Considering Purchasing A Collection For Resale - Includes A #70c Certified.

How much should I pay for a 70c that is certified, I will be reselling it so I need to make a profit. Also in this collection they sent some pictures - any earthly idea why they have a value of $750-$1000 on 3 #498's am I missing something?

Dreamer pricing?

That "certificate" is worth absolutely nothing. Where are you getting this collection? You may want to take a pause right away.

Agree on the cert. Worthless. "Society of Philatelic Americans" is NOT the same as "American Philatelic Society", the latter having an established and market-accept expertizing arm (APEX).

Thanks everyone, it is a local guy selling them to me via the net. I will see the stamps in person before purchasing, thanks for the cert info.

I used to know the story of the SPA - they were a real organization, but its been too long and I forget the story of their rise and fall. Some other member here likely knows.

I agree the cert is worthless... to knowledgeable collectors anyway. There is also a very good chance the stamp isn't worth much more. It may not be a 70c ya know. If you can't value the stamp for purchase how are you going to value it for resale? Are your buyers expected to have all of the knowledge?

If Ken Lawrence was a member, he could tell the story. I recall him talking about it some but I don't really remember the details.

Here's some info:

https://www.stampcommunity.org/topi...OPIC_ID=7365

The story I was told about 50 years ago is that the group was founded by collectors unhappy about who the APS was willing to give membership to. They wanted to maintain collector "purity". I don't know how accurate that was, but I heard it from a number of different sources.

mudblood collectors will be fed to dementors

That was apparently very much the idea......

Written by a convicted felon, but may provide some factoids.

https://www.apfelbauminc.com/blog/p...c-societies1

Even if the certificate was good when issued it is now more than 40 years old. So it worthless just for that reason. Especially for a stamp that is very difficult to determine color.

SPA
SOPA
https://www.stampcommunity.org/topi...OPIC_ID=7365 br /

The SPA was still in the final stages of its existence when I first became a "serious" collector (early 1980's). It began life as the Southern Philatelic Association, driven by regional (and no doubt other) imperatives. As such it was inherently limited, and as it inexorably withered in the increasingly larger shadow of the APS it changed its name (but not its initials) to the Society of Philatelic Americans. In its heyday it was a viable organization with its own journal (The Stamp Herald, I believe), expertizing committee etc. It was eventually merged with the APS. I agree that a 1980 SPA certificate isn't worth anything today beyond its historical interest.