Hi I have a load of stamps that was given to me 35 years ago that I have kept in really good condition. How do I find the value with out posting them all on here? I'm sure y'all don't want me to do that. Most of the American stamps look really old and I have a bunch of foreign ones that have to be at least 35 years old of course.
Hi and Welcome! If you could post a few samples that could help a lot. Remember that old doesn't necessarily mean valuable or rare. There are US stamps as far back as the 1920s which were printed in the billions. For serious U.S. stamps identification (it can be difficult but lotsa fun) this is a good site - although we have a brain trust here on StampExchange willing to assist. http://www.stampsmarter.com/features/Home_Features.html Cheers, - Molokai
Hi Brandi, welcome. No way to evaluate without seeing the stamp(s). I suggest you go to your local library and check out a Scott's Specialized Catalog of United States Stamps to start. This catalog should give you an approximate value for your U.S. stamps. Once you've learned how to use a catalog, you might sort your world-wide stamps by country and then check out the Scott's catalog for the countries you have. The values listed in Scott's are approximate. You can expect to realize from 10% to 15% of the listed value, if you can find a buyer. Bottom line, with only a few exceptions, it is difficult to sell stamps issued in the last 50 to 60 years. There are too many in the market. Then, too, prices are always based upon condition of the stamp. An easier approach might be to see if there is a stamp club in your city and take the U.S. stamps to a meeting and ask for an opinion on their value. Don
Hi Brandi: The stamps shown are called definitive stamps, that is, stamps issued in series in different denominations for everyday use on mail. They are from what is known as the Liberty Issue of 1954-1973. In my opinion, you would not be able to sell any of them to experienced stamp collectors. Most all collectors of U.S. stamps have examples of the ones shown. A beginning collector might buy one or two of them, but only for a few cents, probably for not much more than 5 cents each, at the most. If you have a considerable number like this, you might be able to sell them as a single lot for not more than 1 cent each. Don
EBay is a potential outlet for them, but a sale may not be profitable. EBay charges a listing fee and a sales commission, if the lot sells. Then too, you must have a PayPal account to sell on eBay and PayPal also charges a commission for a sale. Then there is the postage costs for sending a sold lot to the buyer. All of the costs of selling whether on eBay or elsewhere work against the profitable sale of lost-cost stamps. That, plus the time spent identifying, describing, and listing what is in a lot is a chore. That is why stamp dealers don't want to buy common stamps from collectors or other sellers. There is just no profit in it. Go to the library and look at the Scott U.S. catalog and see how much work it is to identify each of your stamps. That will give you an idea of what the starting point would be. You might be able to get a good scan of the sales lot and not identify them, but a potential buyer generally wants to know what he/she would be getting and how many. My recommendation is to keep the stamps, learn how to use a catalog to identify them, and start a collection. No money it it, but it does make for an enjoyable hobby if you are a collector by temperament. If you don't have the patience or inclination to collect things, the whole process is just a lot of work. Don
