Sterling Silver Stamp Collection

I really had no idea of the most appropriate place to post this, but this category seems as good as any. I had almost forgotten about these, but came across them today while looking for something else in a closet.

Presented for your edification is a collection of 50 of the world's rarest and most popular stamps … minted into sterling silver ingots. I think these were probably sold in the 1970s or '80s in subscription form, maybe one each month, by mail. I have no idea how much they cost at the time, but I have no doubt it was far more than their intrinsic value. I ended up buying them at auction for their silver melt value, somewhere around 12 ounces in total. Most weigh maybe 1/4 of an ounce.

The issuing entity was the "International Society of Postmasters" -- most likely an invented organization created as marketing scheme. The actual company that did the sculpting and minting was mostly the Franklin Mint or a similar firm.

They actually did a nice job on some of the stamps, like the C15 Graf Zeppelin, with the clouds in high relief creating a dimensional quality. Some even have perforation-like ridges. These are all actual size, I believe, and each has the "title" of the stamp on the back. A few of the choices don't lend themselves well to re-interpretation in metal, however. Things like the Z grill and rare color varieties are completely lost in silver. They could also have done a better job with the presentation case, which requires two of the stamps to be turned sideways. Still, it's an impressive set.

Unfortunately, the collection came without any descriptive literature. I'd be interested in learning more about it if there are any members who can provide further information.

GregAlex
I have no info on them, but as an 'add-on' to a worldwide stamp collection I would have bought them myself!
Regards
DavidR

If I am not wrong, this was Issued in 1977 by the Franklin Mint - sterling silver proofs of 50 of the world's greatest stamps.

2 currently on sale on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Intl-...AOSwt1RZlIe1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-Sterlin...AOSwEDhdLLL9

These would make nice additions to an ephemera collection.

Those are pretty nice.

It looks like the kind of thing that would have been marketed where they send you one each month for x amount of dollars, with the goal of filling up the book.

Yes, exactly. I did a little more Googling and it looks like they cost $19.50 per ingot. So a total of $975 for the whole album -- a tremendous amount in 1977. They were not a good investment (these silver and gold schemes never are). I ended up paying about 25 percent of that amount more than three decades later.

Turns out there were information sheets that came with each ingot and a smaller album to store those in. I didn't get that, but it would be interesting to look through. Here's an image from one of those ebay lots.

The one for India could be turned into a very nice cufflink.

The Franklin Mint in its heyday occupied a good acreage quite near where I live. There was a large factory perhaps a quarter mile in length with design and artists studios in addition to casting and metalworking shops and a separate circular museum building. Employed hundreds including several of the most talented artists who had been in my high school class. One is still a friend of mine, he has several times mentioned how the work product was world-class. I'll have to ask him if he worked on any of the stamp products.

After the firm went bankrupt, the plant sat vacant for a decade or more while the acreage was sold and resold. The acreage was recently sold to developers who finally managed to obtain planning approvals and over the past six months everything has been demolished and carted off. It will become a residential development of several hundred houses by this year's end. Everyone around is convinced that roadway traffic will become unbearable.

They apparently also did sets of the worlds first postage stamps, and a few others with the Postmasters group who seem to have been their creatures.

'
Giving the name of the "sponsoring organization" in both English & French was a nice touch ...

... very internationale, Messrs Frankline !

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

"Je vous en prie, Monsieur En Forme de Brochet."

Sweet

Thread bumped : Dormant 2 years

2020 8 sets sold, 1 left at $14 from what I can make out. (100 Ingots?)

This Saturday 1 set in West Australia $120
= $1.20 an ingot
Auctioneer's relates a purchase, with selling individuals at $10 each
(frought with problems in my opinion)

Click image to enlarge.

rod - note they said "trying to sell them at $10 each", not has sold them at $10 each. You can ask anything you want.

One could always purchase TWO sets, and create a set of 50 unusual philatelic themed cufflinks.

Do philatelists ever wear shirts with French cuffs?

Cheers EOTW
I understood that, my bad, being imprecise.

I like the Cufflinks idea, thinking outside the box
What about earrings.

Right now, the melt value on most of these little ingots would be around $4 to $6 U.S. and the silver value of the entire collection would be roughly $200 U.S.

Even at 1/4 oz. I think those might not be the most comfortable earrings!

ADDENDUM: I just realized there are different versions of this set. The one with 100 stamps are miniatures -- these weigh maybe 1/10 oz each, so about 10 oz. total. The set I originally posted are full-sized silver replicas. Here are the little ones...

Yes, that would be the ones advertised Greg,
I'll post their sale price next week.

I have seen / felt the tiny ones in US stamps on occasions.