My Grandfathers Old Stamp Collections

Hello to everyone here. I am not a stamp collector myself but I have recently been going through my grandfathers old stamps and I am trying to figure out what they are worth and how to go about selling them. he was a very serious collector and has dozens of books all of which are "First Day Covers" (i think that is important to know). These range from Flags of the UN, The American West, Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Birds of the 50 States and many many more. Can anyone set me in the right direction when it comes to doing something with these? Thanks a lot.

-Ben

Here's an online book addressing the topic -- www.inheritedstampcollection.com

Also, click the search button at the top of this page, and type in inherit for the keyword.

Also, welcome to SCF. Do some reading and you'll quickly be up to par.

KirkS

Oh dear!
The dreaded FDC collection.
I'll wager they are beautiful but sadly, probably not worth even the face value.
Unless USA differs from other countries regarding First Day covers, I would advise to sell them individually or in small lots on ebay or the like. A dealer will give you a pittance.

But hey ! Why not stick around and join in the fun. You may take up Philately as a hobby.



Londonbus1.

Ben,
Welcome. Hopefully, you will want to start collecting yourself after delving into your grandfather's collection further. You would want to go to your local library and check out some Stamp Catalogue's to look up values. Here in the US most use Scott's Specialized for FDC's. The cover maker or cachet artist (artwork) also determines the value on some FDC's. Cover's can go for as little as $0.50 a piece dependant upon quantity available, condition, addressed, autographs, etc.

Welcome to the forum.

My approach to assessing a collection has two basic data points:

1. Get a reference guide to you can determine a catalog value and know which are the gems of the collection, how to grade condition, etc. This can be a fun process to learn about a hobby a relative enjoyed.

This might be a good starting point (Scott is popular brand for stamp catalogues). http://stamps.about.com/od/findings.../2009FDC.htm

2. I then like to see what items are selling for in the real world. ebay is a good reference for real market value in terms of how available are the items and at what prices they are selling. A quick look found nice empty albums of some of the covers you mentioned and here is a single:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1375-US-first-d...ft_W0QQitemZ370258824848QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5635254e90

From there you are amred with some basic info to begin asking more detailed questions.

It's good to know the availability, value and a base knowledge of a collection. You can then determine next steps like selling, passing on to a family member interested in continuing the hobby (many hobbies start by beng passed down to another generation) or storing for potential future interest as a family keep sake.

Enjoy the process of exploring your Grandfather's collection. Some collections are valuable and others are just interesting and sources of adictive relaxation and education.

As already mentioned, FDC doesn't immediately generate hopes of significant cash rewards or even appreciation over what the original owner paid.