General Questions

I do not collect stamps (but I do collect coins among other things), therefore I do not know a lot about them. I'd like to ask about:

1. The role of catalog values. Is it like here - there is a set catalog value of each stamp but nobody will give you even half of that amount, and dealers also sell (not only buy) much below the catalog value?

2. Are stamps graded? I know they are authenticated. Is also grade important?

3. Is a stamp that's missing one of the .. edges (don't know how to call them) missing considered damaged? And if the missing part isn't in the corner?

4. Is a stamp having a piece of paper on the back side, what signifies it was previously put in an album, considered low value? Isn't it so that most old stamps have this characteristic?

5. What's better - a lightly cancelled stamp or a stamp with the name of the post office clearly readable?

6. What was the highest denomination of German inflationary stamps of 1923? I saw a "10 milliarden" and heard there were higher ones.

Thank you.

1. The role of catalog values. Is it like here - there is a set catalog value of each stamp but nobody will give you even half of that amount, and dealers also sell (not only buy) much below the catalog value?

Catalog values are a guide. Values can be much lower, the same or much higher depending on several factors. Generally you will pay much lower for a average stamp. You can expect dealers to offer as little as 25% of the cat value for most stamps.

2. Are stamps graded? I know they are authenticated. Is also grade important?

Yes they are and it can mean a big difference in price. Stamps are graded by centering, among other factors. You will mostly find certified stamps when the value reaches $100.

3. Is a stamp that's missing one of the .. edges (don't know how to call them) missing considered damaged? And if the missing part isn't in the corner?

Yes and it will be far less than the cat value.

4. Is a stamp having a piece of paper on the back side, what signifies it was previously put in an album, considered low value? Isn't it so that most old stamps have this characteristic?

It would be the same as a used stamp not on paper most of the time. There could be a greater value if it is on a cover. The second part of the answer is no, there is a very good supply of Mint Non Hinged (unused) stamps for most (but not all) in those early years. In rare cases a used stamps is worth more than an unused stamp such as in the case of Confederate stamps.

5. What's better - a lightly cancelled stamp or a stamp with the name of the post office clearly readable?

It depends on the market place. A lightly canceled stamp or post mark is perfered in most cases. There are some propel who do collect post office names and may pay more for a particular stamp. But generally there is no difference.

6. What was the highest denomination of German inflationary stamps of 1923? I saw a "10 milliarden" and heard there were higher ones.

I pass on this one.

To the best of my knowledge, Stuttgart issued a railway stamp which had a denomination of 5 billion marks

Hello DL20K, mkfarm covered a good bit and is pretty much right on. I did want to add that for question number 3.



Some with a straight edge are know as a margin copy. Not damaged but were on the edge of a sheet or cut from a center. Most cases they still are valued less, I still can not figure out why as actually they are less numbers of these than the rest of the sheet.

To go along with inflation of German stamps their monetary system collapsed as you know. I had a picture of streets about a foot deep and piles of marks 5 to 6 feet high, completely worthless. Will have to try and find picture.

The German inflation of 1923 was nothing compared to the Hungarian hyperinflation of 1946. Scott #784 is the stamp with the highest denomination I know: 5 million adopengö which is 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 normal pengö... I have no idea how such a number should be called.

Thanks for taking your time to answer my questions!
Does anyone have a photo of the stamp mentioned by Jan-Simon? Or others from that period? Are they rare?

I'd also like to ask about cancelled stamps that have glue on the other side. Are they considered equal to stamps that were unsticked from envelopes/postcards?

that would be 10 octillion

I collect postally used stamps ("canceled" in layman's terms :) almost exclusively. To me, how light or dark a cancel is does not matter to me. What the overall cancel adds to the presentation of a particular stamp is what draws me to a cancel.

As with collecting anything else, if it is something that is attractive to you, it is the right thing ... that's the beauty of collecting!

Regarding your canceled stamp with the gum on the back ... chances are it is a CTO or Canceled To Order stamp. Several countries - mainly the Soviet bloc countries - would print and cancel stamps to sell large quantities to stamp dealers. Stamp dealers gained large quantities of stock, and governments made money from the sales. Seemed like a win-win situation. Generally, CTOs are considered less desirable than postally used stamps that have actually mailed a letter.

Again, whether or not one adds CTOs to their collection must be based on personal preference. Personally, I do not mind CTOs at all and have a lot of them in my Czechoslovakia collection.

CTOs are valued less than postally used stamps. Since I collect for the love of stamps and not for their value, I don't mind. :)

I concur. In my KGVI collection, almost all of my stamps have a CDS postmark. I keep others brcause of the postmark. For example, I have a difficult to find "R.A.F." postmark on an Adenese stamp, and a lovely "Prince of Wales Post Office" on a Maltese stamp.

David

Thanks for your answers - now I know a little bit more

here is a nice inflationcover from Germany. 15 stamps, 1 million mark

Do the math ? and the postage better be correct..our postal clerks today would be in big trouble !!

i read a book about the fall of Berlin..the Russians were in the suburbs and the post office was still delivering the mail to people it could find !!