Where Do You Find Your "Off The Beaten Path" Stamps

Shermae, is this what you are looking for? https://www.ebay.com/itm/295737117388


Peter

Or this one, but mint? https://www.ebay.com/itm/253569656659


Peter

Sc 173

Where do you find your "off the beaten path " How do you define off the beaten path .

Most collectors will not clue you in ,to what they are searching for or trying to buy .

If your doing work to find that stamp that is way unpriced and missing from other collections who have the same basic interest as you ,why give them a heads up .

It is no secret that I have been looking for those rare country collections that come up once or twice a year at major auctions . I have bought some that show up once in five years, then I bid more aggressive .

How do you say this without pissing people off -- " I want that worldwide collection nobody has or seen" that means a lot of studying and researcing , what appears in the market place know went something comes up that most never seen .

Just to give you a idea of what I am saying , stuff I had interest in ---Netherlands Syncopated stamps , Japanese Occupation of the Dutch East Indies , Tibet , Saudi Arabia and New Republic , stuff the stamp auction firm rarely sell.

The syncopated Dutch stamps are standard pages in the DAVO Netherlands albums. As they are separate pages at the back of the album some people ignore them. They are frequently offered - in sets or a couple of sets - in online auctions. Dutch East Indies also pop up in those auctions, including occupation specialised items, sets or collections.

A complete collection of the former is not often offered, as they are seen as part of a complete collection.

Agree , your more likely to find the stamps your looking for in the home country ,especially if they have a active philatelic market place .

Randy posted a correct image for Ecuador Scott 173.

Thanks very much Randy. The stamp is actually being sought by AndyRich- we are friends outside of SCM. The stamp you posted above is actually a proof; he's looking for a regular version of the stamp as could be obtained at the PO. He (and I) have never found one.

P.S. - It appears that Yvert is very frequently used by philatelists in South America. This is certainly true of dealers in Argentina. I wonder if having the Yvert number for Ecuador 173 might help when communicating with sellers in some of those countries. If there is a hidden mint copy, it may very well be in South America.

Would hinged be ok?

Absolutely hunting in South America. Made inquiries. Yvert # would be helpful. SG also.

Thank you Randy much appreciated, image posted here was correct, but the link was for a proof of Scott 214. (Yeah, let the seller know as well.) Lots of differences, but the easiest way to discern between the two are the fluted/Ionic columns on the 214 versus the Corinthian columns on the 173. Exact same vignette and color though. Yes, MH is totally acceptable. Think that the YV# is 168.

I've seen a 3 copies of Colombia E1 mint come on ebay in the last month. Purchased one myself for $10, a price I was pleased with. There've been two others that sold for just under $20.

And still, that one guy in Argentina has all those mint E1s for sale... wonder how long it'll take for him to get rid of them all?