Box Of Used Old Stamps

Hello,

I joined because I have a box of used old stamps that are very old and there is a lot of them, probably hundreds. Any way to know if they are worth anything?

Thanks!

Try going to a library that has Scott stamp catalogs. Then look for the design and the denomination of each of your stamps. I assume your stamps are US since this post is listed under US Classic Stamps. If you could take photos or a scan of some of your stamps, someone might be able to give other advice. Just be prepared to hear that your stamps might be basically worthless, monetarily speaking.

Hi Dmann,
The best advice I can offer is to find a local club and drop by a meeting with your stamps. You will find that collectors who belong to a club will give you honest advice, welcome you if you choose to take up the hobby, and help you sell what you have if you just want to sell it. Check out the APS website, http://stamps.org/Local-Clubs for local clubs in your area. If you don't have any luck repost and I'll provide you an email to contact me.

Worthless huh? even the one with the upside down airplane? just kidding. =)

you can also look online google mystic stamps......you can see stamps there...but do not believe the prices....but it could give you a general idea if you think abot 1/3 of what they list

Take some pics and scans and post them up here. Pictures are worth a thousands words as they say. We all like to see stamps.

Why the 'worthless' comment was made was probably because that just because a stamp is old it doesn't mean it is worth anythining big. Thye used billions of stamps back then. No email, no phobes, mail was the way to communicate.

Still, you never know, you may have some nice stamps. Condition is everything in stamps. Any rips or tears or creases or thins or stains etc etc will lower the value a lot. Nice cancels help to sell a stamp also.

Take some pics, lets see what you have.

Scan your oldest, most interesting looking examples.
Then take regular pics of the rest in smallish groups, just well enough we can see if anything sticks out.

For the most part, anything after about 1930 is worth around face value if UNUSED,
and used stamps are sold by the pound, literally. There are a few exceptions, but not many.

Before 1930 used stamps start getting worth selling on an individual basis, but many lower face value
stamps are still super common until you get closer to the Civil War timeframe. Unused before 1930
are your best bet for stamps that are worth 'dollars' instead of 'cents'.

You guys and gals can sure keep a guy on his toes. My "worthless" comment does sound a bit harsh, doesn't it. I thought that "worthless" would understood in context with the following words: "monetarily speaking". It sounds insensitive too.

I apologize to you dmann and anyone else who may have been offended, even if offended only a little bit.

I take no offense myself. I think you were just talking in stamp terms known to collecting buffs but perhaps not as well known to new collectors. happens all the time with everyone I think.

There's nothing harsh about it, it's reality. 99.999% of the time, someone pops in here with grandpa's old pile of stamps and they're functionally worthless. They expect to be able to go buy a house and it's just not going to happen. Sure, there are those extremely rare, one in a million cases where they are worth something, but in virtually every case, people need to know up front that the chances they're going to make any significant money on their collection is close to nil.

That doesn't mean collecting stamps is worthless, but let's be honest, the number of people who come here, having inherited something, with a serious drive to collect stamps, purely for the love of collecting stamps, is very low. It's sad that it's low, but that's the reality. Most people who show up here and in their first or second post, have a collection they want to know the worth of only have dollar signs in their eyes. I feel it's irresponsible to string them along.

it is so very true...that unless you know a relative is I true collector that you are most likely not to find anything of value....may it be stamps, coins, or anything else worth collecting. but there still is a possibility of finding that needle in the haystack. I try to be hopeful myself...i guess that is why I play the lottery sometimes also.

I resemble that remark...

dmann, I sure hope you pursue checking out what you have and show us at least some of what you have.