Have You Had Any Major Finds?

Iceland 1873 Scott 1 2s ultramarine

Last year, a fellow stamp club member and myself bought a WW classical collection housed in a "Big Blue", the Scott International 1840-1940 album.

We agreed that he would take the A-I countries, and I would take the J-Z countries, and remove what we wanted. Then, we would exchange parts,and take out what we wanted from the remaining collection.

So it went. When I received his picked over part, I noticed this stamp in the Iceland pages.

1873 Scott 1 2s ultramarine

Scott CV: Used $3000/ Unused $1250.

Regardless if it is a bit worn, and even if one prices it as an unused price (Lots of false cancellations on this issue), it is still a valuable find.

Well, I did the right thing (he obviously missed it), and it now resides in his collection.

Edit: A helpful individual sent me a genuine image for comparison, and I have to admit this is probably a crude forgery. Oh, well, it is the thought that counts.

I just needed a mental image of what you was describing so I thought this may help a bit.

http://www.uspcs.org/the-1861-1868-...7-24c-issue/

JKBlue,
As my Daddy used to say....... "You did good"!

Just out of my naturally nosy curiosity, what did you all pay for the album?

It was in the middle three figures.

I always take some time during the winter months to do some work on my collection. I was going through some stock when something just caught my eye and really stood out. I sent this Scott 2940 to the APS to have them take a look because I mean it really stood out next to the several other of the same number I had.

I waited several weeks to hear back from APS. I called them to ask of the status and they said they had sent it back to me several weeks prior. I never got it so I asked for a duplicate certificate.

As the report said it was genuine and the paper stock as well as the ink were different but could not be considered a variety without plate and marginal markings.

None of my junk mail is never lost but this piece was!



Check your stock…..Who know what might have been!

Doug

I had a major find last night! I think it's a Scott 84, 'D' grill, cat value $4500. but it has been suggested it might be an 85B 'Z' grill. Either way, I got it for a great deal - I paid less than $100 for the collection that contained this stamp. I will be sending this one off for certification and will update the thread accordingly.

See thread here ...

https://goscf.com/t/36552

Brian

The best I did was a few stamps from a particular set of Peoples Republic of China that catalog at just short of $400 for 4 stamps. I paid probably somewhere between 2 and 10 cents apiece for them as part of a mixture. I say probably because I only found them last night, they were sitting in a bulging glassine with a few hundred other Chinese stamps. I know I didn't order them specifically and I rarely buy sight-unseen "mystery lots" at more than about 10 cents a stamp.

I have absolutly no idea which seller or which lot I got them from, since all I did at the time was sort by country and not even look at a Scott catalog. I buy 2-3 such mixtures a week, and it could have been any of them over the last year or so. I don't collect China, so I basically never looked through my stash until it was getting big enough that I had to do something about it - i.e. sell them. Needless to say, my estimate went up of how much that lot will sell for. 2 of them have small faults, so they won't bring anywhere near catalog value, but, combined with the rest of the stamps, I should get enough to fill at least a few spots in my collection or stock up on some supplies.

You know JK you just made my day with what you did.
Tom

ILS,

Here's the cover in question:

http://www.philamercury.com/covers.php?id=21793

For what it's worth, I don't believe that there's only 600 surviving 24c 1861 covers but there are a lot of beat up ones to the UK out there that aren't really worth owning (And I have a bunch of those myself).

That image that you posted is a cover I know well, I have held it in hand. It's an absolutely stunning multicolored New Jersey patriotic with a steel blue to the UK. I should have bid higher... it's sold twice at Siegel, both times for huge money.

My only problem is that these are the kinds of treasures I usually find. .. These came from someone (cannot remember whom, thank goodness) who knew I collected stamps and wanted to help me out. This is a small portion of what the envelope contained - 95 percent of which was awful. But - I guess it's the thought that counts ...

dkucyk - your lost 55c Hamilton intigues me.

As for the gold find that started this discussion - I can't help but wonder if it isn't some criminal's stash - in which case the finders made a mistake publicizing their find.

I though I had found a Die I & Die II pair of 1d penny Australian Kangaroos.
Well the Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria returned it to me yesterday with a negative verdict, but I will keep hoping. I have thousand of stamps from the family collections, plus others I have bought, so who knows what may turn up.

Horamakhet

Ha again,
As I started out saying, I've never had a major find, or even a really notable find. But, I have had some pleasant surprises.
I've bought several albums (all Scotts - mostly big blue) over the last two years. A couple had few pics, and the write up said "with some stamps", and minimal descriptions. Bidding was very weak, and I "needed a win" and bid, and in fact won.

Well, in both cases, the albums (one a part 2, one a part 3)were in excellent shape (actually keepers for me), and the number/quality of stamps was above expectations.

Of course I've had a couple go the other way, one a nice looking Part 1 that stunk of mildew, and another Part 1 with a couple of missing countries (why is it always Germany?)............

It's not I guess but is the thought that counts. I'd be grateful that you have people in your life who care enough to pass them along to you. Just my opinion.
Tom

I won a US#76 on ebay, and when I received it I realized it was a #75, a little over triple the catalogue value. More interesting though is the fake CSA I got off bidstart for 11¢ which turned out to be an authentic #4 Stone 2. Not staggering finds, but nice surprises.