It seems like Spring arrives in north Texas a little earlier every year. In the last two weeks of February temperatures were in the 70’s and 80’s with a high of 88. The forecasts for early March have the low’s in the 50’s and the highs in mid 70’s and low 80’s. Love it!

The winter weather in the rest of the country has been good for the stamp business as collectors past the time more with their stamp collections. We have been busy with orders and getting our acquisitions added to our web site – a never ending process. We just finished adding a lot of new material to our German offices and Austria post WWII locals sections plus a lot of better items throughout our listings.

Auction Results

We watch most major auctions to keep abreast of what is selling and for how much. The long term trend is that scarce items in collectible condition always set at good prices. Middle range stamps sell at all in F/VF or better condition and at pretty steady prices. Better stamps with small faults will sell but at lower prices.

Stamp collections follow the same pattern as individual stamps. Collections containing complete sets and the scarcer items in sound condition bring the highest prices. Collections of sound stamps but missing the better items will sell but at low prices. Similar collections with visibly damaged stamps may not sell at all.

The imposition of tariffs on overseas products has affected the stamp market. European dealers and Auction houses have been uncertain how to handle shipments to the US. I have found some shipments being taxed by customs and some are not – with little consistency as to which are taxed. Supposedly collectible stamps are exempt from taxes but customs often ignores that provision. Also European businesses are not supposed to ship collectibles through the postal system and some businesses will not ship anything to the US. The latest change to our tariff policy with the 10% tariff has furthered the confusion. As a result of the tariff uncertainties collectors are relying more on US auctions and businesses and less on the European sources. We watch all major auctions in Europe and the US and US auctions are achieving significantly better results.

Just about every lot – singles or collections – in US auctions find a buyer and most better lots have multiple bids. Sellers in recent auctions are getting higher prices as competition for philatelic material has increased.

SELLING YOUR COLLECTION

I receive many inquiries asking me for help in selling collections. Most inquiries come from family members who have inherited a collection. Most often they have no stamp collecting experience and little or no idea of the value of the inherited collection.

An inventory with catalog numbers and either purchase price or catalog values provides an excellent start for family members to know what to do with the collection.

A smart way to keep an inventory now is using your computer spreadsheet. It is easy to set up, record data, and easy to update. If you maintain a spreadsheet you should also print it out periodically and keep a copy in a safe place like your safety deposit box or home safe. You can also keep a copy with your stamp collection.

I have received collections accompanied by printed inventories listing items in the collection. Listing catalog numbers, whether the items are NH, hinged or used and their condition makes valuing the stamps a snap.

If you are not a collector and have no inventory and no idea what a collection is worth there are several places to go to get a start. Look up your local stamp clubs on line and then show up at one of their club meetings with stamps in tow. I am sure there will be knowledgeable collectors there who will like to give you an idea of what you have. You can also take the stamps to your local stamp dealer (if you have one). Most stamp dealers will give you a rough estimate of the value of your collection at no charge. Lastly you can visit your local library and look for the 12 volume set of Scott Stamp catalogs. If your collection is in a stamp album, the stamps are most likely sequenced in the same order that they are listed in the Scott catalogs. You can look for the price of your stamps in the catalogs. Keep in mind that the catalog prices are retail prices for stamps in fine/very fine condition. If you sell your stamps to a dealer you will get 25-50% of the catalog value for fine/very fine stamps and less for stamps in lesser condition.

Once you have at least a ball park idea of the value of your collection you are ready to sell. If you have a collection from a specific country or group of countries seek a dealer who specializes in that area. If your collection is worth thousands rather than hundreds of dollars you might consign your collection to an auction house. Auctions have the advantage of offering your stamps to many potential buyers but most auction houses don’t want to handle inexpensive collections as the selling process is costly.

Another suggestion is see if you can determine where the collector bought his stamps. If you can offer the collection to a dealer who sold the stamps to the collector you well might get a better price. I have been a dealer for 50 years and have bought back the same collection more than once!

ONTACT US

R SCHNEIDERSTAMPS
PO BOX 978
IOWA PARK TX 76367
618 975 2099

email:: RschneiderStamps@gmail.com

WERSITE
RSchneiderstamps.com