Method To Liquidate A 50's Thru Current Plate Block Collection

Hi,
I have a bunch of plate blocks from the 50's up to current (in binders and also loose) that I no longer have room for nor desire to collect. I thought I could sell them for some collectable value but see on this forum and have experienced dealers telling me they have no collectable value, only as postage.

Question to you wise ones- Are there ANY specific plate blocks in that date range which MIGHT have value to some collector? If so, is there a list of the top 10 or 20? If not, I guess I'll figure out how to either use them or donate them to a non-profit who can use them for postage.

One dealer said they would buy them from me at 20-30% of the face value, organize them and then sell them to bulk mailers for 50% of face value.

Does anyone else have any other ideas for gaining some value for them? I'm for sure using the more recent ones to mail. I'm never buying a stamp again for holiday cards. It kind of pains me to use them for postage.

Yes, the 1956 $5 Hamilton from the Liberty Series commonly sells as a plate block for $65 to $125.

I believe the dealer offer is likely that market, *** Edited by Staff - Please Review the rules that you agreed to when you registered. ***

The challenge of the lower face value blocks (say, less than 10 or 13 cents), is that it takes so many to do anything. Thus the demand is much lower than for the more recent stamps where 2 or 3 will carry a letter when combined.

I have been buying 25's at discount then using two with a pair of 3's to get them used up. It looks like I am wasting a penny, but the savings on the 25's makes up for it.

Whenever I use stamps to mail an envelope I always tack on a few three cent commemoratives to spruce things up and maybe pique the recipients curiosity. I place more than the amount required but I have enough for my lifetime sitting in boxes. Sometimes my envelopes are covered stem to stern in different old stamps and my wife just looks at me sideways. Hee, hee, hee….

Piquing the recipients curiosity or piquing the thieves curiosity?
Don

Any unused post WWII stamp that was the then current first class rate is unlikely to generate a premium. Higher denominations, however, may carry a premium, such as the $5 Hamilton already mentioned. Air mail and postage due PBs might garner some interest, or at least sell closer to face value. Despite the above, I'd continue to save any PB with superb centering. As for the remainder, lick 'em and stick 'em.

There are a few regular issues and commemoratives worth north of $100. Values are from the 2021 Scott Specialized Catalogue for US

#1053 - $5 Alexander Hamilton..............PB4 = $210
#1789B - 15¢ John Paul Jones perf 12 .... PB10 = $37,500
#2870 - 29¢ Recalled Legends of the West..pane of 20 = $220

Additionally. most of the high denomination Priority Express Mail stamp plate blocks are quite valuable. Check the Scott Catalogue for specific values or see my 2nd post further down this thread.
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Also, the 1959 Postage Due #J88 ½ cent ...... PB4 = $120

If they are the lower denominations (first class or anything less than $1.00 face value), the advice is not off target.

If you have $1.00, $2.00 or $5.00 denomination blocks, they are worth much closer to face if not more. For example, the 1950s $5.00 Hamilton is worth much more, and very sellable by itself. If you have any Priority, Express, etc., blocks or booklets, they are worth close to face or more. You probably already know this.

This is not really my field, but it might be helpful to note that there is also the Durland Plate Number Catalog, which identifies and suggests a catalog value for each plate block number for a given US stamp. There are cases where some pb numbers are more scarce than others, and the Durland can help surface that information.

I don't know enough about this particular area to say whether or not there are scarcer numbers among what are thought to be common plate blocks, but I bet someone here may know.

Here's a description of the catalog written by the librarian at the APS/American Philatelic Research Library:

http://blog.stamplibrary.org/2019/0...ber-catalog/

Here's the most recent edition (I think) of the catalog for sale by the US Stamp Society:

https://www.usstamps.org/store/

I would imagine that a slightly older edition could be had on eBay or possibly through used book sites at a cheaper price.

OK - here's the Priority Mail Express stamps - plate blocks of 4 MNH with 2021 Scott Specialized US values of at least $100: Face Value = the denomination of a single stamp, not its Scott value.

What a great demonstration of how out of touch Scott values can be. The 2020 Express Mail blocks are available through USPS for $105.40 which is, you guessed it, face value.

For collectors of plate #s, there are specific blocks that may be of value. If you have access to a Durland catalogue, you might check it for some of the more valuable blocks. I can recall a couple of the Great American plate blocks, Thomas Gallaudet I think, that were scarce. Most Gallaudet PBs had CV of $4 but two of them, plate # 8 & 9 as I recall, were valued at around $150.

ROGDCAM: That's only because the $26.35 2020 Express Mail stamp is still the 2021 Express Mail rate. Eventually, that rate will rise (might even do so this year if USPS has its way). When that happens, that stamp will disappear and the new replacement will become available, and the Scott value will become closer to reality. Until then, you are correct - only a fool would pay more than face value for this or any other stamp or plate block still available at the post office or from the USPS store.

The 1991 Express Mail Eagle in Flight is a good example of how US mint stamps do not appreciate over time and how catalog publishers struggle to deal with inflation in their valuations (why they do not write more about the impact of inflation in their valuation explanations is beyond me).

In 1991 you could buy a plate block of four of the Express Mail Eagle in Flight (#2542) for $56.00. The 2021 catalog valuation is $100.00. This $100 is actually below face value in 1991 dollars, in 1991 dollars the face value today would be $107.56. (A 1991 dollar is worth $1.92 today due to inflation.) https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

These Express Mail Eagle in Flight plate blocks are currently selling under $70; anyone who purchased these back plate blocks in 1991 is not going to come close to getting their original value back. They have lost approximately 35% of their face value when you factor in inflation.

This issue is not just for plate blocks, it applies to most other modern US stamps. Here is a catalog value/inflation analysis of the C13, C14, C15 Zeppelins; the catalog value in 1945 was almost exactly the same as it was in 2016 (when I did the analysis) when you account for inflation.
https://stampsmarter.org/Learning/Z...gTrends.html

Don

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