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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3046 Posts |
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So, I just got a mailing from Mystic Stamp Company, and it included a page and price list for the modern imperfs the USPS has been issuing. The prices range from relatively reasonable to outrageous. A single Emancipation Proclamation (4721) imperf is being sold for $1.90. Pairs on ebay are going for $2.99, so this isn't too bad. The Modern Art in America sheet of twelve is going to $89.95! ebay has them going in the $20-$25 range. So, the question that comes to mind is... Since Scott did not assign these catalog numbers, how is a collector to track the value of these imperfs, if they choose to collect them? Have Stanley Gibbons of Michel given these imperfs catalog numbers? |
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Valued Member
392 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3046 Posts |
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ebay is a good indicator, assuming I can find the item for sale somewhere on ebay. I wonder if someone one day will just write a bot that scans ebay auctions and determines value of postage stamps. |
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Valued Member
392 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
6430 Posts |
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Quote:Scott's Catalgue values are based on 19th century methods of analysis. In the 21st century you simply check the ebay SOLD prices. This. Any time I see something I'm interested in, assuming it isn't something terribly obscure or semi-unique, I check a few things: 1. ebay SOLD listings to see if there are any similar examples and what they sold for. 2. ebay CURRENT listings to see what other sellers might be offering the same thing for. 3. If it is a noncollectible item, I then check Amazon. 4. If it is computer equipment/parts, I check Newegg. 5. If it is anything noncollectible, I do a seach on slickdeals.net to see if there are any current deals, coupons, etc. |
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Valued Member
United States
74 Posts |
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On ebay, I have noticed that the imperfs of the USS Constitution/War of 1812 are actually selling for lower premiums than the die cut pane of 20. The stamp issue sold out in a fairly short period of time in 2012. |
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| Edited by MarginBlocks - 01/12/2014 4:05 pm |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3046 Posts |
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So, here's an idea. Scott DID NOT assign catalog numbers to these stamps. Sounds like a golden opportunity to create an imperf numbering system and track values based on internet sales of these items. Ideally, we'd use the existing number with an "I" in front of it, or some other system, but Amos Legal will hunt you down if you do that. |
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
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I got the same mailing from Mystic and the imperf page piqued my interest. I wondered how many people collect these modern imperfs. I haven't collected any US singles past 1999. I do collect certain modern sheets and mini sheets such as Earthscapes, Made in America, Endangered Species, Harry Potter etc. Usually I only collect those sheets that have unique designs for each stamp, not the sheets of 20 of the same design. Harry Potter were the first no die-cut press sheets I purchased. Creating position pieces and such got me thinking about other modern US imperfs. I thought that If I did ever choose to collect modem SA stamps, the imperfs would be the way I'd do it. When I saw the Mystic ad I actually stared pricing some out on ebay. Aside from my Harry Potter press sheets I haven't acquired any other modern imperfs yet, but I think it would be a fun and interesting collection to work on. |
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Moderator
United States
12330 Posts |
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Quote:Catalog publishers are about 20 years behind the times. It is detrimental to our hobby to require 'special knowledge' or some customized formula to understand the true market value of a stamp. In this day and age it simply reflects horribly upon our hobby that no publisher has stepped up and started to put into place the foundation to present true market values to stamps. It isn't rocket science, places like Travelocity are able to harvest and present values for plane tickets and hotel rooms. Amazon is able poll for hundreds of thousands price changes daily for hundreds of thousands products. Frankly it is not a stretch at all to have Amos or other catalog publisher to do the same thing. They simply have to standardize on how the way to exchange the information. It is even quite easy to build a link that presents the 'completed/sold' information on any web site. For example, I do this with my online catalog here http://dd-designs.co/PNT/PNT_home.htm. Simply click on Scott number button and then the link under the "value" field. It opens a new window with complete sales for that Scott number. So now imagine how this would work if you were Amos or another catalog company. Not only would you exchange value info with ebay, but also with any other online source that sells stamps and covers. You would be offering people true, real-time market value. A tool like this would also be able to calculate trends over time. I have no idea why these publishers are clinging to the past. It is like they consider they value they have as some kind of proprietary worth. As I mentioned above, catalog publishers are behind the times. Why consider a publisher's "opinion" about a value (especially when they are not even in the ball park) when you can quickly determine what the stamp is actually selling for? don |
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Valued Member
United States
183 Posts |
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Quote:
I got the same mailing from Mystic and the imperf page piqued my interest. I wondered how many people collect these modern imperfs. This is an interesting question. My choice has been, for souvenir sheets and issues with elaborate selvedge, to try to obtain a pane/sheet from someone who has cut a press sheet. For other issues, I keep a horizontal pair. On a very, very few issues which interested me, I bought an entire press sheet; the recent Made in America sheet, for example. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
4079 Posts |
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"So now imagine how this would work if you were Amos or another catalog company. Not only would you exchange value info with ebay, but also with any other online source that sells stamps and covers. You would be offering people true, real-time market value." ebay sales (and other online sites like bidstart) only represent those type of online sales. Scott values are roughly for what you would expect to pay retail. Not the same thing. |
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Valued Member
191 Posts |
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Quote:
Scott values are roughly for what you would expect to pay retail. I think it's pretty rare that anyone would pay catalogue values at retail. Scott catalogue values are mostly used as a reference point, from which a discount is usually offered by a retailer. A common exception to this is when an item is associated with intense speculative activities, so that its catalogue value wildly understates its market price. For ascertaining the true market value of a stamp at a given point in time, its actual contemporaneous ebay sale price (or an average of several sales) is clearly a more reliable indicator of its market value than its catalogue value. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
4079 Posts |
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"I think it's pretty rare that anyone would pay catalogue values at retail. Scott catalogue values are mostly used as a reference point, from which a discount is usually offered by a retailer." I know a dealer who makes a very comfortable living retailing at 80-100% of Scott, far above ebay prices, and he is not unique. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3046 Posts |
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Quote:
Scott catalogue values are mostly used as a reference point, from which a discount is usually offered by a retailer. This has been far from my experience. ALL the retailers near me use Brookman, which is usually higher than Scott. :-( |
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
3963 Posts |
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I am lucky to belong to a stamp club in which member either trade or sell their spares. I also attend a couple of stamp shows per year and get to browse through circuits once a month. I have to to pay more that half of cv on any item. Dianne.  |
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Don't grumble that the roses have thorns, be thankful that the thorns have roses |
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Replies: 14 / Views: 5,893 |
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Posted 01/11/2014 11:24 am
