Large Organized Collection Inquiry

Hello, I have a rather large stamp collection i've inherited a few years back All american from what I see, I have A partially filled book, a folder with full stamp sheets, 3 cache boxes of small sheets as well as mint sets from 1972-1976. the boxes have a numbering system on each sleeve which hold the stamps. I would like to know more about this numbering system so I can better navigate what I have. Thank you all!

Need to see the numbering system on the sleeves please.

Could be Scott catalog numbers but still need more info. Need the a picture of the actual stamps next to the numbered sleeve.

What denominations are the sheets?

These are plate number blocks of four identified by the Scott Catalogue numbering system. The catalogue for U.S. stamps and collectors.

The plate number block of 6 Scott # 732 is from 1933.

Thank you! I Really enjoy looking at these but get real nervous when handling because everything's in excellent condition, so the scott catalogue numbering system Is very useful to know. Now I can do more research!

Hi John and Welcome.

When buying a Scott U.S. Specialized Catalog you don't really need a brand new one (unless you can afford it). The prices haven't changed that much in the last few years, so one 4 or 5 yrs old should suffice, and save you a lot price wise. Also fair market value for the stamps themselves is often much less than the listed cat value.

In my opinion Scott Catalog's first and best use is for identification.

One question is what you want to do with this material. At the moment, you have an album and a sorted accumulation of other stamps. A collection involves a display. That means putting the plate blocks into something that allows you to look at them, whether a dedicated album, a stock-book or stock-pages. If you just want to sell them, you can save yourself that expense.

I most importantly would like to educate myself on what I have. Not interested in selling unless I get some crazy offer which I doubt. I have letters a lot of duplicate sheets the scott numbers range from 732-1257. but it seems a lot of airmail,special delivery and 1/2 , 1 cent postage due are unmarked. also have a few covers and a section of unused stamps labeled for trade.

I agree that the "Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers" is a great identification tool. A similar decent resource is the "Scott Standard Catalogue Volume 1," though it lacks some of the detailed listings. For beginners, I recommend borrowing a copy from a local public library.

A quick resource is Stamp Smarter's 1847USA online tool. Specifically within that website, there is a keyword search. Thus, based upon your two "Rough Riders" first day of issue covers, I search for the keywords "rough riders," which identified the stamp as Scott # 973.

In regards to the unidentified airmail, special delivery, and postage due stamps; again the 1847USA tools will be of help. The website's "BOB Finder" is a handy tool for such "Back of the Book" material.

Personally, I am curious to see a couple photographs (or scans) within the black album.

Welcome to the family, John!

You have come to the right place for information and help with your collection. Hopefully we will make a stamp collector out of you!

You have an advantage over many people who inherit a collection. It seems well organized. That's not always the case.

Once you get your "stamping legs" you may want to consider expanding and growing the collection to a higher level as a tribute to the original collector.

Happy stamping!

Dan

In regards to the last two photographs you posted, these are "stamped envelopes." The U.S. postal service has been selling these since 1853 and continues to sell them today. This summer the U.S. postal service issued Scott #U700, which is available at USPS.com.

The second-last photograph depicts a 1.25¢ Franklin that is stored within a glassine envelope. It is Scott # U541, which was issued in 1960.

The last photograph depicts a couple "cut squares," indicating that the stamp portion of the envelope was cut out. Unfortunately a huge chunk of one is missing. These are 3¢ Washingtons from the 1870's and 1880's. Identification of stamps in this vintage is tricky due to the significant number of varieties.

Welcome to stamp collecting!

Finding people with similar interests can bring great enjoyment to the hobby. I suggested reviewing the lists of stamp clubs in Canada and the United States. Perhaps there is one in your proximity.

Thank you all again for being such a great help! What I love about these stamps is that they each carry a part of history with them, and yes due to the organization I would like to continue where my great-grandfather left off, but I also need to make sure it is done the proper way. This forum has definitely help create a spark as well! Here are the contents of the book!