Valueing & Identifying Stamps

Hello,
My grandfather has recently gave me an old stamp collection and I would like to verify their identity and value, I have very little knowledge in stamps and these are most likely C.C.C.P. stamps from the 60s.

I really need help in identifying the stamps and mainly estimating their value. I have no idea in anything to do with stamps and I really need your assistance.

Picture as follows:

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7...?usp=sharing

(instantly viewable)

Thanks in advance,
Michael.

Mike welcome to this board ,the stamps have no real value maybe a dollar or two .

Thanks for the reply, what is the reason for it though?

Supply/Demand

There are hundreds of thousands of stamps in the world. Rarity is based on the number printed, the availability, and whether or not there are errors. Many stamps are printed in the several millions. Just because it is old does not mean it is valuable. Even the Penny Black, the first postage stamp ever, is not particularly rare or worth a lot of money. The likelihood of having stamps worth a lot of money is low, and most of the ones in your images are modern issues as far as I can tell. Most stamps printed after 1940 are not worth much.

To expand on this just a little, the main reason is because, generally speaking, beginning around this time stamps from many countries began to be printed in quantities far in excess of the actual need for postage. The excess was for sale to collectors as a means of generating state revenue. The Eastern Bloc countries (though they were not alone in this) engaged heavily in this practice. Supply and demand, as has been noted. The stamp producers made sure supplies were abundant.

I highly appreciate the replies and explanations, thanks!

If possible, can you tell me if the following stamps have any value? This is another part of the collection:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7...?usp=sharing

Thanks in advance,
Michael.

Sorry, but unless I'm missing something, these are all of nominal value as well, especially any that are damaged like the one at bottom right.
Might I suggest as a way of honoring your grandfather, you consider taking up the hobby yourself and expanding upon what he started. Just a thought, but as you may have noticed here on this chat board, the camaraderie is excellent and collecting is enjoyed and shared by many.

mnaidis - docgfd is absolutely correct. The "collection" as shown is interesting and could be fun. Think about becoming a collector - but put the idea of finding a treasure trove out of your mind. Time and again people are gifted "old" collections that are 50 or so years old - and that is recent in philatelic terms.

If you look closely at the stamps, you'll notice that they all appear to be lightly canceled, with said cancel appearing in one corner of the stamp. This was typical of CTO (Cancel-To-Order) stamps of that era. You could buy all of the Russian stamps for an entire year in a single purchase, with all of the stamps being CTOs. Of course, the same was done for many other countries as well. E.g., I recall seeing dealer offers for Spanish CTOs in the mid to late 60s.

As far as I know, Spain never issued CTO stamps, and I'm spanish. In Europe, only the eastern countries under the soviet influence did so.
And some of them are very nice and have high filatelic quality, I'm thinking on Czechoslavakia stamps, it is very common to find CTOs from CZE.
regards

One way to get a feel for whether an inherited collection has significant value, especially one inherited from a relative, is to think back and ask yourself, "did my relative spend any money on their hobby?" Did they go to stamp shows, order stamps by mail, read philatelic journals, participate in auctions, etc. Are there any old invoices, receipts, or correspondence from stamp dealers that might provide insights? Likewise, are there any want lists left behind? A want list if found can be very revealing as to how the collector built their collection and the value of stamps they wanted to add from their want list. If you don't know, do you have relatives who might remember how the collector approached their hobby?

Chances are, if the collector didn't spend money on their hobby there isn't going to be much or anything of value in their collection.

Another clue- how well organized is the collection? Are stamps carefully arranged and organized? Are there catalogue numbers or notes on the pages? A well-organized collection with notes, high-quality albums and pages, and careful organization and placement of the stamps can provide some insights as to potential value. Lastly, did the collector own any standard catalogues such as Scott's, Gibbons, Michel, etc? Serious collectors usually have some general and possibly even specialty catalogues as tools of their hobby found with their stamp collection.

I highly appreciate the comments and suggestions and sparked my interest within the subject, I'll try read articles and investigate further more into how it all works :)

Regards,
Michael.

Welcome to the forum mnaidis.
Most of the comments the guys have been giving you is true.But I would be careful and take the stamps to a stamp club, and or a dealer for advice..I see a few stamps that I have doubts about having only a value of a buck or two....See the picture below, not saying you have value without having the stamps in my hand, but do yourself a favor and get more information first.
Not that what I posted is true, but check it out.

Robert

Whoa, there, Wert. You should have also mentioned, for someone new at this business, that the $950/1000 unused ($700/750 used) catalogue values are not the real market value. We all know that catalogue values are only achieved if the stamp is in very fine or extra fine condition. Even if mnaidis actually does have the Russian stamp you illustrated (and like you wrote, he should not assume he does but check it out), its market value would be a percentage of $1000, anywhere from 25% to 80% or so depending on what shape it's in.

You are right to point out that just because glancing over his photos most of us don't see anything other than common stamps doesn't mean no sleepers are hidden in there. But in giving him hope, we ought not raise false hopes. Even a best case scenario here does not add up to a thousand big ones.

edited for grammar

Good eye, wert. There is a later stamp of almost identical design, with lightning bolts below the eagle, and the cheapest perf variety sells for about a buck. Now, in this case, the color makes me wonder...I tried enlarging the image but could not keep enough of the detail.

Also, the issue has been forged, so...more research is definitely necessary.

A better image of that stamp, posted in the thread and not in a link, might bring more eyes to it.