Inherited A Very Large Collection.

How to find out what my collection might be worth. I recently inherited a large collection of my brother's when he passed away. I do not know what exactly is there but I have l looked through his collection including an itemized list of stamps from the early 1900's to the 2000's. All of the stamp are uncirculated, are in stamp holders and binders. I know that he has singles stamps and also stamp sheets from the same range of ages from the 1900's to the 2000's and all uncirculated. How can I get a honest appraisal for these with out getting ripped off by some unscrupulous dealer/buyer? I am trying to get the best value for myself and my siblings. There are 6 of us to split the proceeds between. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated and I apologize if this is a repeated question.

First off, welcome to SCF!

We do, indeed get a lot of similar inquiries, but won't hold it against you for asking :)

My first advice to you is to use the search button and type in the word " inherited". There, you will find many threads that address this very thing. If you can't find the answer to your specific question, feel free to ask in the "main stamp collecting" forum.

Secondly, you need to do some homework. If you live in or near a medium to large city, visit a public library and ask for their Scott Catalogues of postage stamps. Most moderate to large sized libraries own at least one set. Most will also allow you to use them in the library only.

Third, relax. In spite of the hype, postage stamps are rarely worth a lot of money. It's possible that your brother collected rare and valuable stamps, but highly unlikely. Postage stamps have been issued by the billions upon billions. Many stamps issued in the 19th century will likely never be worth anything simply because there were so many used.

Remember: you don't have to go too far back in time when the primary means of communication was through hand written letters. There were so many letters written and mailed, that the USPS did not have to change their rates for ~80 years.

Anyways, I'm digressing.

I wish you the best of luck!

Brian

I can't help but wonder when people leave these fantastic collections and accumulations to a loved one..why they could not have the consideration to write down some of the key items.they are leaving the inheritor totally in the blind...perhaps they just did not care what happened to their possessions when they passed on !

As you eluded to, the most likely answer is because there is nothing of great value. That may not always be the case, and all collections deserve a fair assessment. But unless the relative is introverted and/or isolated, or die suddenly at a young age, their family members would likely be kept in the loop should there be any great investment in the collection. Even at my age (41), my family is well aware of my collection and what to do with it should something happen to me.

Rileysan, You are doing the right thing..you are pretty much the same age as my kids born in 67,68 and 69 and then we stopped for some strange reason..i guess 3 in diapers was enough...of course they have no interest in stamps..so I will have to leave some information !!

Dconlee, philb and rileysan's advice is spot on. Take the time - scan a set - post under relevant Topic eg, flags, ducks, bridges etc asking if there is anything special about the stamp/set.

Eventually you will have enough knowledge to swap, auction or sell 'after 50 Quality post rule' is met.

The secret is time and patience. Look around, ask trusted friends and probably the best advice is to keep communicating and asking here. All the answers are available. Show us some scans and I am sure you will get responses and by the way - WELCOME!