Rarity / Treasure Hunting Online / Ebay

Al - do you have a pic of that 634 you can share?

No I don't. you can go to the PF site and search the cert. #566871, and then pull up the enlargement of the pic. of the card. You can print it from there if you want it for your records.

I do think that many collectors would list 'hopes of finding something unusual' in their list of enjoyments. As such I think that treasure hunting has always been, and will always be, a part of the hobby. But as Francis Bacon once said

Finding a 'treasure' on ebay is similar to getting a hole-in-one in golf, bowling a 300 game, or landing a record fish. Something most folks remember vividly but we should recognize that this is also part of ebay's marketing plan. They want everyone to believe that are going to find a treasure with every purchase, this is what fuels a large part of ebay's profitability. But the truth is that for every listing that contains an unrealized treasure there are hundreds of thousands of listings which do not and hundreds of thousands of listings which are mis-described or fraudulent. A person can, with years of experience and an investment of many search hours, increase the 'odds' in their favor a bit. This works out great if it is an enjoyable part of the hobby; the disappointments are quickly forgotten and hours of searching will melt away. But is ebay treasure hunting a good business plan?

More importantly, is treasure hunting something that philately should promote? This would be the same as promoting golf by saying, "one day you might get a hole-in-one' or promoting fishing by saying, "one day you might catch a record breaking trout".

Philately has a lot of intrinsic value which can be guaranteed and ensures that collectors enjoy the hobby long-term. But I do not know any strictly 'treasure hunters' which stayed with the hobby over time. Do folks who only 'treasure hunt' stay in the hobby for long periods of time? Or perhaps treasure hunting best considered as the 'sizzle of the steak' and used as an enticement to a new hobby?
Don

"More importantly, is treasure hunting something that philately should promote? This would be the same as promoting golf by saying, "one day you might get a hole-in-one' or promoting fishing by saying, "one day you might catch a record breaking trout". "

Isn't it better then saying:
Your never going to get a hole-in-one or One in a million you'll catch a record breaking trout, just give up?
Would you cast if you'd been told there are no fish in the water?

No one said 'never'; it is about setting reasonable expectations. A good expectation might be; 'if you dedicate a lifetime to this hobby and becoming well-educated you might one day find a rarity'.



No one said that there were 'no fish'. Instead, I am saying, 'fishing is a great hobby for the following reasons;
- a good way to relax
- a fine way to get some fresh air and enjoy nature
- a possible way to retrieve a meal

But lure people to the fishing hobby by setting the expectation that they will land a record braking fish is a sure way to create disappointment and short-term hobbyists.
Don

The point is enjoying fishing for fishing as opposed to chasing something that odds are you will never catch, becoming frustrated and quitting the endeavor altogether.

"But lure people to the fishing hobby by setting the expectation that they will land a record braking fish is a sure way to create disappointment and short-term hobbyists."

They come here on there own, with a interest in treasure,
We have to keep interested while teaching.

The point is enjoying fishing for fishing as opposed to chasing something that odds are you will never catch, becoming frustrated and quitting the endeavor altogether.

Takes years to understand that, someone new wouldn't understand

Just fella,
Many folks here have spent countless hours educating. Sometimes, when this topic comes up, people are accused of just being 'old farts'. There are even threads where some have been told, "you are just jealous that you have never found a rarity" or other such inane comments. I respect anyone who is willing to invest hours and hours educating others in this hobby, especially if they are doing it for free. In this community this means more than simply saying 'welcome' when a new member joins; it means answering the endless number of 'I think I have a rarity' threads.

The other issue with setting good expectations is the identification process. When starting an identification process you want to avoid being influenced, you want to enter with few preconceptions. Starting the process with a preconception that you have a rarity leads to confirmation bias, you do not want your judgment influenced. You want to neutral position and allow the evidence to lead you to the best decision. The worse way to identify stamps is to look in a catalog or online for rarest stamp, see that the stamp in hand 'kind of' looks like the rare one, and move forward thinking that this is what you probably have.
Don

I think if they come here looking for a #596
Don't tell them nope and give the odds
Say I don't know,
Tell them there's a few things they need to help identify, make it interactive
Show them how to look up perfs and watermarks
Even if it's in a generic message

We do not say 'I don't know' because we do know. No, it is not a 596. Perhaps you need to review the hundreds of threads where this was done endlessly in this community. Or perhaps you might take a look at Stamp Smarter which represents thousands of man hours and thousands of dollars with the specific purpose of freely offering education for hobbyists.

Folks come here looking for info, that is fine. But it is a two way street, they have to listen and put in an effort to learn. Sucess in this hobby is not luck, luck is the residue of skill and effort. Put in the time and effort and this hobby can offer many intrinsic returns during your lifetime and may even allow your family to afford your burial one day.
Don

Well, Don, please trust me that finding a treasure isn't anywhere near throwing a 300 game. I never have spent $147 on a bar bill when I found any of my ebay "treasures", but I sure did with my first 300! I have 2, and the 2nd was so much better, because I had 504 going into the last game, and what was the chance that I'd shoot 800 that night? About the same chance as finding a 596 someday, but it did happen!

Don, you are SO correct on this one.

Just_fella, Al E. Gator found that 544, because he was researching, and remembered the postmark to be exactly the same as one that he saw in one of the references, can't remember which. Anyone out there just looking for treasure and not researching first, will burn out, and won't be in the hobby long. And 594/96, 613 are literally impossible finds.

Why not instead, buy the Schmid or Armstrong books on Washington-Franklin's and learn. Then you'd be able to notice a 500 if it comes around. OR, buy and study the Neinken book on the 1c 1851-57 stamp, and then learn the types and plates, and be able to recognize a mis-identified stamp. OR, buy and study the Dr. Chase book and learn how to ID and or plate the 3c 1851-57, and find a plum or a pink, or a 25A.

Those of us who have done a lot of this-- we've researched, understood our subject, and are all the better for it. I highly doubt that any of us are out there looking for a 596, because it just isn't a possibility, or worth the time.

Hope this helps, Ray

And here I thought that 'adult beverages' meant Metamucil and Ensure! (at my house)
Don

I have found numerous treasures on ebay, particularly in the area of double transfers. Perhaps the best was finding the RS29b double transfer, for a whole lot less then that bar bill.