Apologies For Tedious Question.inherited Collection To Sell; Where To Start?

Hi all,
I guess this must be a tiresome, and a regular query for you stamp community forum-ites, but I have to ask...
I inherited a collection , and I am pretty sure it wouldn't be worth a huge amount , but I just want to make a little cash from it to pay for some things associated with the funeral and cleaning of the house costs etc.
I am in the UK and happy to post a few pictures, but not sure what I am looking for , and what to describe for you all to get an idea of what kind of collection it is.
Any pointers appreciated
Thanks
Jem

Welcome, Jem.

Generally, the oldest stamps tend to be the most valuable ones, so I recommend starting to post images of those. Mint stamps issued in the 1940s and later typically have a fair market value near face value.

Hello. Perhaps show the earlier GB.

Mint GB decimal stamps have a certain value - around 40-50% of face. Mint Machin definitives can no longer be used, but can be exchanged for valid stamps.

Many thanks both - I will dig through them now and post a few pics.

Sorry for the lack of basic knowledge - but when you say 'mint' do you mean the condition in terms of being 'crisp and and without blemish' or mint as in 'never issued or postmarked'?

by mint he means never postmarked
the condition of the gum (glue to you) on back matters - never hinged (pristine to you) is worth more than blemished
Is it all GB or other countries?

@eyeonthewall thanks for clarification.

It's lots of countries and various stamp things.

I think they are mostly postmarked and not mint.

I'm just in process of reading how to post up pictures, so will be doing that.

In general, colonies do better than the mother countries

Are the stamps mounted in an album or just loose in various envelopes

Welcome to the forum! I completely agree with the other members, you should check out the older ones first. You should then send us some pictures (as clear as possible, please) and we could then give you some advice.

So the stamps are in various states - some loose, some placed in countries in polly pockets (but not stuck in there , just staying put by static I think, and then one very old book where they seem to be stuck in there on to the paper pages.

I'm just grappling with how to post a photo on here - will be later today when I get around to it, thanks for all your replies folks. I realize that without a few pics , we can't progress much further.

I get the general feeling that there probably isn't a rare lost hoard that people will be desperate to buy, but on the flip side, it would be a nice little collection for someone and possibly be worth preserving and worth a pocket money amount. However that leads to the question of how to sell it and get the word out to collectors locally who might come and pick up

When you decide to sell, take decent photographs and put it on ebay. Don't ask buyers to collect - that massively reduces your number of potential buyers.

Is the last thing to care about. Every average general collection/accumulation has the same "old" stamps that don't really mean much. I always look for complete sets and how things are mounted. Especially mid-century sets that are hot sellers in mint condition. I am looking for things that were not considered special when collected 50 years ago but to whom time has been kind when it comes to desirability. Also, good back-of-book shows depth.

It differs by country. It, also, requires knowledge about which are those interesting mid-century sets of which, usually, a minor part of the stamps in the set hold the value. Some western European countries have zero sets that qualify. Some have varieties only that qualify.

If the core of your collection is GB and much of Western Europe, posting the older ones does not require such knowledge and can tell if it is an "avarage" coverage or not. Also, it can tell a lot about the quality.

I certainly agree on the "back-of-book" remark, but much of what is "back-of-book" in the US either is "core" or ignored in Europe.

"Back-of-book" is not used as a category in Europe, where OP is from. A typical GB album would limit that to to-pay labels and "official" overprints. Some put the miniature sheets there. Postal fiscals, circular delivery companies, railway parcel stamps, and college stamps, rarely, are included in albums and will be mixed in stock books if they are there. Revenues hardly are considered stamps in the UK.

Please accept our condolences for your family's loss. And our sympathies for having the various consequent obligations descend on you.

To help speed you on your way, perhaps you might be able to consult a local stamp collecting club, should one be present in your locale. A member might well be able to provide quick recommendations as to your best course(s) of action to realize some financial benefit and move the stamps to their new home.

We have several UK members on the forum and if you feel comfortable giving your city/town, they might be able to point you in an appropriate direction.

Best wishes.

I am sorry, but I couldn't see an option to reply to each message individually - not sure if that is possible?

In lieu of that, can I say thanks for all of the replies, with your experience and knowledge offered (and thanks for condolences @jleb1979)

Can I ask then, how and where on the forum could I specifically ask UK members to direct me to a local club? I looked on-line but nothing came up as far as I could see.

I think I will pursue that route if possible.

Regards

EDIT- I am sorry I didn't get to post pictures- It baffled me. I am away from computer now until weekend , so forgive me, I won't answer till then , but I fully appreciate all the help you guys are giving me. The model railway people on their UK forum were really not very helpful dealing with a huge collection of '00'