New To The Culture And Have So Much To Learn...

I am always looking for interesting collectables. I like to find unusual items that catch my attention and might also hold ROI. I was at an estate sale recently and noticed a stamp-collecting book with about 650 stamps from around the world, mostly used. They dated from late 19th early 20th century. The book is a Fourth Edition printed in 1899. The conditions vary wildly, I was drawn to the piece because someone took the time to collect and organize these stamps in such a great order. The maker took great care in this keepsake. How should this be approached? Separated by region? Sold as collection? Any advice would be appreciated. It seem tedious to upload so many pics. Would a youtube video be the best route so show what I have? Thank you all and very nice to join you!
D

Welcome to SCF. There is much to be learned here about stamp collecting. I'll start off with just a couple of thoughts, and I'm sure others will chime in. First, unless you are super wealthy and can operate in the upper stratosphere of rare stamps, stamp collecting is almost never a good investment opportunity. I would guess that the ROI will be negative for at least 99% of collectors. Dealers who know what they're doing can make money, but that's different from collecting. Second, in stamps, old doesn't equal valuable. The majority of late nineteenth and early twentieth century stamps are still worth only pennies (or maybe dimes or nickels), and these are the stamps that can usually be found in estate and garage sale collections. That's not to say that there couldn't be a hidden gem in the collection you bought, but the odds are against it. Finally, as far as pictures go, to evaluate stamps, a scanned image is pretty much essential. Tiny differences can have a huge effect on value, and a photo or video generally can't capture the necessary detail. Anyway, if you have the collecting gene, stamp collecting is a great hobby.

Welcome DJeffries

There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum. You will learn lot's.

Dianne