Recently Aquired Stamps Need Some Help

I recently aquired some old U.S. Stamps. I was wondering how to take care of them and also what they could be worth. Any info would be apreciated. THANKS!!


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Hello permaspooked, welcome.

From the little I 'know' about US stamps the example shown (one pic) seem to be mostly common type of stamps to me. Not $50 a piece but rather $1 a piece or less (or more). I think the higher in value the stamps face value is the higher in catalogue value. (Scott US specialized catalogue (with prices) available at libraries for US stamps, or an older version used on ebay or stamp shows).

Old doesn't mean valuable with stamps necessarily. Some of these stamps were printed in millions each so there would be a lot still hanging about. Supply and demand factor in also.

BUT, there are a lot not shown, at this time I have no US catalogue so can't be totally sure (may be varieties, shades of colour, perforations (perfs) around the edges, paper, etc to watch for that could be more valuable.

To look after them you could (depending on your budget for this endeavor) buy plastic stock pages with strips of clear plastic to slot the stamps into. They display nicely and can be studied without too much handling and possibly damage happening.

Moisture and dust (mold growth area) are things to look out for hat could harm the stamps.

Cheaper means to store and display are available (plastic Vario pages can be $1-$2 a piece) but these other methods would slightly damage the stamps. Hinging them (by using stamp hinges made of glassine, a waxy type of paper) into an album of paper pages, either blank, quadrilled, or your own design printed on your own printer (free templates available on web or to purchase) can be done but the hinging changes the stamps into 'hinged stamps' or MLH (mint lightly hinged) as apposed to the more valuable MNH (mint never hinged) version.

Stamp tongs are first buy of course in order to handle the stamps properly without transferring finger oils and dirt and whatever to the stamps.

edit for typos

Thanks for the info and reply. I didnt expect any great value from them but its always good to know what im working with. as you can see there just scattered in a box. Most seem to be unused and still sticky on the back. I had posted a couple other pics but they didnt work. I put a couple more pics up on my photobucket here.

http://s250.photobucket.com/home/permaspooked

Hi Permaspooked

I can't give you a definate answer on your accumulation but, from what I can see in the scan are reguular definitive stamps.

What I cannot see are any cancellations and I am wondering if a lot of the stamps are those that were used, but not cancelled, and are w/o gum?? Are some of the stamps full gum or partial gum? If this is the case, then the lot really is not worth more than a few dollars total.

If these are mint, you might be better off using them for postage because there are ads in Linns & other papers selling MNH US at as low as 70% of face value from the 1930s on up!

It is harder to give a comment on a scan of a mixture than it would be to see the actual lot.

Hope this helps you ut

Cheers

Bujutsu

There is a decent variety of stuff there. I havent gone threw them all. Yes I agree most are common. As far as the gum on the back I have some that have full gum and some that have none. There are also stamps that have pin holes in them creating words or symbol. Some have stampings on them as well. - The mejority are airmail, nato, libertys?, then the face stamps with increments in amount. there are a couple 1 dollar stamps floating aroud. My main goal is protecting them not as much as selling at the moment. I was reading things that say hinging them decrease the value?

Hi,
Sticky on back means they are gummed or have gum, which in stamp collecting is called mint. (as good as new from the post office) Lots of abbreviations like in any specialized are.

If you hinge a stamp or attach a hinge to a stamp then that does decrease the value of it but in stamp collecting everyone does their own thing so some do hinge their stamps, used or mint, just so they can display them or put them in stamp albums or on pages.

The pin holes are known as perforated initials or inscriptions or Perfins for short. Some people collect them.

Stamps are like anything else in that the condition of a stamp affects it's value. A stamp like new is worth more. A stamp with gum missing from the back, paper missing from the front, having rips or tears or thin spots in the paper or color fading or stains or creases or missing perfs (the wiggly bits around the edges) can change a stamp from a good one to one that hardly anybody wants.

Mainly because of a stamps rarity. Because most stamps are not rare. Those that are hard to come by will still have value even if they are damaged as some cannot afford or aquire a good copy so a so-so copy will do.

Subway is a known and respected online stamp supplies supplier. There are others and you can look around and then ask here or search here and read a bit and others have mentioned suppliers on here before. ebay or BidStart or DelCampe or Wensy and online auction sites with stamps and supplies too usually. There are others also.

Depends on what you want to spend.

I know that with me, the stamps I want to keep and protect, I use the 3-ring (for a binder) Vario plastic pages. I also have some stock books with strips in which the place the stamps. I used to have albums on paper pages which need either hinges or plastic mounts (better for mint stamps) to attach the stamps to them.

You can start cheap and once you get an idea of what you might want or need or see how other people do it then expand or change how you do things.

I do tend to go on don't I?

It does appear that most of them are mint and date from the 1940's-50's, but are many of them stuck together? Humidity is no friend of mint stamps.
Will

I think it's admirable that you are so helpful, well done

Thanks for all the info! Rambling is good especially when I learn from it lol. I would like to protect them with out decreasing value. Yes some are stuck together most likely due to the humidity. One of the reasons I decided to ask how to protect the ones I can get out of it. I wasnt to sure of the time period. Some could definetly be licked and reused with out a problem.

I definetly have repetative stamps. So if I lost one to humidity odds are ill find another in good shape. There are 100s here. I guess what ill do is get a album. hopefully the supplys wont cost to much. I do apreciate all and any info I receive.

here is a couple stamps with the pin holes . The ones with the face up shows wich set they are from all seem to be from the same set.

Neat! Perfins are neat. I only have studied Canadian ones so far.

They are punched into stamps by either governments or private companies to help deter theft by employees.

A specialty collecting area and interesting. Eight positions they can be in. Right side up punched in one of the main directions and stamp upside down and punched. If you get involved in them to that degree that is.

Not sure of the catalogues for these but just search on ebay for perfins and many will come up.

I believe the series of stamps that those belong to is known as the Presidential Series or Prexies for short. Search for that word to be sure of what I am saying here.

Yeah after finding a couple diffrent initials I guess they are I got interested in find them as well.

I also found this my dad found this years back and gave it to me. just dug it out of the closet

That's cool!

Thanks puzzler! Hey I didnt mention that my grandmother worked at the post office before she died. She would cut stamps out of enveolopes all the time from all over the world I have japanese to canada stamps!! I was able to pull a couple canadas out. I have this one long one with a train on it thats pretty cool. These are all used thow. Hey I even have a foil NASA one.

Used are just fine by me! Proves they did their job. I like cancels and covers too.

I think I know which train Canada stamp possibly. There were a whole series of locomotive stamps. That foil NASA sounds neat. I'd like to see that sometime if you have a chance.

The ISU looks like it matches Iowa State University's perfin, though I don't know the spotting features to rule out Indiana or Illinois State. KCS might well be the Kansas City Southern railroad. Let us know what you find.