Jamestown Stamp Question

Would be interesting to see what else was hiding only because having that sheet may lead to other treasures. Could also be a 1 of thing someone acquired but if yor thinking auction you might as well add what you can. I've never been to any of the high end ones and depending on where your at logistics may make your choices easier. Seigals is probably known for selling the best of the best and usually realizing high numbers. I'm not sure if volume would help in negotiating . Most auction houses hate reserves and will sometimes refuse items with reserves. You may be able to tell them you will take no less than X and if they are confident in the item it might not be a problem. The downfall is usually you are accepting they will do all they can but on a bad day things can go way to cheap but the upside is on a good day things can hit the roof. I'd say if you keep your expectation in the $700-900 bracket you shouldn't be dissapointed and may be surprised. May be worth $25 for weiss certificate not that there is much chance of it not being legit but any cert helps at auction.

For a one shot deal like this, I would use ebay. All you have then are ebay fees and paypal fees which are less than seller fees through a major auction house. Also don't kid yourself about ebay, with ebay you get worldwide exposure instead of local exposure through an auction house.

First, this is a pane of 100 not a sheet which would be 200 (2 panes). The problem with aution houses is traffic. The premire auction houses get great traffic from bidders but most would not accept under $2500-$5000 min value. The smaller houses will acccept these items but have less traffic which means fewer bids and lower sales price as a norm.

The pane looks nice from the front, how is the gum?

The big thing is if you sale is what is your expectations? Based on the previous ebay sale I would guess this item (being much nicer) would probably get $700-1000. Is that within your expectations? What is the minimum, ebay could go at $500 if you don't set a minimum price, is that within your expectations? I have seen auctions where one item will go well above expected and the next will attract few bids and be a buyer's delight, you must keep that in mind when you sell.

Again, a big time thanks for everyone's help. I can tell this is a great forum! And I may be seeking more help in the future. With three kids/a dog/a business, it will be tough to go through all this stuff. From looking on ebay, I've quickly learned that the blocks seem to be the most desirable. There is some old late 1800s European stamps. And a LOT of Magyar Pastas. I don't even know what those are!

In all honesty, I'm just excited to be getting anything on this. I'm not greedy. Don't get me wrong - I'd like to get top dollar. But if I let in roll on ebay, I wouldn't have a problem with the outcome. Again, I sell a lot of baseball cards on ebay and have over 8000 positives, so I think people would have faith enough to bid. The problem is that I'm not a stamp expert.

Would anyone recommend having a local expert look at them? I'm in the Raleigh, NC area. I just don't want to damage the pane by pulling them out...

The item speaks for itself so there is really nothing a local expert can tell you other than it's a pane of 100 Stamps. Magyar Posta = Hungary and for the most part don't have much value unless they are from pre- 1905, give or take a few exceptions.

Thanks again. I may roll the dice on ebay just to move them. I did find some 1889-1956 Suomi stamps and they look perfect. They seem to have value from ebay. Anyone know anything about those?

Soumi is Finland. It would depend on which set it is. As for the Jamestown sheet, a lot will depend on what the back looks like. A search of the ASDA site I list here might help you find a local dealer who can take a look.

http://www.americanstampdealer.com/Home.aspx

Actually ebay has an unlimited audience, probably the biggest stamp market in the world. However, as I said before, there's a lot of ways to go wrong. There's no big rush, in fact you will get better prices after Christmas, well over $800 I would guess. Let's see what else you found.

You have another option, since you're in a big city, Raleigh. It's not out of the question to offer the sheet on CraigsList, with a couple buddies on hand, cash only, take it or leave it, i.e., no-nonsense terms. That means you would have to set a price, and I would allow yourself 10% bargaining room. Any philatelist or investor knows it's a rare item, you will not have to persuade them of anything. No certificate is necessary, although I have used William Weiss before, and he's great.

CraigsList is 100% free, by the way. If you want to "practice" on CraigsList, put up a dozen "baseball" lots first, to see how it operates. Keep in mind that AT LEAST 50% of the respondents in "Collectibles," the category you would use -- are Chinese hackers. Whenever I start a new series of ads, I've gotten as many as 20 in a row; they don't care about the merchandise, they want your email address, which they can sell (or worse), then your e-mailbox will be full forever. But some inexpensive "baseball" lots would give you good practice.

If it doesn't sell in 3 months, then you can revert to Plan B, whatever you decide upon. I'm thinking $1200 and hope for $1000, with little or no regard for what the back looks like, or perf separations -- it's a rare item, and perfection is expensive.

gomatt, I am in Charlotte, NC. We have several very knowledgeable people in our club. I also can put you in touch with a dealer who just retired whom I think could be of benefit. He lives in Cornelius, NC.

And I can personally vouch for ncbuckeye...

A further word about CraigsList, you go to the local stamp club and show the thing off, and in answer to all inquiries, "Well, it's going on CraigsList next Tuesday - just thought you-all might like a first-hand look before I advertise." Then if you have a potential buyer or two, they realize it's every man for himself, and a keen sense of competition you won't find at a stamp club. And of course you ignore advice not to do that, just smile and say you thought you'd be better off with a wider audience...

Very helpful responses. I am looking forward to going through this collection. I've always been attracted to rare baseball card and understand the combination or rarity/condition. And that's the one thing that I'd be curious about on this piece. It looks to be in great condition for something so old. Again, I'm afraid to take the piece out to look at the back. I don't want to damage it. But it really looks nice given its age. If the stamp market is like the baseball card market, obviously there is a strong premium for NrMt/Mint vintage items. Of course, I know cards, just not stamps. But I am curious to see what this piece's upside might be.

I'll keep you guys up to date. NCbuckeye - unfortunately, I don't get out to Charlotte too much. But if you think he might be able to help, please send me his info. But I do go to High Point often and I noticed that there a few dealers on the link that are there. There is also one in Cary which is very close to where I live. But I'll keep you guys in the loop.

"I'm thinking $1200 and hope for $1000, with little or no regard for what the back looks like, or perf separations -- it's a rare item, and perfection is expensive".

VERY BAD IDEA!
The sheet if every stamp is hinged would cat $2825 (2011) so $1200 is OK, but if all are never hinged than the cat is $7620 and $1200 is MUCH too low. Just the imprint plate block being NH makes a big difference. This pane really needs to be looked at by someone who knows what they are doing so an accurate assessment can be made.

Not a bad idea UNTIL we know the condition of the back. A while ago somebody was talking $700 or $800. Nobody's in lockstep until we know all the facts.