I Just Found An Old Stamp Collection In My Basement

So, my mother gave me an old relative's stamp collection years ago, and I put the collection in a box and forgot about it. Well, I recently opened that box and found the stamp collection. There are US stamps, and international stamps. The international stamps are in an album and go back to the 1870s.

So, I think we took in to a stamp guy 30 years ago and he didn't seem interested. I don't have the time to go through the stamps--there are literally hundreds if not thousands of stamps. How would I go about getting this collection appraised? I'm leery of just going to somebody I find on the internet. How do I find somebody, in the Northern Virginia area, to appraise this collection? Somebody that I can trust?

Anybody know anybody?

Bill

Bill, welcome to the forum. I see your problem. Other then advising you to take up the hobby yourself I always give the advise to go to the http://stamps.org website. Click on the "stamp collecting" tab and then go to local clubs. If you put in your ZIP code you will get a list of all clubs in your area with contacts.
I think this is always the safest way to go.


Peter

Welcome Bill,
If you can post some images here we can offer opinions on the best course of action. If the dealer who told you 30 years ago was not interested, it may be that the collection does not have a large amount of value. But that said, getting additional input seems prudent.
Don

Peter and Don, I really appreciate the responses. You must get this same post every day, and yet your responses were fair and patient. I realize this collection is probably not worth very much. Would there be a good way to donate this collection to a museum or a charity that could really optimize its value?

I will post pictures as I am able.

Bill

If a museum is interested than it means there is a substantial value and/or uniqueness. But there are many other donation directions including those in which young collectors benefit (i.e the link Peter supplied also has info on making a donation to the APS so they can move it along to young collectors and get you a tax deduction.)

Please note that until we better understand the scope of the collection we are throwing darts in the dark.
Don

Basement? Not a good place to find a stamp collection!

Jack Kelley

Most charities or museums would have no idea what to do with this and would decline the donation. The volume does not appear unusually large and it's probably a common collection, so your best bet is finding a local club that can value it, sell it to members, and pay you the proceeds. My club in Redwood City, CA does this all the time. Consignors get 90% of all proceeds and the club keeps 10% for the work involved in cataloging, valuing and auctioning the collection. Depending on the material we sell through a members' silent auction or live auction. There are usually 40 members at these auctions. It's a good solution for smaller, lower-value collections that big auction houses or stamp dealers won't touch. For details see http://penpex.org (Sequoia Stamp Club).

You could also look at the website of the American Stamp Dealers Association and see if there is a member dealer in Virginia. They will pay you a wholesale price though - a deep discount off retail - because they are taking the entire risk of sale.

Chris

I live in NoVA and there are two retail locations I know that are left in the area, although I'd be interested if someone knows of more. There are:

Maryland Stamps and Coins in Bethesda, which are APS/ASDA. Run by David Most. The few times I've been there they've been helpful.

There's a place in Rockville on Rockville Pike in MD. I haven't been there in a while and its mostly devoted to Coins. However, they have a stamp specialist from whom I have purchased starter collections for my children from boxed lots. The store is probably "Coins of the Realm".

However, and noting I haven't seen the collection, you should expect any retail dealer to offer a very low appraisal or nothing. So if you choose the route of walking into a dealer's store and asking for a valuation, expect the worst.

There are also clubs in the area, though I don't belong. The Ayr Hill Stamp Club in Vienna (my home town) used to meet at the Patrick Henry Libary. Perhaps it still does. Here is the website with meeting dates, although I don't know if this is 2017 or some past year:

http://www.angelfire.com/va2/ayrhill/

Bill,

I see that there is a stamp show being held near you this coming weekend. You could bring the collection there to see if there is anyone there who might be able to help you.

http://www.stampshows.com/fairfax_jo.html