Does A Well Organized Stamp Album Really Increase The Value Of Your Collection

And, if a well-organized stamp collection does, is there a more preferred style? Like topical or geographical- the proximity of states or some other?

I would say 'yes.' Just as in exhibiting, presentation is given a low amount of weight in scoring compared to other judged criteria, but the vast majority of writing about exhibiting states that presentation still affects most of the other criteria, even if only subliminally. I suspect the same would apply to someone looking at a collection for purchase.

I've purchased a few collections, including the remnants of the Wampler Plate Block Collection auctioned by Shreves in 1998. A nice, well organized presentation (chronological, geographic or thematic is of no importance to me) certainly heightens my interest. I've refrained from purchasing disorganized collections or accumulations, even though it would have been fun to go through them, because somehow (I know this is silly) the state of the collection conveyed a sense that its contents might not be worth the bother -- or the price. Pet peeve: Albums or pages in which the seller has removed the best stuff and sold separately. Completely understandable (I would do the same), but it puts me off.

In general, collectors buy stamps, not albums. As long as the album isn't a disorganised mess, it shouldn't affect the price. And, in many cases, collectors bidding in auctions without being present see only a tiny sample of the album in any case.

One of the things I look for is misidentified stamps.

In general, The better organized the collection, the more it gives me the impression that the stamps are correctly identified and less likely to have hidden damage.

An organised collection equals an organised collector. When the time comes, this makes the buyers/auctioneers job much easier and should yield a higher price.

Anyone putting decent dollars into their collection should have it well organised.

As for method, each country together, and in chronological order.

Thematic collections are different. I've never collected thematically so can't comment on method/layout.

I'd have to say yes, when it's time to sell and you are getting an appraisal, whether dealer or auction house, time is money to them.
The less time they spend on sorting junk the more time they can send examining key stamps for dates, flaws, ect.
Just my opinion though!

We see it almost every month at the major public stamp auctions . Mounted well organized stamp collections return 3X to 4X the price of stock books and glassines filled with unsorted stamps .

This doesn't apply to smaller collections under 25,000 stamps of common stamps . A well mounted collection were a buyer can see the better stamps and determine the amount of complete sets and what earlier stamps are present will receive higher prices .

Those large unorganized bulk lots will bring less than one cent each per stamp and a well organized mounted collection can bring a lot more .

My experience has been to buy a 42 volume W.W. big blue collection from Dr.BOB in Chicago with contained 140,000 different for 4 cents each with nothing for the binders/albums which were in excellent condition .

Simple - a disorganized collection will cost the dealer more time, thus they will pay less.

Bobby de la rue: could not agree more. I have always felt that a collection defines the collector in more ways than how much he/she spent on the hobby

Sure it does.

An album of used US stamps from 1970 to date will get far more than a box full of the same stamps. For the same reason: you can see what you're getting.

ALUB---- I never heard or seen a used U.S.collection from 1970 to present . I don't think they exist .

I believe well organized Worldwide collection are getting fewer and fewer .

The key here is WELL ORGANIZED . I seen at a number auctions where the collection is adjusted to the album but even these return a decent return over over boxes ans boxes of mix up accumulations.

For the most part a messy mounted collection means that the stamps are nothing to write home about unless there is a nugget that was missed. Nobody purchases individual stamps that have a cv above minimum to low and just sticks them in an album with no care. There are exceptions but not many. It is like buying a nice car and parking it under the trees full of birds. Most people would not. As has been said too, if being sold at auction or retail, collectors will possibly be competing against dealers and dealers will drop out or pass on a messy collection at a much lower level than they would if it was a very presentable collection. Again, using the car analogy, floor mats, a clean interior and all of the little pieces in order and shiny raises the price and number of people interested.

I would recommend being cautious about making sweeping generalizations about any relationship between the organization of a collection and its quality or the type of person who did the collecting.

Stamp collectors with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimers, Dementia, Parkinsons, or other Neurodegenerative Diseases often show the signs of disorganization. Many times the collection might have started off as being well organized but lost much of it as the cognitive impairment of the owner advanced. Stamp positions may have been changed and identifications confused over time. As such, I am careful about making assumptions based upon the organization of a collection.
Don

I agree with Don about the sweeping generalizations. As part of the downsizing from a world wide collection, my France and colonies collections sold at auction early in 2018. Despite being well organized, after seller's premium, I got about 7% of catalog.

There may be other factors in play, that I acknowledge. Market for those countries doesn't seem very strong (I did not have much from French Offices in China and kept my St. Pierre collection; both of which seem stronger). I also may have picked the wrong auction house as they did a poor job; in my opinion; of describing the collection. So much so that it did not sell in late 2017 in a prior auction.

Overall, I also agree that a well organized collection may sell better. But if the market isn't strong, won't really matter how organized the collection is.