What To Look For In A Stamp Collection From Pre WWI

I know I just signed up to the forum and this is my second thread already ... don't worry, I'm not about to start a million threads. Just two I think :)

I have a neighbor down the road who *may* show me his father's-father's stamp collection from the early 1900's, pre WWII, perhaps pre WWI. He knows nothing about stamp collecting, and I know just enough to be dangerous. I may have a purchase opportunity with this gentleman, and I don't want to knowingly buy thousands of dollars in value of stamps for 50$ and cheat the person, but at the same time I'm not even sure what awesome treasures I should look for specifically ....

Can anyone give tips or ideas on "highlights" ? As in .... "If you only have 15 minutes to look through things, look for these stamps in particular" ?

I may not even get the opportunity to see them and make purchases, but if I do, I want to have some pre-knowledge about what to look for. I'm also assuming they are mostly going to be US stamps. The last collection I purchased had some from all over the world and that was really my introduction to collecting as I spent days researching the stamps to get a grasp, but only a few of those predated WWII.

Thanks in advance for any help suggestions !

Great Britain 1840 Scott 1 1p black "Victoria"

If you spot some of these, start hyperventilating.


United States 1937 Scott 787 3c purple "Generals Sherman, Grant and Sheridan"

If the majority look more like this.......ordinary.

Seriously, it is difficult to offer advice until you actually view the collection. (The cart before the horse)

Hahaha :) ... well I should have stated that I would know the most basic of basics to look for (like a One Penny Black, or an inverted Jenny lol). The few famous stamps that may be the more well known in other words amongst those who know *only* those few household-named stamps I should say.

However ... a One Penny Black is only worth about 150$, yes ? There's got to be more hyperventilatory-worthy stamps than that, no ? :/ Hmm ...

And yeah I know, it would be difficult to offer advice without knowing what I was looking at. I guess it's more of a "Scan for these things quickly, and if you find them, pounce" type of stamps. The One Penny Black would be pounce worthy most def .... hmm, that's a good start :)

Thanks for replying, I really appreciate it :)

The Kansas and the Nebraska overprints are harder to find. I'd also look for the 1893 Columbian issues, and of course, fancy cancels.

Morning peterbishop, and to the forum.
With regard to the penny black, depending on plate number and condition one could be worth much, much more than $150, then again it could be worth a lot less. With any collection regardless of period, condition is always the prime consideration. Try to get longer than 15 minutes 'look-see'.
Regards
DavidR

Look at Heligoland.
If there are lots of them and they are not marked as reprints, be assured:
a) They are reprints
b) The compiler of the collection either didn't know or didn't care. Either way it is not a good sign.

Peterbishop------Nothing we are going to say or show you will qualify you to make a judgement call to the value of that collection .That comes with years of experience and then there are areas that would need more research after viewing the collection . But a few basics can give a general valuation .First see how the collection is put together, is it a few stamps from each country or are there sets of the same type . Was money spend years ago or was it mounted by a youngster from stamps that came in the regular mail.

Hi,
I too know enough to be dangerous.........
My thoughts are:
- Is the album neat and tidy, or is it a haphazard mess? Has it been well cared for?
- Are stamps neatly hinged within their spaces, or are they sloppily mounted?
- Typically, the common stamps are pictured in an album and of the lower denominations. Of course this is a very broad assessment, but you get the idea.
- In my experience on ebay (and its a lot), more often than not I end up paying about ten cents a stamp when I buy albums. Given the collection looks "generic", I wouldn't go any higher than that.

Hey, please let us know how this turns out!
Mobilman44

In almost every case, you aren't buying thousands of dollars of stamps for $50. You're usually buying $50 worth of stamps for $50. (Actually, it is not that uncommon to be buying $20 worth of stamps for $50.)

You are in a tough position in that you may have to be the one delivering the news that collections (accumulations, really) routinely trade for double-digit numbers. Families of departed collectors don't like to hear that.

I agree with everything that has been said about there not being a shortcut to gain the knowledge necessary to make a good evaluation of a collection.

That being said, if I only had a few minutes I would be looking to see if there is much pre-1900 U.S., and I would look at the first page of Great Britain. I would be ruthless in looking at condition. Don't get pulled in by spacefillers.

jkjblue's idea of looking for a Penny Black is a good one, as they are not common in beginner collections in the U.S. It would be a quick indicator that the collector had moved beyond Azerbaijan approvals. Maybe not far beyond, but you did ask for some general indicators.

Make sure the stamps are not stuck down to the pages. If you care, make sure the album doesn't smell.

Excellent advice from all ... many thanks. I know there aren't really any 15 minute shortcuts, but still .... good advice I think about certain things to scan for. If I get a chance to look at it, it will be later tonight most likely, so I will report back.

Thanks again :)

One of my kids got sick this evening ... I never attempted to see the collection pertaining to this thread :(. Perhaps tomorrow if there is still an opportunity :)

Maybe snap a couple pics with your phone of anything that's of interest and post here. Maybe we could help out some? We do love pics.

I will *try* and snap pics if I get the change to even look at it ... I've been with a sick kid all day, and perhaps my chances are going bye-bye now. Thanks to everyone's input regardless :)

Makes sure it doesn't smell of mold/mildew and that the stamps aren't foxed (brown spots, typically along the perfs). Makes sure the mint stamps aren't stuck down to the pages.

Canada has something like the Columbians from 1897 called the the Jubilees (images of a young and old Queen Victoria). Canadian provinces are another good sign.

Peterbishop,

The only practical advice that I would give in addition to some good comments above is to ask what they think its worth. Ie, find some context or paper or lists from the collector on what they spent on the collection. it might give you a frame of reference not specific values but a sense of past $ spent on the collection. many of us have specific documents on what was spent, or mentioned it to daughters sons and spouses, so having those data points might help generally on whether you've got deep collection worth $$$$ or a deep collection worth $50.

Also, in my opinion any stamps after 1945 are likely not worth much, and the converse is generally true. so the older the better. in general

Still good advice, thank you guys/gals ... although I still haven't gotten a chance to look at it. I'm going to try again this weekend I think, and then I'm going to drop it. Don't want to seem pushy and all.