Where Can I Find The Catalog Value For A Stamp That Has Been Graded By Pse?

Hi,

I found on ebay, there are a lot of stamps that have been graded by PSE or other authorities. Does anyone knows where I can find the catalog value for graded stamps? For example, I saw some sellers use SMQ values. Where can I find the SMQ values?

And is there a formula in general to calculate the value based on PSE grade 100? For example, if a stamp with PSE grade 100 has a value of $100, then the stamp with grade 98 would have a value of 80% of $100, which is $80, etc.

Thanks

This is PSE pricing list. It tracks reasonably well against Scott. If anything, slightly less for what I have checked.

bhttp://www.psestamp.com/prices/

angore

Thanks, that's very helpful. But do you know about the information for the later issues (Scott #700+)?

And do you know what is SMQ value?

The psestamp.com link is an old link. Go to Gradingmatters.com, then click on SMQ & POP at the upper left, then click on the US flag. You can enter the Scott number of the stamp that you need a value for and it will show you the prices for the various grades.

wtcrowe

thanks a lot!

SMQ = Stamp Market Quarterly, a publication of PSE. You can find a similar report on values for graded US stamps in the "U.S. Specialized by Grade" section of the Scott U.S. Specialized Catalog. This is sometimes referred to as SSV (Scott Stamp Values). While very similar, the values assigned to various grades of stamps by the two publications will vary slightly. As wtcrowe pointed out, you can access the current SMQ values online at the PSE web site.

JLLebbert

Thank you! One thing I noticed is that in general, the real market value ( ebay sold price) is roughly 30%-60% of the SMQ, while for non-graded stamps, the ebay sold price is roughly only about 10%-30% of the SCV. The ratio is much higher for graded stamps. Is my observation valid?

Thanks

If a stamp is being sold with a PSE grade then it should have been seen by PSE and either certified by them or encapsulated by them. If that is so then you have some sort guarantee as to what you are buying. Much of what is sold on E-Bay without a certificate is pretty much a "crap shoot" (pardon my French) and therefore sells for a lower percentage of catalogue. Those stamps with an independent certificate will sell at a higher rate of catalogue as the buyer has a good chance of getting what he is paying for.

wtcrowe

Thanks for your opinion. I understand that a certificate will improve the ratio. But I thought SMQ has already reflected that, since it is way higher than the SCV. Some stamps with SCV $.25 may have a SMQ $50 if its grade is high. Anyway, my point is that the two systems seem to work slightly differently.

The Scott CV as quoted in their catalogue is for stamps in very fine condition (there are rare exceptions to this rule) ... numerically, this is grade 80. In other words, SCV = SMQ 80 value. Just as with almost any other collectible, condition & scarcity govern the actual value. As the grade goes up or down, so too does a stamp's value (SMQ or SSV).

JLLebbert,

OK, I have to admit that I completely forgot that SCV is for VF stamps. LOL

You must remember that the values in the SMQ are only for PSE graded stamps, that is stamps that have been certified by PSE and given that grade whether with a paper certificate or encapsulated by them. Any other source of a grade is an approximation as to the grade PSE would give a stamp. While centering plays heavily in the final grade it is not the only thing taken into consideration in the grading process. There may be extremely minor flaws such as gum skips which will lower the final grade. The Philatelic Foundation and PSAG have their own standards.

To a certain extent you can tell how scarce a stamp is in a certain grade by looking at PSE's Population Report or POP. The POP report will tell you how many stamps have been given a particular grade for an individual Scott number. I would say that the greater the number in a particular grade, the more availability and the greater the probability that it will sell for a discount from the SMQ price. This rule works well with pre-WWI stamps and not so well with post WWII stamps as a low number may indicate that it was not financially worthwhile to have the stamp graded.

You just take the SMQ with a grain of salt as a data point but then I cannot see there is enough market data to support all the prices for all the stamps in all the grades.

One thing that greatly affects the value of stamps in the SMQ is the population at a certain grade. Thisnot only affects the value but also whether or not the stamp is likely to sell at, above or below SMQ.

Right now there is exactly one $2.60 Zeppelin that's made 100NH. So, if you want a set of 100NH Zeppelins and it comes up for sale.......

The Scott catalog also has values for graded stamps -SSV values are in the center of the catalog on yellow pages. This goes only up to the low 700s but also includes air mails and back of the book.