IBStitchin
|
posted on May 20, 2001 09:26:20 AM
Good morning all! My partner and I went to a wet and dreary auction yesterday. I truely debated even going as we have soooo much stuff to list already but there were some neat items we wanted to look at.
Anyhow, the gentleman whose estate was being auctioned was a mail carrier for many years. He also was an electronics buff with many old records, players, magazines, etc. While looking through the boxes of wet records I discovered a large photo album FULL of unused stamps. We got that box for $12.50!!!!!
Now what do we do? I went through the album this morning and they are very well organized with paper behind, years written down (1961-1982), and the end tabs with serial(?) numbers intact. There is over $350 worth of unused stamps in this album!
Any sites, suggestions, books would be of great help!
Lora
**Doin' a Happy Dance!**
|
dman3
|
posted on May 20, 2001 11:14:17 AM
Frist thing to remember is face value on the stamps dont mean nothing to collectors.
some will be worth more then face value some worthless chances are you will never get $350 for then all but you will get more then your $12.50 back.
bigest problem with listing stamps on ebay is the cost of selling there some of you winning bids on stamps will be a dollar or less.
On the up side your shipping will be .34 
http://www.Dman-N-Company.com
|
figmente
|
posted on May 20, 2001 01:09:14 PM
If they got wet they are worthless as collectibles, still valid for postage but a real PITA to use; Not sure, but I think such old postage without gum might reap 15-30% of face value. If they didn't get wet, describe well and expect to realize about face value (little under, little over likely) on ebay (the vast majority of stamps from those decades are in ample supply and do not normally bring much collectors' premium).
|
skip555
|
posted on May 20, 2001 01:23:21 PM
I would call the post offfice and check I beleive they will refund face value.
Growing up in the 90% humidity is dry day gulf coast....in the pre A/c pre self stick days you could take stuck together sheets of stamps and rolls in and they would refund.
The problem with the rolls was they would pull them apart as best they could and would only refund what they could verify
In your case though I suspect they would refund face value. So it looks to me like you have 350 min plus whatever collector value there may be.
|
jenndiggy1
|
posted on May 20, 2001 03:49:03 PM
Lora, please e-mail me
[email protected]
|
IBStitchin
|
posted on May 20, 2001 08:43:39 PM
Whoops, I should have mentioned that they are not wet. The album was under the records and the stamps are preserved in perfect condition. Each set has a piece of paper behind it to protect the gum side.
dman - If some won't sell for at least face value then I guess I'll just use them. I figured that $350 of usable stamps for $12.50 was a great deal and would save me on postage for a while! 
It does make me sad when I think of all the work and money put into this album. None of the family must have wanted it or there was no family to take it.
Any good websites that may help me out?
Lora
|
commentary
|
posted on May 21, 2001 12:22:32 AM
Post office does not exchange postage unless you have purchase it within the past 6 months and the stamps are what they sold you. Taking old stamps and exchanging it is out of the question. And I sincerely doubt the postal employee will be too happy to count and total them
If you do decide to use the stamps, do NOT lick them. You have no idea where they have been and a lot of creatures like to feast on the gum.
You indicate that the stamps were in a photo album. If these are the albums with the sticky paper, just use the stamps in your mail. They probably are damaged by the sticky photo paper.
[ edited by commentary on May 21, 2001 12:23 AM ]
[ edited by commentary on May 21, 2001 12:25 AM ]
|
ROY222
|
posted on May 21, 2001 01:55:52 PM
I buy stamps like these for around 75% of face value depending on the condition of the gum, etc. You see advertisements in the stamp papers all the time for this so called discount postage.
Many collectors saved plate blocks and sheets of stamps for many years and their heirs rarely know about them or their value.
They can always be used for face value for postage. The post office does not give refunds for stamps. Never did. The US has never demonetized their stamps since the Civil War so stamps as old as 1861 could still be used to mail letters today.
If you would like to sell let me know at [email protected].
|
skip555
|
posted on May 21, 2001 02:07:04 PM
Roy222:
I may have been remebering wrong they probably just replaced with new postage. DO you know if they will replace old stamps like this with current postage ?
|
ROY222
|
posted on May 21, 2001 02:17:44 PM
Hi skip555.
Sorry the post office never has replaced old stamps for new stamps. Stamps were hawked as an investment for many years dating back to the 1930s when people had little money to spend. If you bought the correct ones you may be able to get face value or more for them. This is why it is easy to buy at less than face value even today. There is more supply than demand and the cost to sell anymore are high. Some of the lower value stamps with gum damage can sometimes be bought for about 1/2 face value if you can find a dealer willing to fool with them. This is a good deal but it is a pain to glue 12 stamps on an envelope.
|
mcbrunnhilde
|
posted on May 21, 2001 07:46:10 PM
I have taken stamps into my P.O. and exchanged them for new postage (the stamps were anywhere from 5 to 20 years old). I didn't have as many as you do, but it might depend on how nice your postal clerk is!!
Without eBay, I might have a real life...
|
figmente
|
posted on May 21, 2001 08:07:19 PM
I think that PO policy has always been not to refund nor exchange, but have heard many stories of individual offices doing it anyway.
While it is true that dealers buy similiar lots as discount postage at 75% of face value, they seem to do better than that on ebay, as a bulk lot I'd expect 95-120% of face value, most likely result being just barely over. Making small lots might add up better, but would be labor intensive, and entails the additional risk as trying to deal in any field where one doesn't have the background knowledge can easily lead to mistakes, which may lead to dissatisfied customers...
|
IBStitchin
|
posted on May 21, 2001 08:50:07 PM
Hmmmmm. I still think I've got a great find! We're pretty small fish so $350+ in usable stamps for $12.50 is GREAT! I think I'll sift through them to see what can sell for over face and use the rest. They are all in mint condition with the gum intact. He took quite a bit of time to insure they would stay that way. We'll have to try and find stamps that compliment the items we mail in some way. Who knows, some winners may see them as an added bonus!
Thanks!
Lora
|
cardmall
|
posted on May 21, 2001 09:31:30 PM
You may want to visit www.virtualstampclub.com - They have an article there about what to do when "acquiring" a collection like this. Many US issues from the past 50 years or so are basically not worth any more than postage, and many dealers will pay you below face value. However, you may have a few issues in there that are worth more than face value, so it is probably worth looking into before using as postage. At a minimum, you got a great deal, for $350 in postage for $12.50
Alan
|
Malady
|
posted on May 21, 2001 10:29:35 PM
IBStitchin
If you find that the stamps are not worth selling just use them. No need to exchange for newer ones. I have seen many letters with older stamps come through the post office on envelopes. Usually they are from one collector to another. Odd thing is that usually these stamps/envelopes make it to their destination uncancelled. I don't know if this is intentional.
"the gentleman whose estate was being auctioned was a mail carrier..."
Did ya get any postal items? Badges, uniforms (with the maroon striping), pins, hat, receipt book, etc... Now those do well on ebay.
|
