Wespex Auction Is Online

Happens more often than most people realize . Seen it many times at Greg Manning Auctions during their collections auctions ........I got to meet many of the dealers who ran local and regional stamp auctions during the week prior to the auction during viewing ,they never viewed the lots the day of the auction .

I have always wondered what percentage 'new' material ('new' being defined as material which has not been seen anywhere in the marketplace in the last 50 years) is actually presented annually in our hobby. In my opinion I think it is a very low percentage, perhaps 5% - 10%?
Don

Well none of my material would qualify as new, yet I have been known as a block hole for the areas I collect, what I get never is seen in the light of day again. It wouldn't be until 2033 for my Q and JQ material to age to "new" status. My QEs would turn new a few years sooner.

That said I have Q/JQ material which was "new" (sat in two suit cases in an attic from the late 1930's until after 2005) with my half still not seeing daylight except during the non-public private treaty hand off. The other half has been seen a bit in an exhibit and in one public auction years after the non-public private treaty hand off. My buddy and I bought it together and split it 50-50. That was from a collector's accumulation put together in the early and mid 1930s.

Back in the 1980s a series of covers and tags from the 1913-1923 range came out of the California Sierra foothills in no organized fashion to be sold at auction through the Henry Spellman (of San Anselmo, CA) public postal history auctions for years. The covers/tags were all gleaned from the files of the California Ink Company's Berkeley manufacturing facilities and held until dispersed through Spellman. All values of the 17 were present except for the 50 cent and $1 red and 25 cent green.

So in the last 39 years that is the two of which I am aware and Henry Gobie who study Parcel Post for years prior both exhibiting as well as writing the book US Parcel Post: A Postal History knew of no such finds by him, Doolittle nor Lightfoot. The few reported/recorded in the press of improper 1912 usages when the stamps were invalid have disappeared. Except for one example which resurfaced from being buried in the suitcase holdings.


The Corry Hide and Fur Company along with other names which included Berliner had mailing tags and some envelopes from circa 1900-1940ish hitting the market in large groups. These thousands of items came out of Canada within the last 5-10 years in multiple groups. Most were placed in stock sheets and binders in no discernible order. The holding had very few Q/JQ examples but stamps of many series available during the time range. The ratio was such that I believe the Q/JQ tags were lost to soaking for collecting.

Now new material is coming out and has been for years as the holding of correspondence from WWII has been leaving families and moving into the public collector realm. Korea as well. Still early for the Viet Nam period.

That said, it all is a small percentage on new material entering the market place each year.

I don't know about 50 years, but I am aware of a number of US lots over the last few years that have not been seen in 25-35 years.

Doubtful that there is really much fresh material from old holdings on the market annually.

Auction houses know the words that trigger us stamp collectors though. Unpicked, ancient, original owner, bulging (sure to pump up bidding), overstuffed (a variety of bulging), fresh and so on. A phrase that delivers a Pavlovian response from buyers is "stored away". There are many others. We all know what triggers us.

A good story builds up the value of any collectible.

So what your saying is more and more the auction houses are stretching the descriptions .

The auction houses with the decreasing of real older unsearch lots are going on their own to their making their own or getting from consignors Manufactored Lots to feed that desire for larger bulk lots which do well at auction .

The whole idea of "unsearched large lots" is largely mythical anyway. At least in US lots. Obviously items are missed occasionally, and once in a while all the boxes/envelopes/etc in a lot will not be thoroughly enough examined by an auction house, but the vast majority of lots are not like that, and never were.

Quite interesting; I've always wondered how many of those 'unpicked' lots are actually so.

My assumption when looking for things on ebay etc. is that anyone who thinks to put 'unchecked' or 'unpicked' in the title has probably done at least some checking and picking.

The real question is unpicked by whom. It may be unpicked by me but quite well picked by the nine owners before me.

You need to know your sellers to know if their unpicked means they have not sorted through the stuff. For example I know one seller who tosses stuff into a box to avoid working up the material. His box prices started low and then kept moving up in price as buyers became aware the boxes were unpicked my him.

Now one could say everything offered is "picked" if just to avoid selling a box of warm manure as stamps....at some level someone "picks" what it is that is being sold if only to give a descriptive noun or two to the matter.

At FLOORTRADER STAMPS we never used the "unpicked " excuse ......we prefer to say we are U.S. stamps dealers and this worldwide stamps lot came to us thru a large purchase and have no clue what it is worth but you can have it for $25.00. Another way to sell a lot is to say "we just picked this up this morning and had no time to go thru it,but you can have it for XX " both saying have been learned at the local stamp bourses around Chicago .

Never work Mr Floortrader, too clear too concise, too explanatory. You would go broke being honest. Best to follow the lead of the auction houses, "unpicked, many valuable stamps to be found" etc. etc. etc.
apologies to Hugh Bryner in "A king and I"
Regards Mark
I apologize: Euell Bryner, inexcusable to get the great ones name wrong
Please correct me if I'm still wrong
He had a "60 minute" interview when he was dying, saying please don't smoke. Of course he was dying of lunge cancer
Shortly thereafter he succumbed

His birth name was Yuliy Borisovich Briner, but went by Yul Brynner. Nice reference though.

I remember those public service announcements very well.