Availability Of Chinese Stamps

Please excuse me if this is considered a stupid question.

What I am wondering, since Chinese stamps are in a few threads here lately, is this: Is the possibility if getting a few Chinese rarities a possibility without too much of an outlay of cash??

I ask this because in the past two years especially, I have had the opportunity to break down some collections I came across and most of these collections had a lot of Chinese stamps in them. I realize that if there are a number of them in most collections, there is a pretty good chance that they are common and not too expensive but, the gist of my question is this, since a lot of collectors are not familiar with the different printings etc, is there a real chance that a sleeper can appear in even a cheapie collection??

I have stamps that are not in the Scott or Gibbons catalogues and am sure that there must be some that are revenue in nature but I am also sure that a lot of them are regular postage issues.

I am not asking about any specific stamps but asking generally about possible value lurking in most collections simply because information is not always available to a lot of collectors.

Hope I am posing this question properly?

Chimo

Bujutsu

Bujutsu,

There is definitely a chance of finding those gems in "cheap" collections. Knowledge is the key ingredient here, the only problem is that rare stamps will always be rare and you will have to go through many of these collections to have a chance.

I have often picked up great items off of dealer tables for South Africa and Pre Union purely because I knew what to look out for.

Chinese stamp prices have shot up and the possibility of finding items that were once much cheaper is higher.

Drew

Thank you Drew

Pretty well my train of thought

Chimo

Bujutsu

On Saturday I picked up a stamp from the market - Orange Free State, Overprinted VRI. I noticed the stamp was missing the "." after the I. I knew I had found something - there are two versions of the stamp. One with level dots and the other with raised dots.

Value for Level Stops : R35
Value for Raised Stops : R3

Value for Missing Stop after I (level) : R2000
Value for Missing Stop after I (raised) : R200

I picked up the stamp for 15p and said thank you to the dealer. (15p equals around R1.60)



One question I do have - does anyone ever tell the dealers of their varieties that are labelled as common stamps?

Drew

Also, remember if getting into the PRC issues that it is a minefield with reprints.I myself collect the reprints as they can be had for minimum value and now I have something to compare an assumed real one to.

I realize I may be very different from most collectors, as many collectors are always hoping to get the great "find".

If the price difference is significant (i.e., 10x or more), I always tell the dealer. I treat my dealers the same way I expect to be treated. If they tell me they don't want to know, then I say OK and never mention another find to them again. But most dealers are very appreciative of buyer honesty.

Technically, one can argue that since the dealer didn't factor in the premium when purchasing the item, why should a I bother to let the dealer know.

I've discovered over the years that being honest with your dealers gives you far greater benefits in the long run, far more than just the couple of stamps that you happened to get a great deal on. But most importantly, I feel that not only can others trust me, but I can trust myself. This is simply my personal opinion toward myself, and is in no way representative of how I view others; so please do not take any offense.

In fact, I just informed one of my dealers today that he had a special perf variety in a few of his listing, partly because I wanted to confirm the pictures were accurate and not just a stock photo. If he doesn't withdraw the listings, then I will go buy them all. Over the years, he gives me free shipping as well as 3 months to accumulate purchases (actually, he's willing to give me even more time, I chose 3 months for my sake), and he doesn't even bother to send me any invoice.

Here on SCF, when I notice someone has misIDed a stamp that is actually much more valuable, or didn't realize there was a significant price increase in the catalogs, I will also let them know. After all, we're family, right?

Regarding Chinese collections, I have pretty much stayed out of for the past 20 years, only making occasional purchases of the less expensive collections/items. Any collections that were presented to me for evaluation, and I noticed anything particularly valuable, I have referred them to other dealers who I know will pay a good price -- the results were pretty good, so technically I have deluxe dinners awaiting me if I ever meet them in person (alas, the internet doesn't mean we get to meet in person).

If you are interested in Chinese collections, PRC collections and early China dragons are what you want to look at. The late 19th Century and early 20th Century China regular issue are quite common, and the plethora of overprints are very time-consuming to evaluate. There only a small number of the overprints that have significant value, but you usually end up evaluating tens of thousands of overprints before you find one. There are a couple of exceptions that can be quickly noticed, but I don't even bother anymore.

I would say it is much easier and have a much higher rate of return to fish around the PRC collections. As for me, I pretty much stay out of it. I get out when the speculators take over. I'll get back in when the speculators retire or move on.

Actually, many of the PRC reprints have been steadily going up in value. Riding on the coat-tails of the originals...

I have to agree that China has some areas you have to watch, and yes, there are a lot of reprints out there alright.

I am glad that my outlay of $$ was not a great deal and that the stamps I have were more or less part of a larger collection. I am sure that most, if not all, of us have had offers to take it all away or nothing. On those offers you just have to weigh it on an individual basis and see if it is a good deal for you or not.

Thanks for all of the responses.

Chimo

Bujutsu