How damaged does a stamp have to be before you will consider throwing it away or putting it in the recycle bin?
I think it varies according to your collecting direction. If a damage stamp is badly damaged, yet it is one with a different color variety of one you collect rabidly, you would keep it for the color or variation. Any others with any damage that is worth less than $$ US cat. whole gets moved to the bucket by me. Damaged stamps that are older are often in demand by those who use specific paper fibers to repair other damaged stamps ( tears, holes, thins, hinge damage, etc) which then might be resold. A bad situation for a novice who can't distinguish repairs. Jim
if any part is missing, i won't keep it. unless it is a well-centered precancel. sadly, you describe me jim.
Surprisingly perhaps, there are several honest dealers on eBay, that show both sides of the stamp and actually describe faults. It's not the best way to learn, but it does help a lot to see what they are describing. Several are on this list. http://www.theswedishtiger.com/dEbay.htm Jim
It really depends. I mean, if you don't have it, but you have a slot for it in your book, I'd keep it until I found a better copy. Then replace it. I'm not sure I'd throw away stamps though, I'd probably put them in a bin of stamps for trades, freebies, etc. Unless, as Zararina said, it was more than 50% missing. Then I guess once I got a better version, I'd just toss it.
for me i look more to how common the stamp is, if i have a tear or hole, but i have another 100 of the same stamp i just ditch it, but if it is a rarer stamp, or my only stamp of that design, i keep as a space filler, then as i know it is rare, even damaged, i would still trade it so some one else can have the space filler. when selling or trading i always say if stamps are just space fillers
I think there is a general consensus here and I tend to agree with Steve Logan that if it is a common stamp that I have a fair amount of it is ok to toss it but...I still feel a twinge of guilt. Part of the reason why I bring up this topic is I have thought off and on about putting together some sort of collage of damaged stamps that I might ultimately hang on my office wall. I realize the idea of gluing stamps, even damaged ones, might be anathema to some people but the idea is one I have had since I was a kid. I think I still have an old Springbok, octagonal-shaped puzzle called titled "Postage Paid" which my mother bought me one year for Christmas. It was basically that...a photograph of a collage of stamps.
If they are post 1945 and damaged in any way. Although lately I been squirreling them away for people that are just starting up. I just threw about 30 stamps in the bin yesterday! they were just in to bad of condition to of any use to anybody.
Your right there PoliceDiver! I absolutely abhor that cancellation method and find it quite unnecessary as most of the mail I get recently isn't cancelled at all anyhow! Pure laziness IMO!
Since I own my own business, I receive many stamps in the mail that are not cancelled. The funny thing is that I have received two envelopes recently with no stamps at all and there is a cancel on the envelope....... maybe I will try that lol
I would probably keep it. Unless my dog had literally ate it and only a tiny chip remained, it could still possibly have some value. As I usually can't stand to part with any of my stamps I would probably just sit on it and hope it grew in value of the years even with the damage.
With 13 replies I thought of giving my 2 cents on this. First, damaged modern or common - in the bin. Second, old or scarce use as a space filler and get a better one. Third, all common or those with killer cancels in the the recycle bin - for youth or starter collectors. Fourth, never remove stamps from an envelope unless common and point 1-3 are for single stamps. Erich
An interesting comment... but I can't determine if desertgem is pro- or anti-repair. Personally: I don't like to collect 'repaired', 're-gummed', or similar items per se, but if it is one of the 'antiques' and the repair has been faithfully done (like paintings are 'restored'...) then I would consider it for my collection at a much reduced price. Likewise: I would never knowingly falsely advertise a repaired item as genuine mint... any repaired material I have is indexed as such in my inventory listings.
I am also one of those that save the stamps for clubs or junior level collectors as space fillers. Most of mine in that category are obviously damaged and most collectors would see that up front. But to someone else's comment: throwing away a slightly damaged Scott 301 just sends heebee jeebees up my spine!!
I collect 1 each of modern US on cover so I sort through thousands of covers. I put aside about two dozen extra "cut squares" of each variety on paper in case someone needs a copy otherwise they go in the recycle. It is surprising how hard it is to get a full set of 20 varieties from a sheet or all the booklet positions.
