Other Uses For Collections?

kittykitsune,

Did those stores give any valid reason other than they were worthless? What made them worthless?

Donna

Good question, Donna! Maybe they saw something after examining the stamps physically that we cannot tell from the scans? A good dealer should always give a reasonable explanation for claiming they are worthless.

Here's another question. Stamp stores are pretty scarce nowadays. Were these stamp stores/stamp dealers that you approached?

What happened is we called around looking for a store that was still purchasing. My husband found one, told them I had a large collection of Disney stamps and asked if we could stop in. We went to the store and when we got there we were told they aren't actually buying but they would look through my book. She then flipped through my book and told me that Disney stamps don't sell so they have no value and my best bet would be to try to sell them cheap at a rummage sale to a Disney collector that didn't know any better.

They didn't even look at the entire collection, the just flipped through very quickly, skipping pages at a time.

Not exactly a warm and fuzzy feeling fro the shop

Here's what I'm thinking why they could be worthless and that's there's a glut on the market or maybe they haven't changed in value per Scott? I've never seen a glut of Disney stamps, but then again, I've never seen Prince Charles's ears up close either.

I would think that Disney stamps would be more valuable being good old Walt has passed and his son is now the head. The stamps that I have seen, well most of them are, are from the movies that were made before Walt's death.

Donna

In some ways the store is correct though, items are only worth what people are willing to pay :)

So... I should look for the Scott book.. if my library doesn't have it (I live in a big town with a small, insignificant library) I guess I upload my collection and rely on the kindness of strangers (you lovely folks) to help me out?

kittykitsune,

Your story sounds too familiar and you are certainly not the first collector who enters a stamp shop and gets a reaction like this one.
Only for the sake of the discussion, let's not argue with the dealer's estimation of your collection and assume he/she were correct. Nevertheless, I found the reaction to be very rude. He/She could have spent more than few seconds and give you more respect as a potential buyer or seller (or just as a visitor to his shop).
Try your local stamp club for a better estimation or even better - why not re-start collecting and revive the hobby. Collecting stamps is much more fun than selling them....

The reality of the situation is that the Scott catalog prices for the stamps are roughly what a buyer would have to pay for them, and in many cases would be a lot less.

The Disney stamps are collected for the fun of it, mainly due to ones interest in the subject. They are not to be considered an investment, despite what some dealers claim when they sell them. As far as I know, most dealers buy them wholesale at time of issue, below face value. They would rarely buy them back for even close to the original cost.

When a collector tries to sell such stamps and comes up with rather rude answers from a dealer, that dealer should be avoided. A simple careful explanation on the market by the dealer may even gain another customer.

There is a large amount of Disney stamps available. However, there is also a pretty decent demand. Most dealers are well-stocked, and would not buy from a collector. The wholesale prices for Disney stamps have dropped slightly over the years. However, the retail prices still remain relatively high because it is a popular topical.

If that is all the dealer did and said, I would say they did you a great disservice.

What you have is not a gold mine, but it is hardly worthless. Do not look at it as an investment, as you would be fortunate to get back face value for many of the Disney stamps.

When you collect stamps, focus on the enjoyment factor -- it should always be greater than any price appreciation.

Getting back into collecting isn't something that's really feasible for me...financially I can't afford it and I'm not terribly interested. There are some sets I'd be interested in getting, but I have several that I'm not interested in - especially the Mickey Mouse ones... plus numerous duplicates....

I have !

In 1972 I was in the Guard of Honour of Chefs who lined up outside a top Hotel opposite Windsor Castle. He shook all our hands and stopped to say a few words to each of us. It was quite an exciting day as I recall.
I often wonder if he liked the Avocado Pear with Salmon Mousse I made for him !




Stick around and get to 50 posts and [as I said before], I might be interested...maybe others too.

YEH !

Londonbus1......A Michael not a Mickey !

woo -hoo... spam the stamp page.... I honestly don't even have a clue how I'm going to get 50 posts... the bulk of what I had to say is done.... lol

It's easy, just post more pictures of your Disney stamps!

I'm sure any post with a picture of a stamp in it counts as a "quality post"! (my opinion, of course)

k

LondonBus,

I'm sure that if you had looked in his ear you probably seen what he was thinking of your dish.