Found Collection.. Need Advice!!

willow51674, Welcome to the forum. Please don't be offended by the honest advice given by members. Far better knowing where you stand before buying a new P.C. from non existent profits.

Many collection inheritors think the same - so your not Robinson Crusoe. Remember this one true 'fact' that annoys many, if one pays peanuts for stamps/collections expect peanuts when sold.

When people give stamps away for nothing - there's a reason, there basically worth nothing and NEVER will be.
Honestly when was the last time someone gave way a stamps they could sell for $1000 each - if you get my drift.

Willow51674 - I agree with what was said so far. Most collections, including mine, are worth much more to the collector than anyone else.

The one thing I don't think anyone has mentioned (sorry if I just missed it) is that if you really want to know what the collection is worth, you might take it to a stamp dealer. You can probably find one or two near you that would be willing to give it a quick lookover and a ballpark figure. They may be getting few and far between, but it is still a stamp dealer's job to know what stamps are worth. There are a few willing to sell their soul to make a buck but I think the majority build their business on reputation. If you think they are low-balling you, get a second opinion.

Another option is putting the entire collection or groups of stamps at a low reserve on ebay or the like. If a couple buyers notice something truly unusual, they may bid it up to what it is really worth. That probably will probably be less than "catalog value", which is really just a reference value for dealers. Stamps from dealers are often actually sold for less than catalog value.

Of course, just continuing the collection might be more fun

Or you can use the ebay free appraisal feature. Place the lot up for auction, put a reserve on it, see where the bidding ends up and if it doesn't sell, re-list it again at 10% below the highest bid you did receive.

I like your thinking, stallzer! but you missed out one bit - after "put a reserve on it" it ought to read "Watch SCF for a new thread linked to your auction and entitled either "look what this idiot is trying to get for a bunch of stamps worth $5" OR "Look at this bargain on ebay only $5 and worth $1000s" and adjust your price accordingly "

"I like your thinking, stallzer! but you missed out one bit - after "put a reserve on it" it ought to read "Watch SCF for a new thread linked to your auction and entitled either "look what this idiot is trying to get for a bunch of stamps worth $5" OR "Look at this bargain on ebay only $5 and worth $1000s" and adjust your price accordingly "

No chance of the second. We would buy it ourselfs and only AFTER the auction post links, bragging as to how smart we are!!

Willow,
Welcome, and no worries....I know how you feel....I purchased a few collections with some stamps I could add to my collection I had inherited 16 years ago to complete....not all good,but while hunting for fillers and rares, I have found a rare being my most recent post of a Scott 64a pigeon blood pink (cv $6k) that I had purchased in a collection for $28....Other collections have nothing but common stamps and most do.....I did get lucky....but as a collector the hunt goes on and yes such determination and time into looking for these rares makes them hard to rid of....I wouldn't let it go for anything less than $4k expecially with the color, centering, and light cancel as Very Fine....The collection being almost complete....there is nothing but rares and hard to find varieties to help complete the collection....this being a US only collection but do have other country collections I don't really pay attention to...Anyways, good luck...

Jcstamp, congratulations - beautiful stamp.

Jcstamp,

You inspire us all!! But I am usually too lazy to check for varieties etc. I am a fill the space kind of collector. (Like most WW colectors I suspect).

*sigh*

Until a cure for color blindness is found, I will never have that experience. Grats JCstamp!

Odd that this thread is still going.

The original post was Willow's first and only post on the board. Hopefully, after he realizes, he can't sell his found collection for millions, he'll return here as a collector.

KS

I think it's the title used that attracts so many viewers (almost 700 now).

When someone is using Google to search for how to do something with a collection the words used in this thread's title must come up quite often.

I found it triggers in me a hankering to see what's going on here (and I already have a collection or two (or three) going on. So for one who has no collection and is suddenly having one the words are good ones to see. They resonate with a lot of people.