 7. Much respect from an old timer (even though I'm usually the youngest person at Westpex)!
Very good point. I get the impression that there are far fewer collectors these days and most of those who consider themselves ‘serious’ have moved on to collecting postmarks and used envelopes.
Truly you are possessed with a wisdom beyond your years, what we leave to posterity is often what was good in us and we leave it with the intention of passing that goodness on.
Yellow! Hiya *waves*
The gift of our ancestors prayers have been made manifest . I am .
Thank you for sharing clarity.
"Love is the fragrance of the Soul"
@@crystal3009 The fragrance of a fire with wood from your woods, the cedar from a hope chest, a bakery in the city, the smell of the ocean or a farm as you get closer, the smell of an Elk bed, perfumes left on sweaters in the closet, the smell of a newborn baby or a box of puppies, an old leather baseball glove, these smells and scents are a conduit to the past and yes a part of our soul. Thank you Crystal and may all your fragrances be of love.
Thanks! My great-grandfather really loved collecting stamps and we have had his stamps for a while. I am only 14 but plan on going through it the eBay way:) The first day I looked at them, I thought I had an 1867 Washington "Z" grill... before I knew what a grill was. He has the citation stamp album and a separate united states album (including bunches of envelopes of loose stamps). I have been going through by country and found a few worth value so far. Thanks again for the video!
Lol relateable
This is awesome I love your channel it’s getting me back into philately! I’ve collected stamps on and off since 1990. My grandma used to take me to the post off and get me a mint sheet of commemorative stamps.
Thank you Alex, I started just a few years later (around '94) and loved getting mint commemoratives from the post office, just like you I was on and off with collecting. Thanks for watching :)
Great video! Thank you. I have looked at many videos and articles. Yours is the most informative, professionally.
Ive got about 1,000 stamps, most were inherited in the 80s. They're just sitting around in a few books and shoe boxes. Helpful vid cheers
Use them
@@wertiaaudit5746 For postage? Most of them, I'd think are canceled and unusable.
@@josephpostma1787 you can't cancel money . Then that would ruin the trust in the American dollar. If it would just cancel after a hundred years where is the trust. They throw out obsolete money through inflation.
@@wertiaaudit5746 Yep, but are you saying used stamps are currency? I think that is like saying movie tickets are money, they are only good for one trip 'round.
You used to be able to trade in stamps back in for cash aleast in Great Britain (UK, whatever you called those countries in a country).
@@josephpostma1787 I don't answer questions and invoke my fifth amendment privilege
Remember, British collectors, that our catalogues from Stanley Gibbons are also price lists from a business that sells stamps. Other countries' catalogues aren't. But I agree that a figure of 10% of catalogue value is nearer what you might expect when you sell.
I have inherited my Dad’s stamp collection. We got on but he was always closed off, I didn’t even know he used to be a stamp collector. It’s still early days but I’m wondering if I should finish his collection for him, he has so many loose stamps and a few albums with spaces. It sure really. But it’s been great to find this video. Going to refer back to it.
I inherited my stamp collection from my uncle and this video is tempting me to sort them out and create a good storage for it since they are just lying in envelopes!
oh so valuable, I also have a hobby of collecting stamps since childhood, and I also have my own collection, thank you
Thanks for making this video
I inherited my dads stamp collection it is a vast collection he collected for over 40yrs
Mainly international stamps / high value stamps
Been a collector since 1950 very entertaining
Awesome, thanks for watching Alan :)
I tried collecting stamps. I got bored of it.
~ Finished watching just now (don’t remember when I started it but it wasn’t at the very beginning; I didn’t know that YT keeps track of where you left off like the tv...haha) Love your ever-faithful “box buddy” on the shelf who is constantly giving you a smile of approval! :) Another great vid!!
Haha thank you! Since you pointed out the smiling box, other viewers have occasionally mentioned it. "box buddy" is the star of the show :D
Wow this was great. I loved collecting stamps as a kid in the 70’s. I remember finding abando’s in the woods and going straight for the stamps. I have no idea why I had this obsession lol, but I definitely had a lot of fun and found some interesting, and old stamps. I also read a few of the letters which was also quite interesting.
I am not sure of that you mean by "abando’s".
@@josephpostma1787 lol my bad, abandoned homes
@@Kenlydford That definitely fills in a real big hole in the story!
@@josephpostma1787 yea, it does. I forgot about this post. I’m out in Detroit where it’s a fairly common term.
@@josephpostma1787do you collect stamps? I forgot about this video, and looked up stamp collecting once again. I collect coins, which is my main focus, but recently picked up a few stamps to go along with my Benjamin Franklin half dollar album. Do you know a good stamp dealer on eBay or where a good place to start would be?
Thanks sweetie I just inherited a fantastic group of stamps and I am so blessed and I appreciate your video God bless you
Interesting video!
I came here because of my father's stamp collection. He's in his mid-80s and has collected stamps all his life, since he was a child. In fact, he's been a bit obsessed, spending almost every penny on stamps from all over the world. He would write to post offices of about every country there is who would send him complete sets. He has tons of albums stored away, he's complaining that he is running out of space.
Unfortunately my siblings and I are not interested in them, the whole topic has been one of contention, my mother often cursing him for spending all that money on those "goddamn stamps". He tries to show them to anybody and get them interested but most start running when they hear the word "stamps".
He thinks they are a huge investment and got a bit upset when I told him that they're maybe worth 10 - 15% of what he paid for them. He insists they are worth a lot and I don't have the heart to confront him with reality. I respect that it's been his hobby all his life and don't want to disillusion him. I've asked him to create something of a catalog because we children don't know what to do with them when we inherit them, but he wasn't interested. It would be a big job. Getting them evaluated would cost a small fortune because of the sheer size of the collection. On the other hand giving them away to a dealer who makes an offer also seems wrong to me. It would be a shame to simply get rid of his life's work. But none of us want to keep them, which means they will go under the hammer some day.
Thank you for watching the video and for this comment. You are not alone in this dilemma, and I can completely relate. Unfortunately you are correct with what the value might be. My only suggestion or recommendation would be to see if your father can spend some time pulling his favorite and best (or most valuable) stamps together. If he could get a smaller selection of the important stamps, then perhaps those may be worth keeping and/or appraising, while the rest you could either sell or donate. Not an easy decision to make, but he may like the challenge of finding his best stamps to show and pass on to the next generation. :/
If he was buying expensive stamps, or stamps that not many collected, the value would be more... But just doing the math, and figuring out how many people make $$$ off of the hobby tells you that it's not a great investment. Usually the person selling the stamp will call it a great investment.... (radar up).
I collect stamps, and have for 20 years, but I know what they're worth. They're worth more to me than to anyone else. And that is fine.
If you want to know WHY I collect stamps, it's because every country has artists design their stamps, so that each one is a miniature piece of art. Some of the engraved stamps are just incredible works of art. It's a way to get great art, for a few cents.
This sounds like the type of collection that would be best disposed of via a stamp auction house. If you don't have the time or knowledge to separate out stamps of value, then the auction house will do that in return for a percentage of the sale valuer realised.
They would normally separate valuable items or groups and describe and sell them individually, then sell any remainders as box lots.
If he knows values of his stamps, he must own some stamp catalogues or similar references. In addition, I don't understand if he collects stamps bc he loves it or bc he wants to invest. This will determine the future of the collection ! If this collection is made on purpose to make money, sell it but, on the contrary if the collection was made by passion, keep it !
The most disgusting thing you can do is to alter the collection , keeping it in its entirety is very important. I saw a valuable cover collection of early US stamps made considerably less valuable by removing the stamps from the covers and throwing the envelopes away. The lady who got the collection did not understand the importance of keeping these early issues on cover. Then there are people who throw parts of a collection in the trash thinking that it can't be worth much. I found a large box of Christmas seals thrown out in the trash bin. The collection went back to the early years of Christmas stamps. I kept it and expanded on it.
I posted this video in a Facebook stamp collectors Group. THEY ALL LOVE IT. ;)
Excellent, glad they liked it 😀
Very nice video. - Altho you lists alot of dealers and such, don't forget the power of facbook groups. There are general groups and more specialised groups.
One of the groups I admin has it focus on German stamps and we get alot "Just inhertied this, What is this worth" typical it's a few Hindenburg and Hitler stamps and people expect it to be expensive stuff! - Often the term "The emotional value overweighs the money value" is the correct response - while sometimes, "Teach a man how to fish and he can feed himself", the online free catalogs like stampworld or colnet can help alot, but as you said in the video, catalogvalue and marked value are 2 different things.
Most of my stamps are from 1800's to 1930's. So they can't be used as a postage stamp today. I prefer colleting the older stamps they seem to be way more interesting. When I first got my stamp collection I had know clue the history and value behind them but happily I have learned so much. It is very time consuming but worth it.
I have pressed the bell icon for only 2 channels and this is the first one. Great video thank you.
Wow I am honored! thank you very much for watching and pressing that bell icon :D
Graham I am a hooked philatelist. I probably will do that all my life, and my stamps are not woth much. I'll give them when I cannot do this anymore. But great video. David
U can give it to me 😁
I was left a huge collection by my grandad as I always told him to get them valued for insurance purposes. Then he left them to me. Found a plate 77 penny red and almost chocked. At that moment I felt I had just won the lottery.Then I found it was a cardboard copy and was gutted but lol'd at what I felt was a practical joke from beyond. My collection has loads of reds and blacks. And I have a mint and used copy of every stamp. Plus a bag full of loose ones.
@John Stevens I need to know their value before I sell. I'd be worried about selling and not realising there is a now rare stamp withing the collection.
I have 2 albums full of stamps from early 80s. They are Polish. When John Paul II was visiting in Poland my mom who worked at the post office has 1st dibs on being able to get these stamps so she collected them for me, she has long passed away but I do have these stamps. I would love to sell them to someone who collect European stamps. None were used, they are not in any single casings but I have always used tweezers to touch them. I also have white envelopes and cards with a John Paul II stamp on them, I know she was sending them something to get that done and it was a limited edition so those were never used. I've always wondered what to do with them and never appraised them before or took them anywhere.
Excellent as always Graham! Thanks and please keep them coming!!!!!
Thanks Dennis, glad you liked it. :)
How’s it going, thank you for the useful and educational information. My father passed and left me his stamp collection that his father gave to him. It’s been in my family for 120+ years. I don’t know a whole lot about the collection but I have done some research and got a small portion of the collection appraised and insured. I won’t disclose the ammount but I was quite surprised. I have looked around the area I live in and haven’t had much luck. If your interested and you might be able to help me out or at least guide me into someone that specializes in stamps, I would definitely appreciate it
Be sure to insure it separately. Most homeowners insurance limit total loss claims on collectibles.
Ohhh a new video from Graham!!! Thanks!!!
Thanks for watching as always Alex :)
My grandpa was a stamp collector and he started a collection for me when I was a little boy and he gave me his collection before he died.
My Mom is adamant that the collection is worth thousands and thousands of dollars and that it's a very serious investment.
I had several different dealers look the collection over and 300 dollars was the highest offer I got.
I put it back in storage.
Pretty good advice I really enjoy watching your TH-cam channel of stamp collection
Thank you for the solid, full explanation.
Good info
I have some good stamp collections including imperial German colonies but the information on them is so so
Please do an episodes on on them
Thanks
Waiting anxiously
Thank you for posting this video. I just inherited my grandmothers stamp collection, which I didn't even know she did. I wasn't sure what to do with it but I think I'll explore creating some stamp art. I've enjoyed your other video's, they are very informative to a novice like me.
You are very welcome Karen, definitely explore stamp art, its a beautiful way to showcase the stamps and remember your grandmother by. Thanks for watching :)
I have about one full book full of stamps when I started in 2010 and now in 2020 and yes I am still doing it because they are super cool and fun to do and not knowing how much they worth and how special they are all these time now and then.
😎😎🥰🥰🥰🥰🍀🍀📔🤔🔖🍀🍀🥰🥰🥰🥰👱🏻♀️🍀🍀🍀🍀😅😅😀😀
Good video. I have collected stamps for a long time and, since my friends know this, I have been asked several times to look at collections. It's difficult since usually the collections are worth very little. Unless the person, or their relatives who did the collecting, were serious collectors the stamps are mostly low denominations that came off letters. Unless the collector made a serious effort to fill in the gaps very little value exists. There are sometimes exceptions - you might find a few stamps that by a total fluke are quite valuable - either errors, higher denominations, or maybe the collector just lucked into some valuable stamps. Usually serious collectors put their stamps in an album and try to fill gaps. Believe me, a valuable collection takes time and lots of money to accumulate. So if there is an album with few gaps there is usually good value. The more gaps, usually the less value. Stamp collecting is fun, but a lot of work - with all the variation between similar stamps it can take hours to identify a single stamp, the early US stamps are especially bad this way. Good luck and happy collecting!!!
I know... it's hard to look them in the eye and tell them their impressive looking collections are worth nothing. :(
What do you mean by “gaps”? Philately is new to me.
another way is to contact other collectors , if they would consider buying or swapping to fill their collections. Even 1 or 2 stamps or a set would be welcome to fill a void.
Thanks mate! Good video, I just inherited stamps. Some of them a couple hundred years old, and there from all around the world. I need money but I don’t want to make a rash decision. I actually am interested in starting to collecting them instead of selling potentially. I need to get them organized and figure out how to collect them. I’ll check out your videos
Hi Bob, sounds like you have a fascinating collection. I am happy to hear that you are considering pursuing the hobby with your inheritance. As you learn about the stamps, you may find that some are awesome pieces to keep and own, some you could bundle and sell or even sell on their own, some could inspire you to look for others. It's all about how you decide to approach the hobby, and what interests you. You make the rules over your own collection. Thanks for watching :)
Exploring Stamps g
I just got a inherited a big stamp collection! This was really helpful. I will collect stamps! I subbed!
Glad the video helped, welcome to philately 😃!
@@ExploringStamps So far it has been fun! I have 3 boxes of loose stamps and a box of stamp albums that i inherited and bought! I found a stamp from the year 1870 that is really cool!
here is a question: I received a few stamp albums that are orginized by country and date. They have little pictures of the stamps that the stamps go on. The albums are not full. I don't really like the albums themselves and the layout but so much work has already been put into them. Should i put them in albums i like?
That is a good question. Those albums were pretty popular at one point, and help to guide a collector to achieve a full collection while displaying the stamps in a simple layout. I myself don't like the layout, but its a personal choice. If the stamps will not be damaged when removing them, then it is completely okay to place them into a different album of your choice or showcase them another way. It is your collection, you get to make the rules and decisions on what to collect and how to store them. Enjoy!! :)
@@ExploringStamps Thanks! Hear is another question: what album is the best for stamps with a sticky backside? They stick to paper so i am not sure.
I've been collecting coins for over 12 years now. I've recently gotten into stamps for their use as postage as some dealers I buy from sell bulk lots at up to 50% off face value. So for every $1000 face, I pay $500. Saves me tons when I use them for my Ebay packages! There are some I've kept myself. But do love using them. Hoping someone takes a liking of them while on their way through the mail or once received
I collect coins, and have recently been interested in stamps. That’s a great idea, I think I may have to ask my lcs about purchasing some stamps to use for sending packages now. I just don’t know if he would give me any under face value unfortunately.
@@Kenlydford there's a shop in Traverse city i get them from and he does do some local shows in Royal oak etc. Next show will be Jan 14 and there are a few dealers that have them too
@@keywellcoinsmafiametals8726 good to know. I was at a show in Lansing a couple of months ago but I didn’t think to ask. Thanks.
I collected stamps for many years. Just United States and United Nations. I have singles, plate blocks, first day covers, and some full sheets. As far as I know, they are probably not worth the effort of trying to appraise them. But at least the US stamps can still be used as postage. I have one stamp that I think is worth a lot ... compared to what it cost. It is a half-cent stamp. I have a full sheet of 100. 50 cents. I think it might be worth as much as $300 today. I'll probably try to find a museum or library that would keep the collection intact and not sell it.
I have a collection from my still-living father, who received some older stamp collections from relatives and did a lot of stamp collecting himself. He will turn 90 soon, and has run out of room and energy to persist in his hobby. I plan to keep the older family collections and those books already filled out. Making art from the more common and numerous stamps is also a plan. However, he has saved many unused American stamp themed pages, which he has said I could just sell for cost if I like. How would I do that, and where is the best place to start on that.
My advice would be a freezer small unplugged from the power supply using sealed tight plastic containers even getting a large freezer that does not work at all as long as you can use it as a Table and secure your items when you open the freezer I actually tested this out outside in weather conditions from snow ice pouring flood rain's of water and extreme heat as well just make sure it is nice and clean and all rubber seal of the freezer is intact
OMG that's exactly what my collection looks like!
Mine too 😂
Read a suggestion, for uncancelled US stamps after 1960 or so, just use them for sending mail.
Great video opened my eyes Iam great full I have the stamps but still need to sell them I do find them fascinated Glenn from great Britain thnx
Great and thankyou for the explanation of catalogue values.
I WISH you made videos more regularly
Me too! I would love to make weekly videos, I just got to win the lottery so that I dont have to go my regular job ;) Thanks for watching!
I have a stamp collector book circa 1976 that my former step brother collected and ended up in my stuff and trailing around with me since the 90s. It has cccp stamps, Canadian, Australian and some other stuff too. But im probably just gonna get rid of it.
Last Year, I Became 14 And Inherited A Stamp Collection From My Father.
The Date Of The Collection Was Around The 80s.
Awesome!! Enjoy exploring the collection. 😊
@@ExploringStamps Thank You So Much For Responding To My Comment.😀
Another excellent episode
Very useful advice thankyou 👍
To be realistic, for example, the collection as inherited is form in the video, where all the various types of binders are stored in two bins, the collection could possibly be sold by the pound. If there are are stamps that are worth something significant, the original stamp collector would have store them uniquely, and would have identified them. A collector would not have stored the valuable stamps with no identifications among the "thousands" of common stamps. By no means, that valuable gem stamps may exist among the bulk collection, but unless those valuable stamps are identify by someone, the entire collection of all the stamps would be considered just common collectible material.
Absolutely. If going the selling route, that would be one of the best approaches for doing so. And as we both mention, if they are not stored in any elaborate way, then its unlikely there are any valuable items included (not impossible...but not likely) Thanks - Graham
I'm not sure everyone does the same. Sure, I do know of people who isolate their valuable items and store them in a bank's safety deposit system.
Personally, I store my collections in some logical order. My country collections are stored in albums in chronological order, not in order of value.
My most valuable item is a $10,000 German New Guinea postcard from 1905. It lives next to less valuable items of the same time period. I try to set up my albums to tell a story, rather than show off any wealth.
My valuable stamps are with the others in the albums unmarked so others wouldn't know which was which and pilfer the good one's lol
You can find find good stamps in bulk/messy accumulation of stamps because previous owner could have no enough knowledge to tell the difference between a common stamp and a rarer variety (Watermarks, dies, luminescence...). Some ppl are way too lazy or lack of time to organize their collection (and search for varieties listed below) and as humans we tend to make errors. Even so called professionals !
Yesss you been helpful. Beautiful video
Glad it was helpful! :)
Great channel video stamp collecting is great but it takes a long time to sale.
I agree with a lot of the content, but that outlier collection that you are being asked to appraised, and you are floored with the value you see. Sort of like that one collection I appraised in Kansas (free of charge, was doing it for a friend of a neighbor), and was absolutely floored. Entire sheets of good stuff, like Washington Franklins, 4th Bureau series, Presidential series, oh man and lots of classic stuff, and used my UV lights to check for alterations...nope....the real McCoy as they call it...told the gal who inherited it along with the house and lots of acreage as well, that she could buy even more land and a brand new pickup...LOOL! Got a dealer contact in Chicago, and told him about that collection, and he flew in...she walked away with 6 digits....oh man...mercy...just a pain the you know what to sort everything out...took me days...still run into them via Facebook closed groups. Oh man...they post pics of them, and wonder what to do. But yes, most are of little value.
I love Stamps and I have a big collection...
Thank you..this was very informative!
:D Thank you for watching!!
Very Informative, Bravo !
I bought ten albums of moderately old stamps and made several time capsules for my grandson to inherit. I'm 23.
How do you remove hinges from a torn up a tatty old album some have been ripped the page out. Many thanks
I’ve used lighter fluid to break the adhesive and remove the hinges
OMG This video started just like what I have been going through!!!
thanks for the knowledge man!!!
I recently found your channel and love your content! Could you make a video about fake stamps? I bought some off of eBay and I was wondering if there's a way to tell.
Thank you Abhijeet. I will definitely consider making that video. I myself would like to learn more about fakes and forgeries, which can be very collectible items as well. Thanks for the suggestion :)
I was surprised to see there are a few more valuable than .25cents used, or mint. Few and far between, but can base a collection around the time periods. And not try to collect every stamp. Collect the more interesting and well printed. There are stamp volumes that give estimated values, or computer programs. But with the programs be sure to read the details. Dont just look at the picture. The program i have, shows same picture for different colors, etc. Be careful read it all. I still get excited when i think about my stamp from Hungary that has a bit value. No overprint on the moon. Take care.
I'm just getting around to finally going thru my inherited stamps, this helps a lot thank you! I have found myself falling in love with stamps, and plan on keeping some to start my own collection. I have run into a problem tho... Wether or not I plan to keep a certain stamp, I very much like to learn about each one. However, I find this very difficult with certain countries that are not in English, or a Latin based language. How do you go about figuring out what country these stamps are from?? Advice?
So happy to hear that you are falling in love with stamps :D The challenge that you face is a fun one to overcome, some detective work needs to happen. The first tool to use is Google, you would be surprised as to how often I figure out a stamp's origin based on typing in descriptive words including the imagery, currency or value... whatever is available. If you have a hunch as to the country and maybe time period, use a site called colnect.com you can see every stamp issued by year/country. When I come across stamps with the cyrillic text for example, I look for a cyrillic keyboard online and construct the words out, then i copy and paste that into an online translator such as Google translate. At the end of the day, the detective work adds to the philatelic experience and you will probably find it enjoyable.
@@ExploringStamps Very true...now that google exists. I started my stamp collection at the age of 8 in 1972. It was detective work, as mentionned earlier, but withouth the internet. David Barban
Thank you and keep up the great work 👍
Oh boy...I'm in trouble. I inherited my grandmother's stamp collection when I was 9 yrs old. Nothing documented among the stamps. Since she died suddenly, her stuff was just divided among family randomly. A few stamps were sorted. A bag of stamps marked "valuable". I tried to add to it and learned a few things about stamps, but I never really got into it and I was a kid. I forgot all about them until yesterday. I'm nearly 38 now and this collection is too overwhelming to sort through. I don't handle overwhelming too well. *deep sigh*
Are you interested in getting rid of them?
Thank you. I am considering selling my collection, but I do have high value and lesser value stamps. I also have number of FDC.
I am Madhavan from Madurai, India. Very nice your video
Hello, any thoughts on whether to leave hinged stamps hinged onto the paper they are attached vs. removing them? Secondly, I have a great deal of stamps in sets of 4, do you have any suggestions on the best way to display these in a three ring binder?
Hello Mark, good questions. The first answer (in my opinion) depends on what you plan on doing with these stamps. If you are just looking to sell them and move on, then it may be better to keep them on the pages and approach a dealer or sell as a lot online. If you plan on reorganizing and enjoying the collection for yourself, then it is of course entirely up to you but probably better to separate the stamps and have them removed from the pages. The second question about a block of stamps, personally I like to keep my stamps in stockbook pages which can be purchased for your binder, they come with a variety of pocket sizes, as an example look up Vario pages by 'Lighthouse' www.lighthouse.us/vario-stock-pages.html I hope this helps.
Exploring Stamps: Thank you. With regard to the hinging, do I lessen or increase the value by removing the hinge? I guess I don’t quite understand why hinging lessens value. Thanks for your time. mp
Hinging damages the stamp, especially mint stamps with the adhesive gum. Removing the hinge does put the stamp in a better position for sale. If the stamp is used and has no gum then there is usually minimal damage and effect to the value, if it’s mint however then be careful removing the hinge as the value of the stamp decreases with damage. 🙂
All very good advice 👍
bought a stamp collection folder with stamps from late 1800 to up to 1930 . Watching your videos I came to conclusion that some can be very valuable as I do have some from "dead countries" as Nyassa and Danzig ... Interested to sell it as I think it could have big value in the U S A collection since 1856 up to 1929 . I think I could use some help and advice . Could you please help?
thank you so much . i am 13 years old i love stamp collecting . i started stamp collecting at the of 7 and now i have i have 2300 stamps . and i am selling them to like exchanging . i give a stamp they give me stamp . i even have the very first canada stamp.
A tip on using uncancelled stamps for postage: If the stamp is pretty old, then someone else may want that stamp off your envelope before it gets to it's destination. My brother had 2 letters returned because of this...sticky fingered postal employees. So he covered the stamps with tape. He also got the letter back. It seems the machine can't read the florescence of the ink covered with tape. So he started taping the bottom half of the stamp and they got through. I have been doing this for years and have yet to have a stamp stolen from the envelope or not go through.
I have been given a collection from my uncle, six huge boxes. The stamps are frome all over the world but mainly Canada and USA. The problem is they are placed loose in envelopes.Ex: I have 50+ 2 cent George Washington and so forth. I know little about stamps, but your videos have helped me sort them a bit. I put what I think is good in a book, but what to do with the rest of them?
Great advice
Thanks for the help
Thanks Graham thèse really well