How To Sell A Collection

My my what have I started here? Well at least once poster is enjoying this thread. I'll overlook the ignorant comment about golf because fo all the help I received here. But still....

Doug: that is good to hear about the cancelled stamps. But I'm still unclear about the value, or lack of value, of the mint stamps in the sealed envelopes. A few posts seem to indicate that they are not worth much at all. True?

Golf - probably a touchy subject _ Never played even 9 holes but love taking out frustrations on the driving range. To each there own.
As far as evaluating a collection for heirs it makes 100% sense but facing mortality likely has many thinking there is no rush to do so and all to many times it is to late to fast.
Now back to your mint unused postage - Best bet is simply add up the face value. I know you want to do as little as possible but this is one thing that should be seperated regardless how you proceed. If a potential buyer can see X face value it will make taking everything way easier. In general US face value material 3c-6c which is the norm and majority will get you from 50-90% of its actual face value. Blocks of 4 and full sheets maybe a slight % higher. If you do 1 thing only I would recomend totaling up the face value and we can give alot more direction from there.

Golf ? that was for well off kids who took lessons and whose families took them to ski slopes in the winter(at least in the 1950s) I have just two expenses...putting gas in my 2012 Nissan Frontier 4x4...i love the 261 horsepower but forgot to check the posted gas milage ...and Stamps..the gas tank is costlier than my stamp purchases !

Nitrolures wrote: "Golf - probably a touchy subject......" Likely. I played Putt-putt some when I was a kid. Living in Colorado, I've found that the worst day hiking, climbing, backpacking.....would always be better than the best day of golfing. But that's just me.

Doug 2222 wrote: "If you don't have time for that (join a stamp club), then you don't have time to market your collection properly either." I think that's a rather mis-placed generalization. I think the O/P has gotten good advice from a number of respondents. But one doesn't need to join a club to learn about stamps. Myself, I have never belonged to a club; until I joined the Virtual Stamp Club (VSC) several years ago. But I'm not sure VSC counts since it is, by name, an online community. I've collected since 1960 and have learned what I know from my own research. And, yes, I would feel quite comfortable in marketing my various collections, if I finally choose to do so.

Yeah this is good advice to add up the face value, maybe Mrs. MD will have the time to do that before we see our volunteer on Sat morning. But what is 3c-6c mean?

On another topic there are 10 silver dollars, as well as other coins. What do my experts say here? Not a lot of money, probably just hold on to them. Early research says they are not rare so they're probably worth more as silver than as rare coins.

Did I really just write "But what is 3c-6c mean?"???

Oh man, I need a cup of coffee.

DaveinMD if you are going to sell stamps on ebay..be prepared for a long education process...you may wish many times that you told a buyer "give me xxx for the whole lot"...let us know how you make out !

Phil: our plan all along was to sell the lot to a dealer. I took the advice here and started the process of adding up the face value. There are so many loose sets of 4 or 8 or whatever that in an hour I did a very small shoebox. The project has been turned over to my wife as I needed to get some work done. This will take a ton of time but I think it will be worth it. As we go we are trying to semi-organize the collection so we don't have random loose sets in a box as is the case for some of the collection. The rest is organized pretty well in files etc so that will go faster.

I'm assuming having it somewhat organized and having the face value in hand when I go to the dealer will help my cause, no?

I am sure having a face value of the unused will give you a lowest possible amount to accept. I say 3-6cent since that seems to be the masses that most collectors have tons of and sell for discount postage. If you say end up with $500 face value and that is just 5-10% of the total accumulation its fair to say you should get no less than that and gives you a bit of a bargaining chip.

OK here is where we are. I have just a bit to go but so far the face value of the uncancelled stamps is around $1,000. This does not include the shoebox of assorted loose cancelled stamps.

The stamps I have counted are largely sheets of 4 or 10 or whatever, still in the original post office package. Dates semm to be 1980 or so, the commemorative types. Wife said her stack was full of older ones but I do not have details.

So what does that tell us? Just found out we have no water and probably need a new well pump, $1,100 or so. Do you think this will cover us?

OK for those still interested, and I gotta believe I am losing my audience by now, I looked over the rest of the stuff that my wife had counted. There seems to be lot of older stamps, a 1/2 cent stamp for instance, a number o1 1 cent, 2 cent etc. In addition there are several of those collectors books where you pop in the stamp at the appropriate slot. Problem is none are near complete. For instance one page has "issue 1890-1893 and he had a few filled in, same for other pages such as 1894 etc. In another book he has a number of French stamps from 1849, but they are in bad shape. We also have Some old UN stamps and a ton, I mean a TON, of cards that say First Day of Issue

Any value to any of this stuff?

Photos?

Figured some would ask for pics. Problem is my scanner is down and I wouldn't know where to begin in choosing which to show you anyway.

I know I'm asking the impossible, and again I've got a date with a stamp club guy who will look it over, so maybe my questions here are just not fair. But again just looking for an idea, not specific values.

Well pump was $1,600. Ouch.

All the FDC's will more less be a bonus to the buyer but not really help the bottom line ( always exceptions) With $1000 face value if you are still looking at 4-5 boxes left over its pretty reasonable to say you will get Face value unless of course the rest is just trash. If you put $1000 face on ebay you could net about $700 after all the hassle and fees . Considering all without pics you should be in the $1000 range in total but the stamp club guy could point out some other things good or bad. I'd get 2 seperate opinions for sure and start at much higher than you expect. You'll know quickly if its far fetched but shoot for covering your new pump and if you accomplish that you've done great regardless whats in there.

I live in a small island community of about 3,000 and most people know I collect stamps but not many know I sell them.

1st problem is 95% of people that want to sell me the family stamp collection and think that all stamps are worth a fortune.

2nd I no longer give out any information about the value of the family stamp collection because many people were calling me names that I do not like to be called, especially in island public life.

3rd I could not careless if I miss out on a bunch of stamps that are worth money. I much prefer to have my reputation in tact than enter into the slimy minefield of island.......