Question: PSE

What is it in the description of this single stamp "#909, 1943 Poland Over Run Country MNH PSE Graded 100" that would suggest a high value of $110.00 or this one "#676 7c McKinley Nebr., 1929 MNH PSE Graded 100-Gem" for $7,500? Is it the "PSE Graded 100"? What does that mean? See

http://cgi.ebay.com/909-1943-Poland...00_W0QQitemZ170395554293QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27ac5dd1f5

http://cgi.ebay.com/676-7c-McKinley...em_W0QQitemZ170395554984QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27ac5dd4a8

Thanks

Hello Yaakov.....


PSE is the company......grading is a statement concerning centering only.


Some buyers and sellers think that near perfect centering elevates a stamps value way beyond what reasonable folks consider a fair profit.

Does great centering deserve an added value ? ......I say yes....but at what point does it become a form of theft ?


This Iwo Jima certainly is worth more than it's SCV of 30 cents.....but a thousand dollars or more ???.....I don't think so.

Thank you for the explanation. I was just surprised to see such a high price for a stamp I own. I certainly did not pay anything like the price the person is asking.

Wow! I have both of those stamps, unused and well centered, but I certainly wouldn't value them anywhere near those numbers.

Obviously abutt1, there must be more to the story of PSE grading....LOL

What more can one add? What's more perfect than a perfect stamp. I guess if someone wants something bad enough there's no limit..."a fool and his money is soon parted".

Allan

Yaakov.....


Not much more to the story......some sellers have convinced some buyers that 20-30 cent stamps with near perfect centering are actually worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. And.......graded 98-100 is much more than graded 95.

here's one sellers graded items.....
http://desc.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_n...&_osacat=261

Oh, I am not knocking the deal...what the market will bear and all that... I am satisfied with F-VF MNH. Let's see how many F-VF MNH could I buy for say $7,500...that would be one stamp, excellent though it may be, versus many really fine stamps...not a hard choice for me. I guess I have a common palate. If I had unlimited resources would I...mmm...probably not then either. I guess what I was wondering was if you separated that stamp (PSE graded 100) from its certification and mounted it your album, would its quality be readily apparent to the naked eye? If not what is the point of the expenditure unless you were able to collect all PSE grade 100 stamps.

Thanks nr-notrare, I guess I have exhausted this question...thanks again.

This is #2 on my pet peeve list. So this is going to be long. These are just my opinions, but...

1. I consider it a conflict of interest if those numerically grading the stamps are also involved in the buying/selling of numerically graded stamps. It's one thing to promote your business, it's another thing to make an end run. It looks fishy when many of those early "amazing" purchase prices a few years ago were made by "anonymous" buyers. When PSE graders sign a statement stating that they have never and will not engage in buying/selling/brokering of PSE graded materials while working for PSE..., well, you get the idea.

2. I consider it a conflict of interest for PSE to publish SMQ, when in reality it is a very small statistical sample, and doesn't account for the fact that so much PSE-graded material does NOT sell. If you are wondering why some dealers are starting to have fire sales of PSE numerically graded material...

I believe there is a legitimate need for numerical grading, especially for stamps that already have a premium catalog price or are notoriously poorly centered, and PSE does provide a decent service here. They are very well organized, and to a certain extent, I support what they started to do (as well as a few other lesser known projects). What I don't like is the ludicrous hype by PSE and certain dealers concerning the value of these stamps, and the equally ludicrous and what I consider deceptive attempt to keep the prices propped up. We already had one recent "experience" on this board regarding over-hyped material (not PSE graded material, something else), and that person was removed by the administration. The bottom line -- over-hyping something that is not really rare, is not the way of an honorable philatelist.

Regarding collecting numerically-graded stamps. I personally would never pay any sort of premium for those of common stamps. I know a few collectors that will ONLY go after numerically-graded stamps. They enjoy they very much, and are not under any illusion of "investment" or "massive profit". They collect them because they like near-perfectly centered stamps. I have no problems with that, because as I always say, collect what you want the way you want, and pay what you want...

What I don't like is when expertizers/dealers are deliberately playing the "investment" card. Or maybe they aren't hyping, but don't hesitate to sell these inflated price items to collectors/investors who are not as knowledgeable by relying on the old adage "buyer beware". Personally, I expect more out of my dealer. A long-term dealer/buyer relationship is built largely on trust. I understand they have to make a profit; some have a larger profit margin than others, but not to an extent where they are just trying to rip me off.

OK, time for me to get off the soapbox again.

Thanks khj, I was not familiar with that aspect of PSE grading.