Hello!

Hi all! I'm not actually a stamp collector, but I am in need of some assistance. My brother is a small town lawyer, and he commissioned me for a job to help him out. One of the clients he is a guardian of has a big stamp collection it seems, and he gave me a big manila envelope filled with a TON of stamps in various smaller sleeves and envelopes. He wanted me to try to research and compile a value of all of them for him while he was on vacation(and I'm on spring break from teaching).

I'm kind of overwhelmed at the sheer amount and variety of stamps here...pretty much all of them are in mint condition it seems, and some look older and some look more recent. My question is: what resources are out there to try and find a value on these...I've browsed the internet trying to find stamp sites that I use, but most have their value lists in terms of years of the stamps, which I can't ascertain on quite a few of these.

so, I decided to go to the source and find a forum where someone might be willing to help out. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Welcome to The Yanch !

Post some pics, we'd love to help you out.

Have fun here, you never know, The Yanch might become The Collector !

Londonbus1...will never be a Yanch

We would be happy to help you out. Show us some scans and we can better help you out. This is the place to get your questions answered.

I would suggest going to your local library's reference section and checking out any stamp catalogs they have ie. SCOTT's

Hi TheYanch, welcome.

Get them into country groups first, that is if they are worldwide.

If you can get a Scott catalogue from a library (Scott Specialized for US) (also look in the reference section), the better way to sort is by era or year, otherwise use the face value, the denomination, to sort.

If mostly modern stamps (post 1940) they probably are not worth a whole lot, but there are always the odd men out type of stamps that are rarer and worth more.

Mint (new, with gum, fresh from Post Office) are usually worth more than used / cancelled. Groups of stamps together (strips of three, four, etc, or blocks of four or more and also worth a bit more.

If used then the cancel makes them worth more sometimes.

Condition is a big factor. The catalogues quote a price (CV or Catalog Value) of what a dealer would have to sell a single stamp (usually) to you for in order to make it worth his while. Usually on the market stamps sell for 10% to 75% of catalogue value.

Newer stamps will be worth face value (or less) if mint and pennies if used.

If you are into the 1800's and early 1900's then be very careful with the stamps (get some stamp tongs (online or stamp show or store to avoid transferring finger oil and other stuff to the stamps). Also there are varieties of the basic stamp in colour, paper, perforations (wiggly bits around the edge, how many per 2 centimetres), printing errors, also fakes and forgeries if you've got some higher value stamps.

For lawyer purposes I would think a Scott catalogue valuation or the basic stamp (main number in catalogue, not any 23ai's or 145civ's or anything, just 23 or 145) would be the thing needed and accepted by all.

If you need to throw some pics at us, please be kind and do it a bit at a time and by country or era. Too much to do will turn people away mostly except the sleepless few (me).

Your brother didn't do you any favors..find someone in your area that knows stamps they could give you a general idea $50 $100 whatever..you would spend days in the library with catalogs over small change !!

Some of us have literally spent months / days / years and still have no clue. Good luck. Post pictures.

Are you talkin to me ???

No... Phil,
I was talking to the Yanch, and referring only to myself.
But think you know I listen whenever you say something.

I think she was really talking to me!

Jeff, I believe her !!

Yank

You have just improved the odds for completion of your project by 150% by joining the SCF community. Please note that I say this from experience not from arrogance .

Lucky