Cherrystone Auction - Mnh Columbian Set

The $4 is very poorly centered. At best it's a 70, and it's probably not that high. It's probably only a $2250-$2500 stamp retail with that centering. The $2 is a nice 85 that a lot of collectors would probably be pretty happy with, perhaps a $3000-$3500 stamp.

Thanks for sharing the knowledge randy!
Great links and advice

See this is why I'll never get the whole numerical grading thing. Provided the stamps are not regummed, reperfed or repaired I can't imagine the average collector not drooling over just how beautiful the set is. No not all the stamps are picture perfect centered, but compared to most copies of Columbians the set here is just beautiful. I'd certainly not pass it up if I had the money, and to imagine some would say it's value is less than half Scott just stuns me. Half-Scott for this set, provided it is sound, would be a bargain for any collector looking for the set and had the resources to purchase it.

Revollector you say the $4 is "very poorly centered." I will accept it's not perfect, but your description makes it sound like the perfs were cutting into the design. I would say the centering on it is at least F+ if not better for this issue, it's definitely no where near what I'd consider "very poor" in comparison to most copies that exist.

It just boggles my mind that a collector would call that $4 stamp "very poorly centered." It's like all the definitions of stamp condition have little use in the market place any longer.

We shall see when the auction happens. However it might be remembered that some who post here have seen a LOT of Columbians, both mint and used.

Saying this largely tongue in cheek but if high value straight edge singles are "disappearing," might this increase their value some day? Of course scarcity is only one factor when it comes to value but still an interesting dynamic.

The same exact thing flashed through my mind. Demand would be the factor.

There are 144 pages of #244 on the PF site including 5 pages of MNH. I think you will find that the centering on the example in the sale is well down towards the bottom of the examples shown; most are significantly better. It's a 65-70 at best numerically, and would be considered badly centered by any professional (at least until he went to sell it).

http://pfsearch.org/pfsearch/pf_grd...lledfrom=lkp

Revcollector - the PF listing is everything they have certified in history, not the current market availablity of what a collector might be able to acquire now, if I understand it correctly. Sure there are better-centered copies in existence compared to the current one in the Cherrystone auction, but how many of them are on the market NOW? Are you saying that a collector is going to wait years, perhaps decades for a "better" centered copy to come along just because it doesn't rate a 95 but instead something lower?

And it's not like there are that many copies that are NH of #244 with centering clear of perfs. PF's search for me only resulted in 34 results, and only a portion of those in PFs database I'd consider better centering than the stamp Cherrystone is offering. I still fail to see how one can call the #244 "very poorly centered," when the design is well clear of the perfs on all sides.

I am not saying it should be selling at a multiple of Scott CV, its not a gem quality to be sure. But to say it's not much better than third rate and thus not worth even half catalogue, given the demand for the stamp (esp as part of a set) at the present time, seems just odd at best and to me just sounds completely off.

I would assume there are more than 30 collectors worldwide who would love to have a decent copy of #244 as part of a whole Columbian set Mint NH. This set, if it is sound, represents a great opportunity to get that set in a beautiful condition overall.

Recognising my ignorance of US stamps and the market for them, getting anything up to 50% of catalogue value for what are desired, but not scarce, stamps seems a reasonable expectation. I presume that the set - whether singly or collectively - is pretty much constantly available. Perhaps analagous to the GB £1 UPC - desired, but seemingly present at around a third of catalogue value (which probably equates to 40-50% in Scott terms) in many auctions, eg

http://www.warwickandwarwick.com/au...logue/140256

It's never a question of how many would like to own the set, but how many would like it AND can afford it. Most collectors who can afford to spend the kind of money needed to buy a MNH set of Columbians have enough to be discriminating. And I assure you that if someone wanted a better example of 244 at a major show, a few would almost certainly be available. I saw some at NY2016 for example. Very expensive to be sure, but available.

That type of collector almost always buys his/her set individually anyway.

I can't even afford most of the dollar values individually...

problem is most of the better ones are increasingly getting locked into collections and adding to our woes.

Someday.. may be before I turn 60 in 2043, I can add the full set to my book !