Scott #630 - White Plains

Ok, will one of the smart stamp guys please enlighten me. I'm really stumped on this one.

Back story - I inherited a pretty good collection from my dad. My wish is to get it pretty complete and then give it to my son. I've found the collecting part exciting but the only issue is with Ebay, if you've got an itch, its only just a click away to scratch.

So I needed a #630 to "fill the space". I've been watching them on Ebay and I finally pulled the trigger. I know that condition is close to everything and I pretty much wait till I can buy stamps that are as close to mint as money will allow. I'm slowly working backwards in replacing stamps that are used or not centered, that's why the 630 "Hole" just bugged the heck out of me. So I bought.

My question is this......Why are prices ALL over the map? $400, $300, $250, for basically the same damn block of stamps? Now I know that there is a defect sheet "dot above the S" that maybe sells for a premium, but what about the others? WHAT THE HECK AM I MISSING?

Condition? Centering? Gum Condition? Perfs? Color? Why would two sheets exactly alike sell for $200 difference? I bought mine for $175 and, to me, it looks pristine, in perfect condition, never hinged. I haven't received yet but everything tells me that its a quality buy. Stamp Guru's....Am I just the fish at the table? The rube in the room? Should I just stop spending money?

Thanks for all the comments, I love to read them on all the questions. I try to do the work and figure this out by myself first, but this time the Scott Guide and Stampsmarter.com are coming up a little short!!

For one thing, I would think perforation condition would be a big concern with this item. Unless you had the sheet in front of you for examination, how could you judge, or know that it is what you are expecting?

I always suggest going to Stamp Auction Network and looking at completed auctions to get a feel for what a quality item that you are seeking has gone for recently. There are usually multiple examples. Kelleher recently sold ten or so MNH White Plains sheets. They went for between $170 and $190 dollars. Fresh, no creases or bent corners and especially no perf seperations which are the major issue with these. Take a look.

https://stampauctionnetwork.com/auctions.cfm

eBay prices will be all over the map, as you see -- besides actual differences in the sheets like condition, it's also a matter of how many people want to buy one right now. As rogdcam indicates, the wholesale/auction market is different. If you're willing to wait a month or three (longer for things a lot scarcer than a #630), or are willing to buy ten copies and sell the duplicates on eBay for whatever they get, you can often get the stamps you want at an auction at considerably lower prices.

(Some material, of course, is a lot easier to find on eBay than in auctions, and it often gets to you a lot quicker; they are both useful in different ways.)

Centering does play a major role in pricing. for sure. Gum condition, also, as the issue is prone to creases. Overall freshness, free from browning. Another tricky spot is selvage. Nice sheets will have wide top and side selvages. Over time, many have developed tears in the selvage and folks will trim it down to remove them. Check for those, as well as perf separations.

Sounds like you got a decent deal on your sheet. It's a great addition. Don't be afraid to give it a going over when you get it.

On this sheet, the following things impact the value...
1. hinging
2. perforation separations
3. trimmed margins (people cut them down to fit mounts)
4. centering
5. ceases, folded, or roughed up edges

Don

Thanks, this is all good information.

When I get mine, I will look for all of these things.

When deciding to bid, I "looked" at or wanted all those things that you mentioned Don. The only one I felt was ok but not great was centering. Other than that, it was mint, never hinged, said that there were NO perf separations, looked to have never been trimmed except for that right top corner (which I researched and all indications are that this is ok as long as the margins are the right size), no folds or creases and the pictures of the back and the gum made it look really fresh and clean (No, cracks, creases or skips in the gum). But as Book Binder Bob noted, Until you actually see and can examine the stamp, you have NO way to tell or judge these things. The seller offers full money back if not as described. I see two things that I want to really look into once I get. There seems to be slight discoloration mark at the top and a possible tear on the bottom. These were not disclosed by the Seller to if it has, its going back.

This is the front.

It certainly looks like a tear to me and not a small one. If you can note the tear without handling the sheet it would be advisable since the perfs on these sheets can seperate very easily and you do not need an argument with the seller.

Good information, all of it. One dealer I work with in the Chicago area always has several of these for sale and they vary in price from $175 to $450 for just the reasons everyone has enumerated above. He related that he sees perf seps on these and margin tears Very frequently, mounts can be tricky I guess.
Scott lists dimensions on most sheets in the catalog, in #630's case, a range.

This dealer also showed me a 'trick' with some 630 examples: he placed it flat in his palm and held it up. If the sheet shows tendencies to bend at the perfs, it is on the way to separating. A good quality sheet should still be somewhat 'stiff' and not flex too much. I was surprised with an issue as old as this, it is somewhat subjective, but I could see differences between examples.

Some would argue that a tear in the selvage does not impact the value of the stamp/block, because none of the stamps are actually damaged. Agree it should have been mentioned in the listing, but you may be returning it for an issue that is a non-issue... Of course if it's an issue to you then, ok. Just saying that it won't devalue this souvenir sheet...

A tear in the selvage of a 630 absolutely unequivocally affects the value.

You guys are all super and I love to read the comments and learn. I bought the sheet and when I got it, it did have a tear and it also had a thin from a hinge removal. SO the sheet was not described very well. The Seller was very apologetic and made me a very fair deal to keep it for my collection. He inherited his collection from his father (just like me) and he was going off notes that his father made on the sheet. I'm a stamp guy in training and was really happy to pick up on this stuff because of all the research I've done and because I love to read all of the wise stamp guru comments here. I think that the tear does impact value given that this is a sheet, and even though is selvage, its one giant stamp!!! And a rip in a stamp is going to make the value go down. I got the sheet for a price that will make me happy, I think the Seller was fair and it was a win win.

I am happy that all ended well for you Batessa. Happy collecting!

I've starting to look at acquiring a Scott 630, and I stumbled across this thread. I really appreciate the discussion -- in particular, this post by 51studebaker (bolding mine):




It had not occurred to me that people were frequently trimming the margins of this piece.

My question: How does one know if a piece has been trimmed? Do they all have to be of the following size (with a wide margin on two sides and a corner cut at a 45-degree angle)?



Or is this smaller size also untrimmed as issued?



Any tips on what to look for?

Bottom one trimmed.
Don