Too Many Stamps . I'm Not Sure What To Do With Them

I've spent 10s of thousands on vacations. No return on that. So I've got no issues spending thousands on stamps. It is for my enjoyment only. Don't care if anyone else in my family enjoys it in the future.

I'm guilty as charged. Saving used envelopes with stamps on them used to be the normal way for collectors to build collections and many of us still do. It just isn't a practice that is as prevalent as it used to be thanks in large part to the internet and paperless media. When I was kid I would network with the family and neighbors to save all of the stamps from the mail they received for me. In a year I would end up with on average 20 pounds of stamps on paper then I'd soak the stamps that I wanted off of the paper/envelopes and then take the rest to my local brick and mortar shop who would buy the rest or give me better stamps or cash for my endeavors. Talk about a walk down memory lane. Those are the days gone by and are likely extinct practices.

Jeremy

The most cost effective way to deal with your purchase Zogo123 is to place it all into a paper recycling bin or paper buy back recycler. This is the only way to minimize your loss of money and the cost of your time at what ever rate of pay you value it.

I would say to donate that material to Stamps for the Wounded ( https://www.stampsforthewounded.org/ ) but that would require a financial out lay from you for the postage costs to send the material. Of course the US veterans, especially the injured ones helped by the fully not for profit organization with only volunteer people, since 1942, could put it all to great use for rehab activities. They are tax deductible if you bother. Trust me, you will be doing good beyond your belief and beyond any money you spend on postage. Also deep in your heart where it does not beat for money, you will find a warm glow that can last a lifetime.

You gamboled, as many do, on a storage locker auction. In this case, for this material you lost and lost big time financially. But you found for yourself one great heart warming opportunity to help others who have helped protect your American freedoms such as playing at storage locker auctions.

Back to you Zogo123, and yes you are welcome to sell my slightly used soapbox.


Edited to change 'in' to 'it' and say, value comes in many forms.

I second that idea. Thanks for the tip Parcelpostguy. Now I know of a place to give my surplus of stamps and paraphernalia to.

Jeremy

It's called hoarding.

That being said I had a lot just like this before. Many thousands of glassines full of used stamps that I piled in cartons after going through them at the 35,000-foot level and determining they were not worth my time.

I gave the lot to Kelleher Auctions, and they sold it after a hot bidding war for $600.

The thought that there COULD be a treasure gets people going.

Sounds like what happened to the original poster here!

They have "their own" stamp too.

Preach, brother!!

The relaxation may have saved you a lot on hospital bills. Then again, you, also, might live longer, having to spend extra money on food and housing, and more holidays.

I guess I sounded a bit harsh in my last post. I was just meaning to point out that spending money on stamps doesn't need to return anything other than the enjoyment, excitement, learning, and relaxation of collecting. Much of that is similar to vacations. Each person is different in their reasons for collecting and perhaps accumulating large amounts of stamps. I was just offering up that many collectors don't collect to get a return other than what I mentioned.

A large number of stamps like this could also be very desired by artists who use these common stamps to create pieces. Just not sure how and where to post an advertisement that would be seen by such folks.

I must confess to being a bit shocked at how this line of inquiry was handled by the group.

A non-collector comes and asks for guidance on how to handle an estimated 10s of thousands of stamps in envelopes, and after being shown a couple of random draws from the 4th bureau issues is consistently told that this horde of stamps is worthless and not worth his time to sort through them.

What form of clairvoyance was employed to give such an enlightened informed opinion?

Common experience, right? Time and time again it all amounts to much ado about nothing. Not worth the trouble. One response actually suggested a dumpster deposit. Unless you know a case for sure, when a non-collector comes looking for advice over a large accumulation in an "abandoned" storage locker, the worst response is to tell him to junk it.

May those who think that dissing an unknown hoard is okay, never be plagued by a "sleeper" crossing their path.
For the good of the hobby.

The best advice, and in my estimation the ONLY advice that should have been given, would have explored how to get the material into the line of sight of someone who could tell what was really there without any guessing. That theme should have seen play from EVERY respondent. I did not see that from most in this case.

If the group is REALLY tired of inquiries of this sort, which I can fully understand, then do yourselves and the hobby a favor, and prepare a set of standard proper replies to this inquiry, and post them to a special site on the board. Then link the quester to a section of the board where such replies are given respectful informed responses. [It's called "redirecting the inquiry."] For most that will take care of it, but for some they will come back for more. Either way, you have done a good thing.

Sounds like Essay is going to take them off of your hands!

"I must confess to being a bit shocked at how this line of inquiry was handled by the group."

I second this sentiment!

Look online for a local stamp club and check their calendar for events that are open to the public. My stamp club has a monthly bourse that includes a service called "Grandma's attic" in which volunteers look over stamp collections brought in by non-members.

Brian

Not sure why the "shock". The stamps were clearly organized, not dumped loose in a Tupperware container. They are all neatly filed in envelopes. That spells "collector" or "dealer" and just as with the bulk stamps similarly organized that I have handled you can rest assured they have been examined once or twice or more times. Philately is largely a recycling hobby with not much that hasn't been searched by now. Could there be an earth shattering find? Maybe. If someone wants to examine a couple of hundred thousand stamps that is OK. But "shock" in suggesting the stamps be donated or sold is a wee bit of an overreaction IMHO.