Opinion On Breaking Down Blocks Of Stamps Into Singles

I've seen this quite a few times when looking at certified stamps where the cert shows a block of stamps and the seller is only selling one single from that original block. There is often an arrow pointing to the exact stamp in the block of stamps in that cert. I was wondering what the opinion of the community was on this practice. That is, I come from collecting sports cards, and in that hobby, if you have uncut sheets or strips, it is usually considered a huge no-no to cut those apart into singles since you are destroying history. That may have been one of the few uncut sheets or strips remaining in the hobby, so the general community would not want collectors to cut those down. If this different in the stamp hobby since blocks of stamps were originally meant to be separated anyway into singles? It's also different in the card hobby since uncut strips and sheets almost always feature many different players while in blocks of stamps, it's usually always the same stamp over and over again. I know that a lot depends on rarity, so if it's a very common block, it's no big deal to separate the stamps. However, what if it were a very rare block? What would be the consensus on this? Thanks!

glchen, difficult question, as I see it from two different positions.

On one hand, I feel like a stamp has not lived a right and proper life until it has been used for its intended purpose.

On my other hand, I don't think a rare block should be broken down into single, (assuming it is a used block).

That's my opinion, guess its a good thing I only have two hands.

Dave

Well, I wouldn't break this one!

http://royalmirror.coraider.com/fil...galleryv.jpg

This is one of the really evil effects of the grading craze, jumbo or high grade singles being broken out of multiples. When they are common items it's not a big deal, but many scarcer items have also been broken up. I recently heard a story of a dealer who had an attractive MNH corner margin block of 6 of #11 that he could not sell, but someone offered stupid money for a jumbo strip of three cut from it. Why that idiot would not just buy the block is a mystery to me, but this happens all the time over the last several years.

I used to consider this a terrible thing to do. Then I picked up a C1 block of four, creased through positions 1 & 3, but position 4 was MNHOG with superb centering. I broke it up, sold the sound VF lightly hinged UR single, the two flawed singles and the F unused copy from my collection. I ended up with a beautiful addition in my collection and money in my pocket at the end. I still don't like it, but have a much better understanding why a dealer would do so.

It seems to be the person who was interested in the margin block of 6 of #11, perhaps did not understand the importance of this item. But rather think calling him and "idiot" is rather a very rude! Very Rude indeed!

Dave

I'm on board with it being a no-no because it does in a sense alter history. I won't even take the selvedge off of a stamp even if there are no inscriptions on it.

For me it would entirely depend on value. Is the block worth more as a unit, than the combined total of the individual units.
I think in most cases the block would be worth more, IF it was really a valuable stamp, such as the C3a.
Other such common varieties, its what ever. I have tons of blocks of 3... lol. With plate numbers!
I'll probably list them as singles on bidstart at some point.

I called him as I see him. If people think it's rude, so be it.

Calm down!

Dave

Sometimes, the breaking up of multiples can be thoughtless, or even
sacrilege, depending upon the issue... case in point is this pair of
44P3 I had purchased sometime back... the seller cut off the left side
(not even straight, mind you) to sell the most desirable stamp of the
pair... (both thoughtless and sacrilege IMHO), given the item, and
I happily purchased it, not knowing it was a cut...

Shortly thereafter, he listed the right stamp, which I jumped on as
fast as I could. I would have paid him more for the uncut pair than
the price for the two individual stamps, as many others would have,
I'd assume...

Thanks for the comments. Sometimes I see a stamp in an auction such as the following Confederate, which I think is gorgeous and that I would love to own. However, then I think, "were all of the surrounding stamps cut down just to collect that stamp?"

It would seem like a waste to damage around eight surrounding stamps for the sake of well-centering one of them, unless they were all damaged already except for the middle one. Otherwise, at worse it could mean that eight collectors could have potentially been deprived of each one having one such stamp because they were cut or mutilated this way.

Stamp looks too good... it's either from a proof sheet,
or manufactured on a color laser printer...

.

From a recent Siegel auction, so pretty sure that stamp was authentic. http://www.siegelauctions.com/lot_g...lledfrom=lkp

Like I said... either (or)...