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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
921 Posts |
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This is just a general question for anyone interested. When I was beginning collecting as a kid way back in the 1950s, the U.N. was a brand new organization and discovering that it actually issued stamps caught my interest. I began collecting the area and a decade or so later when I actually had a little money to spend, I began purchasing new issues.
The area was never a "hot" interest but it was steady. Lately, I have noticed that it is one area where you can't even give away issues and collections or accumulations constantly show up in large lots.
Any idea why? I mean they are legitimate. They are topical. They are well produced. What makes a region or entity seemingly unpopular?
I still enjoy the issues and have maintained the interest. What is missing that does not seem to pull other collectors in?
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
4285 Posts |
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Cost of the issue with no way to actually use the stamps. Once the UN began to limit how many items you can mail in a day at the various offices, the market began it huge collapse. After the 9/11 attacks, it, the UN, became even more restrictive about allowing the stamps they sell being used to actually mail something. That was further impacted by the huge rise in face value cost of the new issues, all three offices. But even back in the late 1980s the UN acknowledged the social and political issues shown on their stamps were turning off collectors. Since then the topics have gotten even less attractive not to mention the UN itself has lost lots of favor. The worst case summary for the UN, due to the restrictions on using its stamps to mail, the UN sells expensive money raising labels and is no longer a true postal administration. As such it is not worthy of collecting. Quote:
By PETER JAMES SPIELMANN
Dec. 4, 1988 12 AM PT
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS —
Earnings from the sale of U.N. postage stamps fell two-thirds in the 1980s, a problem the U.N. postal agency blames on unpopular themes and a vanishing generation of collectors.
"Our base group of collectors started in the 1950s and it is dying, to put it bluntly," says Gisela Grunewald, head of the U.N. Postal Administration.
Stamp sales are also hampered by agency reliance on political and social themes: "Our subjects are much more political; we cannot put out a puppy-dog or LOVE stamp," Grunewald adds.
While most political stamps simply fail to attract collectors, some political issues actually repel them.
In 1981, the General Assembly instructed the U.N. postal agency to issue a stamp proclaiming "the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people."
Michael Lawrence, editor and publisher of Linn's Stamp News, the authoritative guide for collectors, says the stamp was a disaster because "many of the stamp dealers in the United States are Jewish."
"I think we answered 20,000 letters on that issue," says Grunewald. "There was a rumor that the U.N. was issuing a stamp to honor the PLO and that revenue from the stamp would be sent to Mr. (Yasser) Arafat. It is very difficult to explain to the public the difference between the PLO and the Palestinian people."
Income from U.N. stamp sales goes into the general budget, reducing the assessment member nations pay. It does not go to the cause or agency pictured on the stamp.
U.N. stamps vary in their value to collectors. The 1954 Human Rights stamp, one of the most popular, had a face value of 3 cents. It now sells for up to $9.50. A three-stamp block in 1955 that honored the U.N.'s 10th anniversary had a face value of 15 cents; now its value ranges from $190 to $320.
A recent audit of all U.N. agencies noted that net income of the U.N. Postal Administration declined from $13.5 million in 1980 to $4.5 million in 1987. It criticized the agency for lacking a marketing plan and for leaving two of three marketing directors' posts vacant.
Grunewald says a marketing plan will be in place by the end of the year.
The agency has been unable to fill marketing posts under the U.N.'s general hiring freeze, but other employees have been performing most of those duties, she says.
"There is an inherent Catch-22 situation in trying to run a commercial enterprise in an organization with bureaucratic restraints," she adds. "It's not something that comes as a surprise to any of us, although it's sometimes very frustrating."
The real crisis, she says, is that stamp collecting, the hobby that has added tens of millions of dollars to the coffers of the cash-poor United Nations, is in decline worldwide.
Lawrence says that sales by nations such as Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein and Monaco, which aggressively market their stamps for collectors, suffered a slump in the 1980s.
In 1979-80 there was a boom in all collectibles because of a high inflation rate that cooled in the 1980s, says Lawrence. Sales of stamps, coins, gold, antiques and other tangible goods peaked in 1980 and tapered off afterward.
Stamp collectors generally start the hobby as children, drop out in their teens and take it up again in their late 20s or 30s.
"It is not easy for us to find collectors at the young age because of our topics," says Grunewald. Marketing surveys show that political subjects are the least favored by collectors, while stamps featuring butterflies and flowers are the most popular.
"In all postal administrations, the question is: 'How can we get 6, 7, 8-year-olds to switch off the video and go to stamp collecting?' " she says. "I have to tell you that I have not heard a convincing strategy yet.
"Everybody in the trade and in the business who has children tells me their own children don't collect. My children don't collect. They aren't interested." |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3224 Posts |
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UN New York issues were "hot" in their earliest days, partly because the UN did promotion of their stamps and visitors would buy them.
I don't know about the other offices, but the New York issues are today, to me, borderline legitimate. Currently, the office only accepts mail for a few hours, one day a week. Is that a real post office? Further, there is still a glut of earlier issues and those were once bought as discount postage by stamp dealers who would do mailings from the UN. But the UN now has a limit on number of pieces mailed each opened day to prevent that. So it appears the stamps are not really meant to be used.
With three offices jointly issuing stamps, it's also a bit much in cost to keep up along with anyone's (costy) home country issues.
Stamps from all three offices do get postally used (I collect them to about 1990), but most are CTO or are taken from FDCs. So it's unlikely that collectors getting stamps off mail or buying kiloware even see any UN stamps - they're off the radar. |
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Bedrock Of The Community
12554 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community
Israel
1216 Posts |
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Quote:
the stamp was a disaster because "many of the stamp dealers in the United States are Jewish." Another Jewish conspiracy. When will we get rid of them? BTW, does it mean that WWII Germany's stamps "suffer" from the same "disaster" in the USA? |
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Valued Member
248 Posts |
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I am unsure if you assessment of the salability of UN Stamps is entirely correct. I think there are some recent issues that do well but there are older issues that are difficult to sell. Also you may do better through online selling platforms such as Hipstamp and ebay or join Stamporama to sell stamps. Hy-brasil makes good points of the limited interest in UN stamps BUT I will say that their designs are overall quite beautiful and quantities modest. However I do see that of all their products, First Day Covers fare the worst. Some series do much better - the Crypto stamps in recent years, Greetings from New York (or Vienna or Geneva) sheets, the Prestige books. I purchase Un stamps - both mint and CTOs (less CTOs than mint). I did luck into receiving 3 postally used stamps from the UN New York office when they mailed one of my orders but for the most part they have not used stamps! I try to be select in my choices and tend toward getting single stamps. I collect US stamps and those from a few other countries so I cannot afford to spend too much on UN postage. I did get the 2020 Crypto stamps and planning to get the next issue of them for 2023. I just find them fascinating. UN stamps and their philatelic products really should be collected if you enjoy them rather than investment accruement. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1162 Posts |
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I have a couple theories. First, no one is from "United Nations". I started collecting my home country (USA) because access was so easy. 50 or 55 years later, although I collect different countries, too, my main interest is still USA stamps. Second, there is no real long 'history' to UN stamps. As I advanced in my collecting interests, I wanted a field (or fields) where there was a lot of history with varieties, shades, cracked plates, interesting cancels, etc. My main interest for the last 30 or 40 years has been early US. Third, there are no Scott-major-# stamps of great value. Some may see this as a net-positive since it won't take a lot of $$$ to assemble a decent UN collection, but after that, what is there? I think the highest value major-# is the 10th Anniversary souvenir sheet. True story: when I was 10 or 11 (50 years ago) I went to a stamp show with my mother. She was wonderful - she took me to stamp shows even though she had no interest in stamps (Thanks, Mom!!!).. Anyway, we both entered for the door prize, AND SHE WON!!! She won a 10th Anniversary Souvenir Sheet. In the 50 years since, though, it has not appreciated in value at all. As I recall, it was worth then about $50 - you can get them for about 1/3 of that now.
I am not opposed to UN stamps - I collect them in my WW collection with as much zeal as many of the other countries. But I can see very little reason to specialize in UN. There are too many other countries that give me better reasons to collect them.
And, I hate to say it, but I have always thought of UN philately as the Franklin Mint of stamp collecting. Spend good money, have a bunch of flashy things, and then be drastically disappointed when going to sell. I once worked in a coin & stamp shop, and you just can't imagine the looks of disappointment/despair/anger when someone came in with their Franklin Mint collection of, say, presidential commemorative medals, and we would offer them 5% or 10% of what they paid. And we would be lucky to make any money after many months/years of stocking the collection. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United Kingdom
8579 Posts |
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When the UN started issuing stamps, we were still in the heyday of stamp collecting, and people were doubtless keen to add another area to their collections. And there was still optimism about what the UN could achieve. My limited experience is that, if you price UN ebay lots cheaply, they'll sell, but I don't expect more than two or three quid for them. However, I have the same experience with the US, Israel and some other countries. |
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Pillar Of The Community
France
2925 Posts |
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Here is the SDN issue from 1937 (Michel # 47/55) CTO's of course.  |
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| Edited by vayolene - 11/12/2022 06:21 am |
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Pillar Of The Community
Israel
1216 Posts |
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Thanks, vayolene, but why "CTO of course"? I saw used stamps of SDN, or even on envelopes. Are they rare? |
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Bedrock Of The Community
Australia
38679 Posts |
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League of Nations(There is also a Philatelic League of Nations)   Bib: An illustrated history of Stamp design : William Finlay Page 113 1974 2010   |
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| Edited by rod222 - 11/12/2022 06:56 am |
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Pillar Of The Community
France
2925 Posts |
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Quote:
why "CTO of course"? I saw used stamps of SDN, or even on envelopes. Are they rare? According to Michel catalogue : "The stamps from SDN almost only come with courtesy cancels,for which catalogue prices apply. Postally used pieces usually come with very heavy cancels,and deserve a surcharge" |
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Posted 11/11/2022 6:07 pm
