Need Assistance Prioritizing Foreign Stamp Sales

Hello,

I am new here but not new to stamp collecting. Please bear with me. I was asked by a local non-profit to sell a donated stamp collection. Turns out it was a retired dealers stock. I decided to sell on eBay in full view of all concerned.

I have spent the last year selling the U.S. portion of the stock which I enjoyed since my collecting interests were U.S. Unfortunately, I am now about to tackle the foreign section. I have two bankers boxes of albums, stockbooks, glassines and cigar boxes full of stamps. Some are organized by country, some not. Stamps span from the 1800s through the 1960s.

I have never collected non-U.S. stamps and am at a bit of a loss as to where to start. With the U.S. I was able to sell singles and groups based on value and condition but I think that will too overwhelming for all the rest. I have started grouping by country and picked up a 1840-1940 Scott Classic Specialized Catalog so I can look up some of the older stamps. Based on the U.S. holdings and some preliminary foreign research, it does not look like there will be buried treasure.

I guess I am trying to find some ideas for prioritizing or grouping the stamps to get them ready to sell that won't take years. Are there some very popular topics of which I should be aware? Are some countries more "saleable" than others? Or should I just have larger country lots? My goal is to maximize return for the non-profit and minimize my research time. Any and all ideas are welcome.

Thanks in advance. Jim

I'd keep it simple. Country lots if sufficient volume, then area lots, eg French Colonies, British Commonwealth (you can mix pre- and post-independence in those), South America etc. Bonne chance!

Hi Jim:

Some countries definitely are more collectible these days than others and worth separating out into country lots. China is the most obvious example I can think of. Lots involving colonies (French, British, Italian, Spanish) also might be worth separating.

I'd say it's hard to give more specific advice without knowing more about the amount of stamps you're talking about, their desirability, and how they're organized.

Loose stamps in a cigar box, I'd probably just sell as a cigar box full of stamps. Good assortments for beginners, and even though more advanced collectors know they're unlikely to find jewels, or even many better items, they often will enjoy hunting for varieties and cancels. If you have glassine full of foreign stamps, and a quick inspection of a few of the envelopes doesn't turn up much that catalgues for over 50 cents, throw them in with the cigar box lots. If stamps are on stock pages already, especially if separated by country, you can buyers for lots like that on eBay. If it's a stock book packed with multiple used copies of classics, even cheap stamps, some collector will want that to search for cancels, color shades or perf varieties. (Among other things, I collect cancels of Austria pre-1918 and Belgian Congo.) If you have entire albums and don't want to go to the trouble of trying to sort and catalogue, you can sell them on eBay or HipStamp, too -- there are lots of these on eBay.

Topicals that are pretty popular: Scouting, sports, Olympics, animals, space, ships/boats, railroad trains. But you might have to spend more time sorting than it's worth to you.

Hope this helps -- good luck!

I think your best bet to make money for the group without putting much of your time in is to follow the advice above. I would put your time into writing good informative descriptions, adding lots of photos, and selling the lots in whatever form that is easiest for you. Good titles give the buyers a better way to find the items and will get more interest in the lots. Good luck.

Thanks much guys. Big help.

Jim

Personally, I seek, and bid hard on country album "pages"
Very rarely bid on singleton stamps or set.

example, Great Britain, if I see say album pages 1973-1974
then (even if not complete) then I am interested.
I often find competition.

This may be something to consider for you.

Rod,

Do you then receive the album page(s) or are the stamps removed from the page before delivery?

Jim

Hi Jim,
always with stamps on page.

In depth:
I purchase from a dealer for 15 years, whom knows my bank balance and my preferences.
I always match my online image, with what I receive.

That said, apart from this , if I buy from other auctioneers,
lots in the main, come as is. On Pages, or in stock books as shown.

I would say eBay, the only place stamps are removed, I am not a fan of this method.
For pages, I usually target prices from $10 to $200 depending on material.

Hope that helps.

When selling on eBay, if the stamps are already on album pages, I leave them there, not least because of the risk of my damaging them. But bear in mind that that will hike postage costs, which may deter buyers. For example, on the basis of UK postage costs, a lot left on Lighthouse leaves will cost £3.10 to post, cf. 88p if loose If I've made up a country lot on stock-pages, I remove them and send them loose.

Thanks again guys, your comments will help a lot. I usually soak the stamps before selling on eBay so I can cull the faulty. Leaving on page would simplify things but I will have to think about packaging and postage. Have a great Thanksgiving. Now that I am registered you will see more of me.

Jim

Please remember to post a link to your eBay lots here. You have already built interest without even trying.

With respect.
False economy. Reflect on what you cost your time at.

Based on my recent quote for an electrician....$165 an hour
That means you shall need to soak, wash, rinse, dry/press 10,000 stamps per hour.
You also risk damage when washing, are you going to "cull" an valuable postmark?

Oft times it is better value to give away, donate stamps
than to wash and remarket. A large percentage of stamps are worth pennies on the market.

A recent offering here on SCF was 2,500 stamps for $40

By all means, carry on with your desire, this is just meant as a reflection, and perhaps save you unneeded enterprise.