Trying To Research

Hi everyone. first post here :)

quick back story, I've been collecting stamps for years, like since I can remember, but always just purely as a hobby, I like to take them out and look :)
I had a few stolen and lost heart for a few years, until my Nan gave me a bag full of stamps from all over the world, her sister worked at a post office her whole life and had been collecting from before the second world war, my collection is from (1930 through to about 2005) I was brought to this forum through a search on USA stamps, so I thought maybe it would be interesting to everyone to see some of the stamps I have.
I've tried to get them evaluated but the guy I took them to was so disrespectful of my stamps and was extremely arrogant then offered me an amount that didn't even cover my fuel cost to go see him, I knew he hadn't even bothered to look at them properly because as I left I mentioned that, that red kangaroo stamp was worth nothing then? and he got very excited and wanted to look through them again... I don't expect to have anything worth value though and there are few people in south Africa I can take them to.
and I expect that as a collector I should start researching what I have.

thanks for you time :)

Sadly whoever you took them to was correct. Not enough there to purchase a gallon of gas. Very common material, the ones with the cities printed on them are called "Pre-cancels".

Thanks for your response! I'm not surprised there is nothing here that stands out, I guess what was upsetting to me was the way the guy automatically assumed I was looking to get easy money, but I had gone to him to learn and if lucky find out if there was anything valuable because I have well over a thousand stamps. But he was very arrogant and threw around my stamps carelessly and it was insulting when he offered me less than $2 for my whole collection when I hadn't gone to him for that in the first place. (why bother offering?)
I have learned a lot already through this forum, like, I had no idea some stamps had watermarks on them haha!

is there a recommended book I could buy on stamp collecting?

I buy and sell collections. 9 out of 10 that come to me are worthless. I try to be diplomatic to the owners of what is basically throw away stuff and almost always they are insulted and think me an idiot. Uneducated stamp owners (usually people that inherit collections) are like people who trade in their cars and expect the get what they paid for it less maybe 10%. The fact is that the stamp market is flooded and there are far less collectors today than a generation ago. So even stuff that had some value in 1960 (50 years ago!) may be unsellable. These are the facts.

I understand completely what you're saying, I grew up in a family who rebuilds classic mini coopers, we've gone to homes where the car is advertised as a cooper, and get there to find out its not even outer-hinged has no disk breaks or even duel fuel tanks, the engine numbers don't match etc.. its very hard to be diplomatic towards people who assume because its a mini, its a cooper, the way people expect their inherited stamp collection is valuable because it has a 100 year old stamp within the dusty covers.
When I got in contact with the guy, I said I don't think I have anything valuable and am not looking to sell (I wanted to find out if I had anything valuable to insure), and when I arrived at his home, I told him again, I don't want to sell, but as I got in my car to leave he threw in the insulting offer, after he had told me it was worthless, I'm a naturally suspicious person, and my Mom and I are very good at detecting deception,and we both were doubtful that what I had was in fact worthless after the visit (I guess you'd have to be there to understand).
getting off track here lol! essentially I put my stamps away for about 5 years because of him, and am slowly getting back into researching, ebay is a bad place to look because several stamps I have are on there for about $30K and more, its confusing and I am finding it difficult to find out why that particular one is worth so much.
I love stamps, partly because I am fascinated how so much detail can be printed onto such a small space, and really just like looking at them (:
it would also be awesome to learn enough to pass on to my little cousins who have been nagging me about them ;)

Hi and welcome inyoni,Your best bet would be to find some old catalogs on ebay that are fairly cheap. These can give you a perspective on how many variables exist on some stamps. There are people on ebay that seem to think that someone would be inexperienced enough to buy that 30k stamp. ebay is not the place to use as a reference, it is however an open season to buy/sell whatever you want for as much as you want. The most important part is to find those common type stamps for your cousins and let them have a go at learning the history behind the image. Either way, all stamp collectors look for that "treasure". A lot have looked for that treasure long before any of us were born and still had never found it. You never know. But involving younger generations is by far the most valuable thing that exists. Have fun. Cya out there. Respectfully,Gary

Hello inyoni, welcome to Stamp Community!

Every stamp is worth a million dollars!

You own them, and your family, if you so desire of course, and some are priced in the catalogue or catalogued at higher prices that others.

BUT, it all depends on demand and supply also. You might say that the 2c bluish Washington is worth more than any of the others because it is older but the nicked corner devalues it to other collectors who can afford a nicer copy.

When you cannot afford a nicer copy then you can sell it for a good price perhaps.


Years ago in the 70's and 80's when I started up again, slowly and surely, stamps were worth what the catalogue said they were. At least when I bought them from the stamp store on the main street they were. Not when I tried to sell them though.

Each stamp has a story. Where did you get it? Where did it come from? Who had it before you? What did he or she do? Money means something but also caring and love and what the holding of it does for you means something also.


Some of your stamps look in better shape or condition than others, so would be more worth something than another similar one in worse shape. It's hard to tell when starting out, even again.

I could want those and pay catalogue price for them because they were there, available for me to buy. I didn't pay shipping or postage to get them perhaps, or I didn't have to go to a lot of trouble to get them.

But then, when you do pay or go to a trouble, sometimes that makes the stamps seem to be worth more also.


The love of history helps collectors or accumulators or even sorters like I was. I just wanted to sort out stamps, cheap or expensive. But then, over a time, I started to appreciate what a stamp could be worth, Details, details, details are what makes one stamp worth more over another stamp.

Examples:
- Words upside down on a pre-cancelled stamp or off centered or rare cities or rare typefaces or fonts.
- Slightly different colours for the same stamps.
-Different small details of one stamp over another same stamp.
-A beautiful cancel or postmarks or rare postal marking over a stamp with just an ordinary wavey cancel. (I'm a cancel collector too! )
-Seeming same stamps with a different perforation (wiggly edges) measured in how many every 2cm.
-Different centerings of the design on the paper.
-Different papers themselves.
-Higher denomination values in a set, or a complete set of stamps.

Etcetera, etc. Different topics are collected, different countries, the same country in depth, cats on stamps (a favorite kind of), personal stamps now-a-days, cinderella or poster stamps, mint fresh stamps over used cancelled stamps.


After a while you find out more and more, and there is always something to learn, always something to appreciate. The more you know, the more you realize how much there is to know.

thank you Gary and Puzzler :)
one of my favourite stamps is this one not because its rare or valuable, but because of the history on the stamp, the story. :)

Don't be discouraged as stamps aren't an investment (usually) and the stuff you scanned has only minimal catalog value and to be truthful about 10% of that (book value). It's all about condition and the stamps rarity; and sadly none of the ones you show have neither and are all common. Not being mean but just giving you a life lesson. keep a hold of them and pass them down to your children and so on. Someday they might be worth something but not now. usually one needs to learn ab out exactly what you have and upgrade the damaged ones ans start complementing sets. That should help you sell them more easily. Best wishes -Jeff Remember stamps in perfect condition are usually worth 19% of catalog value plus the dealer has to make a profit too. It sucks know but DON'T GIVE UP! Your friend -Jeff

thanks Jeff (: I have held on to them for quite a few years already, I am trying to learn as much as I can about them so that I can pass them on someday (with a story) and hopefully inspire a love of stamps too. I initially just wanted to find out if there was anything of value to protect better than they are already. I've already learned a lot over the past few days by just reading up on them, and am glad I found a place here with such a big combined knowledge of all stamps everywhere, as my biggest collection is from UK, South Africa, and Rhodesia
:)