Rules Of Thumb - Are There Others Out There?

New to this forum, and happy to be here.

I have a question that came to me while reading an article from a popular philatelic periodical of which I am sure most here read as well.

Within the article (about recent auctions mind you) the following statement was made - "Most plate blocks issued since the 1930s...the rule of thumb is that a plate block of four is worth five single stamps..."

This statement pertained to more modern issues that not earlier ones.

This being said, I am curious whether others out there know of, or utilize other sorts of "Rules of Thumb" so to speak, with relation to coming up with a value for an item they may have in their collection that is otherwise not covered in the text of the Scott catalog when attempting to evaluate CV?

Your kind attention & input to the above will be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Stampalotapus

Stampalotapus, welcome!

With a name like that, I hope you choose an avatar soon as I can't wait to see it!

Yes there are many rule of thumbs in the stamp collection area . One of the most important is that Mixtures, packets and job-lot sold on e-bay will sell for about a penny per stamp .Usually it is 1,000 stamps for $10.00 or 200 stamps for $1.99 .Most stamps sold are offered in this type of pricing ratio . Besides welcome to the board .

That's really a tough question as there are nearly always going to be exceptions to such rules. A big one is that if your stamp doesn't meet Scott's criteria (truly very fine centering, no faults), its real world value is probably at least 50% less than the listed catalog price. For most stamps after 1900, the real world value is probably more than 50% off, even if it does meet Scott's critera.

Any stamps with a CV of a few dollars or less are still worth pennies, for the most part. When you start getting over $10 or so, you can start talking about percentages. $3 CV stamps do not generally sell in the 20-50% range that more expensive stamps do. Most serious collectors have those stamps and don't need them and dealers already have more of them than they need. Even stamps valued at a few dollars are in fact still penny stamps in terms of what you can actually get for them (although maybe 10 or 15 pennies instead of 1).

If selling a collection intact to a dealer or at auction, I figure on 5-10% of CV, assuming most of its value is in stamps cataloging in the $10-$500 range. If it contains a lot of stamps in the $1000+ range, it will probably be higher, and if it's mostly cheaper (under $10 or so CV), it would go for less.

When coming up with an estimated value of something you own, take your first estimate and shave about 20% off of it. Most people over-value their own collections and individual items.

In terms of figuring out value, there's no subsitute for knowledge that can only be obtained over time. All of the things I said above are reasonably accurate in many cases. But they won't apply in *all* cases. Actually, a rule of thumb is kind of a shortcut when you aren't really sure about something and with enough knowledge, they wouldn't be needed. As it's basically impossible for anyone to have perfect knowledge about the market for every kind of philatelic item, rules of thumb can be useful.

Another rule of thumb ... if it is bargain priced, it ain't.

One of the more practical rules of thumbs is that if you inherit a collection, it is not as valuable as you think.

Another rule of thumb is that catalog value is not what your collection is worth. Catalog value is essentially "retail" value of stamps in extraordinary condition. Most stamp and stamp collections do not approach this condition, but more likely fall into the average to fine category ... 30-60% catalog value at best.

Another rule of thumb is that if you think you have found a very valuable stamp, you probably have not. Rare and valuable stamps are rare and valuable for a reason. Typically a stamp that could be either rare or common when carefully examined will turn out to be "common".

Another rule of thumb is don't trust an ebay description for an expensive stamp. Do your due diligence and make sure you can get your money back before you post a winning bid.

Somewhere there ought to be an education thread where things like "rules of thumb" are posted and mandatory reading for new (and seasoned) members.

Are you trying to determine the value of the collection to perhaps sell it, place a value in a will, or some other reason? Each individual stamp can be googled by scott# and you'll get several different prices. The bottom line is the stamp worth the price to you for your collection.

I definitely agree with oldguy on this point, but the effort of figuring it out is a great education!

And remember, never fully believe any "wisdom" that so called experts pass on to you, and even this comment is suspect.

Most rules seems to be conserned with value or scarcity. My rule of thumb would be that stamp collectors are collecting stamps, not $$$. If more interested in $$$, invest in anything else but stamps....

Yes, I see your point, but that probably spawns another rule of thumb... newbies tend to join because they have acquired a collection of stamps they want to know if they are rich, but after determining that the rule of thumb... little or no value applies, they become intrigued and become collectors.

So does that bring up another rule of thumb.... new collectors are not born, but inherit someone else's collection? Can we use this rule of thumb to grow the stamp collecting community? Maybe mail your excess stamps anonymously to someone and see if it gets them interested in collecting stamps.

Good rule of thumb -------unsearched mixtures and untouched collections ----I see that describition all the time . It is a safe bet to understand that the stamps and covers have been seen and reviewed by at least by four or five more advance collectors and dealers before you get to bid on or purchase that lot . There is a group who spend days at all the big stamp auctions and get to review what is being offered.
So most of what is floating out there has been checked and reviewed well before your eyes see the lot . Every major auction house has their own staff review and check the lots for value . Sure they will miss a few things here and there but over all they do a excellent job .The professional buyers also watch for value and can price things to the current market .
Most of what you see on the internet are manufactured lots that have been design and built to attach bidding so the UNSEARCHED and UNPICKED over lot is a joke played on new or wishful old timers thinking they hit the mother-load of stamp collecting .

If you use hinges, bite the bullet and invest in original Dennison hinges. Buy as many as you can afford, 5-10 years down the road chances are very good that you will be happy that you did.
Don

I disagree with the statement that all lots are manufactured and that not searched and unpicked is a joke. I have purchased quite a few mixtures with very good stamps in them. Of course there's always the possibility that a dealer has salted the lots with better items to encourage repeat sales, but whatever the truth, it worked! Certainly some lots are picked over but not all.

The definition of "very good stamps" all depends on what level of collecting you are, if you have just started a new specialty, and how deep your pockets are.

A lot of us can still find nice stamps in mixtures--- and have a good time figuring out what we got. I suspect floortrader's definition of "very good stamps" is at a very different level from mine.

Thank you all for your replies and advise.

I am not seeking to sell, simply endeavoring to finally catalog and organize a vast collection I started when I was 9 (I am now 56), so I have been doing this for some time now (off & on).

I have also inherited my father's vast collection of which he kept up with since he was 13 (that was back in 1936). Much of what I have went through of his accumulation over the years is fair to good to great to WOWIE, with a smattering of those elusive GEMS that many of us seek out. My father was a stamp hoarder basically and traveled extensively.

My intent with the initial query for other individual's "Rule of Thumb", is to ascertain such items that are not listed in the Scott Cats. By this I mean, if I have a Block of 6, a Gutter Pair & a Plate Block 10 of the same stamp, but the Scott Catalog only provides a CV for a single stamp in MNH & Used - how would one come to an estimated CV for each of these variations?

My apologies if I was not specifically clear on my intent with this.

Regards'
Stampalotopus