XF Classics - How Many Are Left Ungraded?

I am about to switch my collecting from early British Empire to pre-1940 US classics; mounted mint but very well centered. This is the beginning of the journey and I thought that SCF would be a good place to start; I have so many questions!

There will be plenty of stamps that are way beyond reach but completion is not the goal. Bearing in mind my desire for excellent centering, I was wondering whether all the XF classics had been pretty much already graded and whether my buying would be limited to the more specialist dealers in this material? Or has just a small proportion been graded with much to discover in fresh collections yet to come to market?

And does pretty much all XF centering material end up getting graded anyhow or is it often available without any form of third party appraisal?

Have got loads more questions but this would be a great start if others can share their veiws.

Thanks, Nick

bad plan, grading of stamps usually just makes them cost way more than they really worth. I am all for authenticating but stamps involve way more than just nice centered stamps. I would spend more time learning before I tried this.

assumed you mean "hinged"???

There are PLENTY stamps to be had....
graded or ungraded.
hinged or never hinged.

Maybe I haven't be clear enough. I'm not interested in buying graded stamps for the sake of it. I'm interested in stamps that are well centered. I can use my eyes without the need for PSE etc to tell me what I can already see.

My question relates to the overall availability of well centered US classics. Are there still many stamps out there to be 'discovered' or have the majority already found their way into the grader's hands and have therefore been inflated in price?

PS
I know this is a generalisation. Just trying to get an overall feel for the market.

Plenty of stamps come up, very few have actualy been graded but a lot are in peoples collections.

kevin is right. Besides attending shows, you can avail yourself of the ebay, BidStart, and Stamps2Go websites. They all show pictures - just ignore the ones that do not. It does not sound like you need or want graded stamps. I would offer caution about purchasing FAKES. They are out there and you have to determine which Scott #'s are susceptible to alteration. For example, the Washington-Franklins. This site offers guidance and opinions to "Family" members.

Jack kelley

Unless you are an expertizer yourself I would strongly recommend a certificate on any well centered, expensive, or thought to be original gum specimen pre 1890. There are still many nice appearing classics out there but the question is whether they are sound or whether they are faulty and dickered with in some way. Your eyes may be better than mine but I personally can't see much of a difference between 95, 98 and 100 on the grading scale and I think most of us know a jumbo when we see one without having to be told; so if I bought a stamp already certified and graded at a reasonable price so much the better but grading is not an essential in my world and as it is I have had only one classic US stamp graded (already graded at the time of purchase).

As far as 20th century issues are concerned after the 1903 regular issue I really don't understand the fad to getting stamps printed in those quantities graded. The printing methods were much better in the 20th century so a well centered stamp was by no means a rarity.

That's good to hear. I'm in absolutely no rush and have no desire to pay a ridiculous premium for a slabbed stamp. Far more fun to search and discover as well. Point noted about the fakes.

I'm going to get myself a copy of Scott Specialized. Does it tend to reflect market pricing or should I be aiming to buy at a significant discount?

Your best source of market is actual sales, not catalogs. For premium classics I would start with the Robert a Siegel auction archives on the web. That and the PF search engine will give you some sense of the census of individual stamps.

The Stamps Valued by Grade supplement in the US Specialized Catalog is relatively accurate as is the PSE SMQ. Faulty stamps sell at a hefty discount to sound stamps. Some stamps in very fine condition are so seldom seen that the catalog price may be too low while stamps that are quite common may sell at a slight discount. Most stamps sell at a deep discount to the very fine sound catalog value because they are not very fine and are defective. Unfortunately, many sellers on ebay and some the stamp markebplace don't seem to know the difference. Altered stamps are another hazard to buyers and to unsuspecting stamp dealers.

Actual sales prices should are helpful. Brick and mortar auction prices bounce around between wholesale and retail. Prices on ebay are sometimes low, especially at auction because many buyers are said to bid low because they are afraid of buying damaged stamps they don't want and can't return. Sales of fixed price listings on ebay are more accurate and can be very useful, especially when compared with prices of unsold listings.

Prices of graded stamps are based on what others have paid in the past reflecting actual values based on what a buyers are willing to pay sellers. Over time, some graded prices have dropped and others have risen. Those who believe that grades stamps are too expensive should go find their own and get them certified or not buy them.

Clark

At one level that just sounds like good sense. But it still leaves a question over how you would describe what your goal is.

So, what do you consider a U.S. classic to be, and what about them now drives your interest in them? It certainly isn't investment or you would be going for certified material only. Is it perhaps the challenge of putting together a stellar collection from ungraded material only?

Just curious.

My understanding is that "classic" applies to issues up to around 1875, although "Les Classiques de France" in Yvert extend to the end of the Sage issue, c1900. I suspect that some "classic" catalogues extend the definition to later periods to give themselves a viable product to sell.

I use the word 'classic' in the same context as Scott. Their Classic Specialized Catalogue is one of my 'go to' reference works and stops at 1940.

I collect pre-1940, mint engraved stamps with excellent centering. Anything by Waterlow, Perkins, DLR, ABN etc does it for me. British Empire is 80% there for what I can afford so I thought the US should be next on the list (alongside some wonderful sets from Latin America).

And so, completion is not the goal. I set out to collect the sets I find most attractive and that I have some hope of achieving. It can get frustrating. For example I'll be lucky to get beyond the 50c Colombian and 10c Trans-Mississipi. And many of the pre- 1875 are beyond my reach. But that still leaves plenty to go for and lots of fun in tracking down the quality I'm after at the right price points.

I suspect that many folks would rather collect stamps than study them, particularly when 'study' means:

- study auction prices (enough to construct a price/quality curve for every stamp I would ever want to buy), and

- study counterfeiting trends (enough to give me nightmares about every stamp & cover I own).

Many stamp collectors outsource plumbing, lawn-mowing, oil changes ... why not outsource detection of gum disturbance?

Q/ Does your wife buy your underwear?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Clark - that was a very helpful reply. Thank you.

ikeyPikey - keep taking the pills.

WT??