Just Inherited A Stamp Collection

Hi guys.
My father left me his stamp collection and I have been going through it, trying to categorize it and get a general picture of it's value.

One thing that I keep getting stuck on are old packets from H. E. Harris & co. My dad was in NY in 1952 and 1953 and bought quite a few of them. They are from all over, Russia, Portugese colonies, Monaco and so on. All of the stamps in them are in mint condition.

Can you advice me on how to find a value on them as the stamp collectors here in Iceland have probably been trying to rip me off.

Also, what are the best stamp catalogues to try and find a value on the collection as a whole?

Hi!
Iceland !! Don't believe I ever wrote to anyone in Iceland. Anyway, welcome to the Forum. I'm a relatively new member, but can attest to this place having lots of knowledgeable folks anxious to help out.

Ok, your situation is fairly common. Back in the '40s/'50s, stamp collecting was a major hobby and "everybody" got into it. Now, these early collectors (I'm one of them) are up in years and many collections are up for sale. To compound the situation, relatively few folks are taking up the hobby. Soooo, supply well exceeds demand, yielding low market prices.

That's the reason I jumped back into the hobby, for I could build collections for minimal bucks. In the process, I have bought 6 albums off of ebay for less money than I could have imagined years ago.

For the most part, your stamp packets are not all that valuable. In fact, the entire collection may be worth significantly less that you expect. Check out ebay, starting with looking up the album(s) you have and see what they are going for. Most of their worth is based on the number of stamps included, with maybe 3 to 5 cents per stamp being the ultimate selling price.

As a ballpark, take the price your stamp dealer offered you and multiply by 4. That would give you an idea as to what to expect on ebay.

Ok, it is possible you have some "winners" there. But they will likely not be found in stamp packets. Take a pic of the older condition stamps and post it on the forum, and folks will advise value.

Scotts does put out catalogues for various countries, and that will give you a value - but it is a very high value for the most part.

Sorry for the disappointment, but that is the way it is.

Post up some pictures here. On the overall by looking at the base of the collection we should be able to tell you if there is any financial value amongst the Stamps.

Welcome to SCF,


These stamps may not have much $$ value but there are other values to consider as well. If you father enjoyed the hobby and was still active with it why not continue and expand upon it? Not all stamp collectors are old farts wanting to fly spec everything in their collection. Most collectors have a collection in areas other than just stamps. That could be in covers, revenues or topical, its a wide open field. In Iceland I would think that volcanoes might make an interesting topical collection. Have some fun with your Father's collection, sell or trade some, rearrange according to your taste, build up an area of your interest. Then pass it on to your kids.

JMO,
Art

Completely agree with the comments made so far concerning actual and entertainment value. Those packets may contain some nice items, but probably not a lot of value. So, you'll have to soon make a decision on whether to keep it going forward and expanding into areas of interest, put it away a while, or sell things off and move onto other interests. Good luck.

I was in Reykjavik many years ago on a cross-Atlantic cruise (I was 10 at the time). One of the few things I remember is having a sip of "Black Death". Is that still a popular drink?