Mint Face Value Postage @ 50%

The hotel meeting room next door to a recent meeting of my favorite postcard club was taken by a fellow with a 'Tag Sale'.

There was the usual garage sale stuff, and there was some just-a-little-better-than-garage-sale stuff.

And there were also two cartons full of US mint sheets (mostly 30-odd-cent era), with their very high quality stiffeners inside their USPS factory-sealed cellophane wrappers.

He was selling these at 50% face value, and not a few of us (the current domestic postcard rate being 30-odd-cents) bought a few.

I guess that he had not had that much success selling MFVP sheets in the past, because he finally asked one of us what we were going to do with all of those stamps.

Much to his chagrin, the answer was, of course, "postage".

He replied that he had thought that he would be selling the stamps to "collectors" for "collecting".

Now, think about this. The same guy who bought these sheets at a price low enough that he could make a profit at 50% face value thought that he was selling genuine collectibles.

I mean, like, you'd think that he oughta be the first one to know better, right?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Laughing out loud. Good score! Wonder what he paid for them. 30c rates are good because you don't have to lick 50 stamps to mail a priority mail envelope.

Maybe he thought he was P.T. Barnum of "one born every minute" fame.

Hmmmmm, aren't you a collector?

Not of USPS mint sheets.

I'm not surprised

About 10 years ago during the depths of the great recession, I purchased a lot of 29c to 37c postage stamp sheets/booklets at a garage sale for 50% of FV. What is the probability of being able to sell them myself at a garage sale in the future for 50% of FV if economic times get rough? If one is able to purchase common postage stamps at 50% of FV, is it recession proof, in that it is highly likely that you will be able to easily sell them in the future for 50% of FV at a garage sale?

Just remember that face value "per stamp" is a percentage of value as postage...and that percentage keeps sinking as time goes on.

bookbndrbob: I don't understand how the percentage value of postage keeps sinking as time goes on. For example, if next year the first class rate increases to 58c and I purchased 100 29c stamps for $14.50, I would be able to mail 50 1oz letters for half-price.

What is the point of shaming anyone who might be a collector of modern stamps?
Don

I may have purchased a few.

At this point, the 10c and up stamps are still useful for paying bills that aren't paid online. Sometimes the 1c - 8c can be used to "finish the job", but their general use for letters and parcels has been minimalized by inflation and rising rates.

So, selling these low face value stamps would seem to be a little tougher than for the higher values, IMO.

For many years 30 or so cents has been the going price for discount postage equivalent to whatever the letter rate has been at the time. Decreasing demand for postage is driving that.

Sounds like you got a good deal!

'
Q/ Is the 30% the dealers' selling price, or asking price?

I've mostly seen dealers asking 70-100% of Face Value; this 50% guy was the rare exception.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

There's a few dealer's at the Albany, NY monthly show that has mint U.S. at 50%. Most of the stamps are 25 cents and less which is fine for my needs.