Professional appraisers can leverage an extensive amount of knowledge and experience to give you a realistic price for your collection. How to find the value of a stamp with pictures wikihow. The first half of 2019 was full of stunning philatelic sales and auctions. The hobbizine united states stamp value guide provides market prices for stamps in both mint and used condition. Find secret marks and distinguish between common and rare stamps. Block a set of stamps still connected together by their perforations. The ultimate illustrated reference to over 3000 of the worlds best stamps, and a professional. How do i determine the stamp values in my stamp collection. Stamp collecting books learn how to collect stamps.
Stamps that are in mint condition are worth more than stamps that have been used as postage and cancelled. Offering the most complete website for stamp collectors, including a large inventory of united states stamps, plus world and topical stamps. Postage stamps collectors like to invest in stamp collecting supplies for better stamp display, better protecting and therefore for maintaining stamp value. A stamp catalog is a reference book with illustrations and stamp values. The official blackbook price guide to united states. Our supplies for stamp collecting come from all the major album companies, including scott, h. Stamp collecting is one of the worlds most popular hobbies, and at our site youll find everything you need, whether youre just beginning a new hobby or youre an experienced philatelist. Historic worlds first postage stamps from great britain. I chose this book to look up values on my stamp collection. You dont need to know much about stamps to get a sense of whether or not a collection has value. The official blackbook price guide to united states postage stamps 2015 is an indispensable, easytouse sourcebook for collectors. Bourse a meeting of stamp collectors, buyers, sellers and traders. Broadly this refers to what shape the stamp is in and will help in determining a stamps value.
Research and report on a famous stamprelated personality or the history behind a particular stamp. A beginner or child can be perfect with an album of pretty pictures. Whether you have a general stamp collection or you focus on one particular type of postage stamp or a particular theme or point in time, you can find interesting and affordable stamps to add to your collection on ebay. Sheets of stamps are also more valuable than individual stamps. Not that you cant make a profit in the business, but that it requires a good deal of d. Since the first modern postage stamp was implemented in 1840, a diverse range of unique collectible stamps have flooded the market, each detailing a specific person, place, and historically relevant moment in time. A stamp worth a few cents in catalogue value may be worth hundreds of dollars on cover because of the postmark. Check the stamp for tears, creases or bending, any of. Then, put a heavy book on your stamp, so it dries flat. The following quotations are excerpted from her essay, why i like stamp collecting, published in the minkus stamp journal in 1971. Collecting stamps can be a rewarding hobby at any level of skill or expense. Stamp collecting price guide postbeeld online stamp shop.
A perforation gauge measures perforations along the edges of stamps. Over the years, collectors have made it clear that they prefer their firstday covers with cachets. The official blackbook price guide to united states postage stamps. These are called firstday covers fdc and, traditionally, have been all the rage in the stamp collecting business. An advanced collector can be enthralled with a detailed study of a single stamp, or by the. Find an extensive stamp collecting price guide through postbeeld and find the value of your philately collection. We also have low cost stamp approval stock cards when you are ready to sell your collection. Quickly determining stamp collecting values, or finding out how much a stamp collection or single postage stamp is worth, should be easy. Filled with the most current values and the latest market reports, this guide has all the information you need to become a knowledgeable collector of stamps.
Stamp albums for children or beginners are usually worth very little. The forever liberty bell stamp is worth whatever the current standardsize letter stamp rate is, currently 0. We can help you get a collection started or supply you with the tools to make a collection more attractive and more valuable. It is also important to realise that stamp collecting goes well beyond stamps and other factors may influence the value of a stamp. Its nearly three miles of shelving contain more than 23,000 book titles and 5,700 journal titles. They have or had specialized use, such as air mail, and are categorized separately. Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects.
More than a simple price list or catalogue, the guides extensive illustrations and commentary make it an invaluable reference tool for stamp identification and united states postal history. When you start out stamp collecting, you need the right stamp supplies to make the most of your. The best way is to get the collection appraised by a professional appraiser. Are there boxes of other stuff that probably looks like a mix of stamps. Typically they are a set of four stamps but this number can vary. There is an overwhelming amount of information to learn but that info isnt easy to find or use. The focus of most of the collecting categories in this website is the classical 18401900 and early modern 1901 to about 1935 philately of europe and north america in the beginning, i had envisioned a worldwide philatelic site, but it quickly became evident that composing and maintaining a site of that scope, for all the countries that have existed since. Its a pastime that took off in the 1930s, causing new collectors to buy and store thousands of different stamps. A magnifying glass is useful when examining stamps. Harris, white ace, minkus, lighthouse, safe, lindner, plus showgard, prinz and more. The title hints at it but there are very different steps to figure out what your stamps are worth. Identifying stamps is complex requiring extensive research, knowledge, and experience.
In addition to our extensive array of coin books and coin collecting supplies, wizard coin supply can also fulfill your need for stamp collecting books. The most basic postage stamp supplies tweezers, stamp stockbooks, magnifiers, stamp mounts and hinges are not only easy to use but are also lowcost. Stamp collecting, as a hobby, began at the time when the first postage stamp was issued it was a real breakthrough and nonsense in the sphere of postal services. Based on real world researched and uptodate prices complete guide. A stamp issued for a limited period of time, usually at the firstclass rate and in a larger format than most stamps. Filled with the most current values and the latest market reports. Once youve decided to sell your stamp collection, the next step is establishing how to value your stamp collection. Stamp values for a stamp collection, old stamps and. Stamp collecting has become a prominent hobby, and linns stamp news estimates that more than 5 million people in the u. The phrase back of the book bob is a bit of philatelic slang, referring to stamps that are listed at the back of u. It didnt have enough detail to assess values of stamps. Enjoy your free 96page catalog with thousands of historic u. Once it does, grab your tongs and place the stamp between some paper towels. Novelist ayn rand, herself a stamp collector, says it far better than me in an essay about stamp collecting.
You might find one of the rarest stamps on the back shelf of your bookcase right now. The easiest way to determine the value of a stamp is to judge the designs centering and the neatness of the stamp s perforations. Commemoratives usually honor persons, organizations, events or causes on significant anniversaries. Determine the stamp values by yourself, check out a printed book as reference. See more ideas about stamp, stamp values and stamp collecting. See if the colors are still vibrant, which increases the stamp s value. I have given you seven different indicators that can point to the possibility of value. Visit a post office, stamp club, or stamp show with an experienced collector. Stamp values for stamp collections, old stamps and current rate stamps determining stamp values depends highly on what types of stamps youre talking about. Safe provides stamp collecting books, stock pages, stamp mounts and stamp stock books for single stamps, setenants, coil strips, plate blocks, souvenir sheets, fdcs, booklets and mint sheets. About the american philatelic research library the aprl has one of the worlds largest and most accessible collections of philatelic literature. The stamp catalogue is a dealers pricelist and is the most essential work of reference for the stamp collector.
A mint condition stamp may be worth 10 times the value of the same stamp cancelled. Huge stamp catalogue with complete information about most collectible. You may, at a later date, switch to collecting only the stamps of a certain country or group of countries where even the common stamps may be needed to form the nucleus of a collection. For earlier vintage liberty bell stamps, youll need to use a reference book to estimate its value, or talk to a stamp seller about the value. Stamp albums that are sparsely filled are usually worth very little. Just look around and if there is something you cant find.
And, sadly, few new collectors are entering the hobby right now. If you ever want to assess your collections value, youll need to purchase a stamp collecting price guide. This is particularly true of stamps on cover envelopes. Boxes of loose used stamps are usually worth very little. Unfortunately, there has been a dramatic shift in the value of firstday covers. After the first item known as penny black appeared in 1840, the hobby of stamp collecting began to spread across europe, the united states and other parts of the world. The ultimate illustrated reference to over 3000 of the worlds best stamps, and a professional guide. Worldwide bob stamps appear at the end of country sections. Canceled a canceled stamp is a stamp that has been put through the mail and has a cancellation mark on it. It is an indicator that the collection overall has some value. It has been one of the worlds most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth century with the rapid growth of the postal service, as a neverending stream of new stamps was produced by countries that sought to advertise their distinctiveness through their. The usps was prompted to print many more stamps to combat this shortage. Here you can find information on stamps, old postage stamps, collectors stamps, commemorative stamps, the value of old postage stamps, what are stamps worth, free stamp values for rare stamps and philately.
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