Why Stamp Collectors Love The Graf Zeppelins

Please do not take my word for it. It may still be an artifact of the picture.

The normal procedure I use, if I am really interested in the item, is to simply ask the seller if the problems I see are really there or not.

The Graf Zepplins are just beautiful stamps, one of the nicest the US gov ever did. Unfortunately, the price of a nice set has ALWAYS been out of my price range. I looked in the AP yesterday and there was a dealer offering a set of Graf Zepplins-about $1700. Sorry, can't drop that kind of money for stamps! My spouse would kill me. I've been staring at those ads since I started collecting in 1982 don't know if I'll ever get enough to buy a set!

I, too would like a set. I often wonder how I would handle having that much money tied up in three little pieces of paper. Would the worry kill me about their safety? Next year, I will have the ability to put about 3000 dollars in my stamps. I have a US number 1. I greatly want a number 2, but the thought of one stamp costing in excess of a thousand dollars is more than I can handle. Having several hundred in the number 1 is bad enough.

In this case, the seller clearly states that their are Gum creases and Gum wrinkling and does urge any possible buyers to check the scans.
I thnk this is good seller policy.

Londonbus1

These were passed down to me from my grandfather..The # 1 G

what's not to love-----these are flat out beautiful stamps

Bobggg - would you consider adopting me?

Those are what I call lottery stamps. I'll never have them unless I hit the Powerball.

Bobgggg......

All I can say is .....WOW !.....WOW !.....WOW !

Personally I think the Zeps are just a fantastic looking stamp. However, I have never understood the price. Just try to find a dealer who doesn't have 1 or several sets to sell! They are all over. I know 1 dealer who has 10 sheets of each. Yes, I said 10! I've seen them. He told me years ago that he splits up a sheet every few years. If he sold them as sheets he is afraid that the price will drop dramatically! He has only sold 2 full sheets of each in the last 25 years. All were private collectors to avoid a perceived market saturation. If you want a challenge try to find a VF-XF Non-philatelic used set. I bet you will find 6 mint(at least) for every 1 used set.

I've read commentary somewhere in the last couple of years that echos what rev-man said. There are more than enough mint copies out there, and sufficient postally used copies, to keep the market calm and steady. The author postulated that the high price was due to a very high demand and hoarding/selective selling by dealers.

I think they are popular because they look nice, because the are sexy in the sense that the Hindenburg makes them so, and because the are hyped by collectors and dealers alike.

It's always nice to hear of a dealer that is honest about the facts.

This has been a long-standing complaint of mine against several major auction houses and dealers. They ignore challenges to provide proof to back up their statements concerning existing quantities of many items they sell.

In last December 2009 Heritage Auction, they sold a set of C13-C15 panes, claiming

"ONE OF ONLY A HALF-DOZEN OR SO THAT ARE BELIEVED TO REMAIN INTACT."

Not a lie because of the word choice, but an outright major distortion that is clearly intended to hype and mislead, that probably added an additional $20K to the final hammer price. It only goes to show, "fishing for fools" is practiced not only by wannabees on ebay, but some of the big players as well. This is why there are several auction houses and dealers I refuse to buy from.

k

Hmm I wonder what I can pick up. Heritage sure makes a lot of money. Maybe brother K will teach us all a few tricks

As the old saying goes "Caveat Emptor" and do your homework!!

If only they had offered to provide a "Frameable Certificate of Authenticity" they might have realized an additional $25K!

This whole thing reminds me of the diamond market - the biggest ripoff in the history of man.

Three or four years ago I saw a mnh set of the zeps change hands at our club meeting for $1400 and a handshake..both parties were happy !