Cheap But Difficult

Sounds like an old girlfriend... but seriously....

La Swabbie e-mailed me offline with a question and I would like to address it on-line, for the benefit of the SCF.

I am an advanced collector, in a few areas, and have specialised knowledge. I also work part-time at a stamp shop, so I see some of the "inside" things. My passion, as V-P of the Ottawa Philatelic Socoety is teaching stamp skills to beginner-level collectors.

Incidentally, I'll have my new computer in another week or two and will have my scanner up and running. then I can scan what I need and start my Primer on collecting King George VI reign stamps.

Onto the "cheap but difficult"...

La Swabbie is looking for a low-valued (in Scott's) stamp from Germany. It's cheap but difficult to get. Why?

Well, catalogue values reflect not only the scarcity of an item (really on popular countries), but they also reflect demand. A few examples...

I collect Costa Rica... I have stamps with an issue number of less than 10 000 stamps, but it catalogues at less than a dollar. Why? Not many folks collect Costa Rica, and the demand is therefore, very low... thus the catalogue value is very low.

The famous U.S. air mail Zepps are NOT rare. They are all over the place! But! There is a great demand for them and so, the catalogue value reflects the demand, rather than the true value. That being said, a stamp is really only worth what someone will pay for it, right?

Last item... Canada's 50¢ Bluenose.... $300+ mint. It was a high-value definitive and there were millions printed. Why so pricey? Demand! Now, the 8¢ stamp in the same series had a very low printing. Fewer than the Bluenose! But, the stamp has a low demand, so it is worth less than the Bluenose. Those trying to locate this stamp to complete the set will find it difficult to find a nice used copy. Why? The 8¢ stamp paid a little-used rate, so the postal demand was very low, too.

I hope this helps everyone.

Questions?

Great explanation of how the wheels turn in our hobby!

I know that when I came across my collection of stamps that I had started at age 10 but had lost interest and placed away, I thought I had a gold mine! They were mostly stamps from the 1940's to 1960's with a few older ones-these stamps are everywhere and are not hard to come by. Thru the help here I quickly learned that the stamps were only worth a small value, but since I had kept them for over 40 years, they are still my little "gold mine"! ha

Thanks!
Gussyboy1

Your explanation is a very good one David, and I agree with everything you say about supply and demand. So, I'm now demanding that someone supply me with a copy!

It is strange, though, that I can't find a decent used copy of Germany 584 as it is the low value in a set of two and my understand is that it was widely used (for the day). I think part of the problem may be that it retails so low most dealers don't want to fool with it except as part of a much larger order.

Who knows . . . .

Germany 584, Hanover Fair issue from 1948. Perhaps there was a small number sold because the country was trying to rebuild after getting bombed for six years previously. Perhaps a collector of Germany could explain why it is idifficult to acquire. Bobgggg...?

David

That could be part of the problem, but all the other issues from 1945 and on are easy to find even if a bit pricey in some cases.

As an aside to your comment David, I lived in Bad Kreuznach, Germany in the mid 50's and again in the early 60's and I distinctly recall that there was one square city block left undisturbed and un-rebuilt (if that's a word) as a monument to, and reminder of, the destruction of war.

I'll never forget that part of living there.

i checked my Germany..the set in my album is unused..they must have cancelled some to order for collectors..i checked my 1995 Germany Michel catalog ..they do cat more used than mint..if I am reading it correctly 12 Million sets were printed !!

Twelve million sets seems reasonable, though for that time, perhaps many were sold at the fair. Who knows?

LaSwabbie... I had heard about certain towns in Germany keeping a block or two in a city as a bombed out reminder of what happens if they give up on democracy.

David

I would love to go back and see if it is still there. I'd just love to go back and spend a month there in general.

I have Germany 548 mint, however , you may be able to find it on a cover, since it commemorates an event.

I have the 1947 issue both used and mint, but the used copies appear to have a real fancy cancel.

Thanks for looking Bob. I have a couple of mint copies, and they are everywhere in the auctions. I finally found one on StampWants today, but it was being offered by a guy who lists everything at $1 even if the SCV is 20 cents. I refuse to buy from him on principle.

I'll keep looking though.

Have looked to see if I have one for you, but they are all mint. This could be an instance where Scott is wrong, and maybe a used copy should be listed at 20 dollars, not 20 cents, if it's that hard to find used. Scott has done it with others. Looks as if the value could just a bad guess on their part based on quantity issued and assuming most had been used.

This is all so interesting, and intriguing.

i'm curious how do you find out how many sheets of a particular stamp were printed - is it listed in a catalog or something?

Londonbus, am curious as to what these three impossible sets were.
Would you happen to know the Scott numbers?

Hi Greg...Spoke with our Canadian guy today. He only had it
mint but will check some other stockbooks he has and see if
he has an used one. Should hear back from him in a couple
of days. Will advise when I hear.

Mike