Recommendations Of Stamp Auctions - For Smaller Budgets

I have been binge watching Antiques Roadshow and this topic made me realize that out of hundreds of hour long episodes with thousands of focused appraisals, stamps/postal history rarely (very rarely) make the cut. I was going to say never because I don't recall the instance if it happened. This is over a 30 year period starting in 1996. That should tell you something. In the smalls category the most frequent appearances are sports cards, signed sports memorabilia like balls and jerseys, toys and I have seen quite a few video games. Philip Weiss is one of the regular experts so it's not like they don't have someone with knowledge of stamps. Maybe pining for younger people to backfill attrition in this hobby is a waste of time and influencers aren't our saviors.

[q][USPS should repackage the way they dispense stamps to public. (Sealed packs so unknown what is inside) Package them, and inside there are rare or just uncommon (or both) stamps that everyone has a chance to get. When you buy your stamps, it's like a lotto ticket as well. Maybe you get a rare stamp, maybe you don't/q]

USPS already tried that with the uninverted Jennys.

For the last 2 years the scouting Merit Badge for Stamp Collecting was nearly at the very bottom of the list.

2025 Rank Merit Badge
137 Surveying
138 Multisport
139 Stamp Collecting
140 Drafting
141 Bugling

Just a couple years ago Stamp Collecting was 6 from the bottom so there is clearly a downward trend in interest among youngsters.

2023 Rank Merit Badge
129 Dentistry
130 Gardening
131 Energy
132 Stamp Collecting
133 Composite Materials
134 American Labor
135 Surveying
136 Journalism
137 Drafting
138 Bugling

The mind boggles at the boy scout practising dentistry.

Upright Jenny thing was poorly marketed and actually a secret for most of promotion

Right idea but perhaps worst execution.

When I was an asst scoutmaster for a troop, I was a merit badge counselor and had stamp collecting as one my choices to offer. Not once did I have a scout express interest.

rodcam: I believe Antiques Roadshow specifically prohibits stamps from being evaluated on the program.

I see no extra activity with the last auction at Rasdale Stamp Company . Nothing from the firm or the many sellers or the many buyers over the years . Many previous buyers who visited in years past even if they don't collect or buy would show up .
I plan to be a active bidder at the last auction online

I never knew that and you are correct. The reason though is telling. They don't have any experts in the field on the show which indicates where in the pecking order of popularity stamps are. If they had hundreds of people bring their stamps and postal history to their events, they would likely have at least a broad-based philatelic expert. Even post cards show up but not stamps.

Sounds logical. I think the reason they don't get a specialist about stamps is because most stamp collections are boring to a general TV audience.

Unless the item has a unique historical story, like a "B. Free Franklin" stampless cover, there is not a lot that Antique's Roadshow could say to make an interesting appraisal.

Another reason could be that they don't want to waste their time telling people that their wheelbarrow full of their grandfather's lifetime investment in Postal Commemorative Society First Day Covers is not going to pay for their retirement.

photo from e-bay, from an estate sale, in Florida.