Stamp Condition

Diane I saw you mention that the condition of the stamps did not have to be perfect...i am kind of finicky in what I put in my album..a missing perf would have to be on a very good stamp...but we had a fellow...passed on now like many of our club members who said he couldnt care less what the back of a stamp looked like..what a beautiful collection of U.S. and U.S. back of book collection he had..he made the pages himself and they were meticulous..the presentation was a work of art..in other words he collected for himself..not what future value of his collection would be ...

Yes that's right philb. I collect strictly for the enjoyment and not for what a stamp will be worth in the future. I do like the front of the stamp to look nice but a damaged one still has a space in my albums until a better one comes along. After all were not perfect either!!

Actually many people I trade with online feel the same way. I a new collector compared to most of you guys (and gals of course) so I always make that clear when someone asks to trade with me.

I am also pretty picky about what I put into my permanent collection, but I definitely agree with you that there is a place for abused and orphaned stamps as well. If I had a damaged copy of a valuable piece I could never have otherwise, I would proudly put it in my collection.

LASwabbie Heres one case I recall..i was up at Orapex in Ottawa last year for 2 days...at the end of the second day the Canadian money was burning a hole in my pocket..i needed more purchases..one dealer had Germany B318/19 used for 20 dollars Canadian they catalog 80 dollars used...i handed him the 20 and took them..the show was just about over..later on I noticed one of them had a short or missing perf..better believe the set is in my album..i figure I still did not do too bad on the purchase !!

The British Guiana 1-cent stamp of 1856 (Scott 13), a unique stamp and reputedly the most valuable stamp in the world, is said to be damaged. Some damaged stamps, if rare and sought after, can be valuable. Most damaged stamps are worthless to most collectors, but what anyone places into their collection is up to them.

It is really a matter for each collector to decide.

For common stamps I always wait for one with really good centering and without faults. Also I generally look for a face-free or attractive cancel on the older classic stamps.

For rare stamps, I will accept a small fault, like a short perf or tiny corner crease, because I figure that if I wait for a perfect stamp either I will never find it or I will be outbid on it when I do. I always reject stamps with large creases across the middle of the stamp or thins that you can see when you hold the stamp up to light. Faults which you can only see in watermark fluid do not interest me. That is being too persnickety in my mind. A tiny tear which is not noticeable might be acceptable on a really rare stamp. A missing piece is not. Stamps with holes are rejected, except for a rare classic stamp with a tiny pin hole. I also reject stamps with heavy obliterating cancels. Neat pen cancels are fine, and usually all early US revenue stamps are pen canceled anyway. I reject imperforate stamps with small margins if they could be faked by trimming perforated stamps. I reject reperforated straight-edge stamps, but not a stamp with a natural straight edge. I also reject scissor-cut perfs.

My standards are quite different for stamps on cover. In my mind, classic stamps on old covers or other documents don't have to be perfect. They just have to be resonably attractive. A few faults and average centering are to be expected. The envelope can have small tears or small missing pieces or some creases if it is sufficiently interesting. The cancellation and other markings must be legible or nearly so. And usually I want to see the stamp tied to the piece with part of the cancel on the envelope and part on the stamp, so there is no doubt that the stamp belongs to the cover and was not added later. I don't like any added notations on the cover, like catalog numbers, dealer codes or old prices, but I don't usually try to erase them, because I don't like seeing erased areas on covers either.

I don't really collect mint stamps, so I don't worry about the back of the stamp much. If I don't like a hinge remnant or some remaining gum or paper on a used stamp, I soak it off. However, I don't like notations on the back of the stamp, like initials or pencilled catalog numbers. I don't really like unused (uncancelled, no gum) stamps and would always prefer a used stamp with a contemporary cancel.

Hello everyone......

Interesting ideas.....the fact is there are a number of different things that can be described as "faults".....As T360 stated, "it is up to each of us to decide for ourselves."


.......each of these can be followed by......."of any size".

1...bends
2...creases
3...rips
4...missing pieces
5...holes/pins or staples/reperfing
6...scrapes/thins/filled thins
7...stains/tape marks/fly specks
8...gum damage/hinge marks/hinge remnants/fingerprints/regumming
9...changelings

Most of these can also be considered for on cover/piece items.

What have I missed ?? Any you disagree with ??

What is acceptable/unacceptable to you ?

In my opinion, the fewer faults in your collection the better.........It must also be noted that extremely few collectors have albums full of "perfect" items.

I like my stamps to be whole/complete, undamaged......notice I said, I like them to be.....(I am flexible on this point, meaning I have a thin wallet) The better condition items will hold or increase in value more easily than damaged items. The best advise I was ever given was "buy the best your comfortable with and never buy an inferior common stamp." Better items will always be in demand, common items will always be common items. This will always be true whether you collect for fun or for profit. With careful purchases you can achieve both.

All things are relative.....when my stamp budget averaged $5.00 a week, having a few stamps or covers valued near $20/$30.00 made me feel as though I had a decent collection, considering my stamp budget. As I progressed so did those averages, still today, I consider my collection to be something decent, considering my stamp budget.

The real beauty of the hobby is that we all create our own standards, whatever you decide..........it cannot be wrong.

Well said tom

Dianne