US Encased Postage

look at lot #4067, Sold for $650 + Fees. Not nearly as nice as yours!

I've seen a few of the Tremont House pieces on auction house catalogs and all of the ones I actually did follow fared very well. I was offered $1,100.00 USD a few months back by a local collector which is basically 1.5 times it's catalog value (2009 Scott $750.00)and although it was tough to do, I had to turn him down for fear that I might not ever own another. Some pieces you just can't put a dollar value to.

*Answer to Donna* Both, It technically is a coin and was designed to purchase goods with. Stamps on their own were not made to be handled, hence the encasing. Here is a bit more regarding the use of Postage stamps as currency.

http://www.historyconfidential.com/...egal-tender/

okay what is to stop someone from buying one with a low value stamp and inserting a higher value stamp?

scott says part of the price is that the entire stamp is present. so wouldn't you have to open it to verify?

For 1 the Mica that protects the stamp, I have not heard of a way to replace it. If there were a way, you wouldn't see them with creases and cracks. Also the advertising company on the back of the encasement is a big deciding factor in the value.

For anyone interested in a history lesson on how these encased postage stamps came to be and led into fracional currency, etc., check out this link which I found quite interesting:

http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis...icleId=15559