Eastern Silesia Wild On Ebay

This small used collection of used Eastern Silesia went for $51.00 on eBay, despite having a 2008 Scott catalog value of about $25.00 (and Scott warns of forged cancels).

http://cgi.ebay.com/330584357763

Are they under valued or have they increased in the 2011 catalog? I just cannot seem to snag used Eastern Silesia stamps at a good price. This is not the first time I have seen them go way above catalog value...

Have you ever seen anything go DOWN in Scott catalogue value

KirkS

I checked the 2011 Scott Classic Specialized catalogue, and the lot is valued at $26.45. No real change from your 2008 prices.
Someone must like Eastern Silesia!

Jim Jackson

Several of those have corner cancels that look identical...could be only a function of the cancel layout (maybe the month or day plugs are all different), but similar quarter circles make me suspect:(a) favor cancels or (b) hijinks with a canceling device (whether forged, stolen or other).

My 2d.

C.

Most of the stamps are cancelled Opava (Troppau in German). As far as I know, Opava was outright part of Czechoslovakia, despite being an enclave area in Eastern Silesia proposed plebiscite area, and should have been using Czechoslovakia stamps. This would further reinforce favor cancels as Cjd said.

BeeSee,even though I feel bad for you that you didn't acquire
those stamps, it shows that there is still demand out there for
certain items.

That can only be a good, healthy sign that stamp collecting is
not dead yet.

You've got a new motto for APS there, perhaps?

Or, to borrow from Frank Zappa, stamp collecting isn't dead...it just smells funny.

C.

(Frank was talking about jazz, but...)

Opava (Troppau) was a German majority town in Silesia and would rather not have been part of Czechoslovakia. But it was occupied by Czech troops, and ended up as part of Czechoslovakia, at least until 1939 when as part of the "Sudetenland", it was absorbed by the Reich. Now as far as if it was involved in the plebiscite area where post offices had the Czech overprinted stamps, there is conflicting information. But the best site I found for information did not list Opava as a town in the plebiscite area.

Jim Jackson

Thanks for that information Jim.

In a word, Yes.

I think I got lucky! I got these two pages for about $12 on eBay, and they just arrived. Eastern Silesia is almost complete, and it includes 2 copies of J1a with the black overprint ($60 each in Scott 2011), 4 copies of J10, and 1 of J11.

I will show some of the interesting items in another thread.

Wow BC, I think you lucked out.

I just got the Harveys's 2 can dine for $9.99 special
plus HST and I think you got the the better deal.

Outrageous bidding happens from time to time. Two collectors battle each other, both determine not to let the other person win no matter what the cost.
I recently saw a set of Polish stamps go for over 4 times Scott catalogue value when at the same time 3 other dealers had the exact same set for below catalogue price with a buy it now option. Go figure!

Good one Litho. We don't have many Harvey's here, A&W will have to do - though I will take the Silesian stamps any day

Timm

I can sometime go 5 to 10 times the catalog value if it involves a particular postmark I'm looking for.

I was out-bid (Which is common these days) I do not win much.

Sold for $40 AUD. ($28 US)
I am always tentative about forgeries of these Opts.