I Inherited My Father And Grandmother's Stamp Collections And Need Some Guidance.

I have read some of the FAQ posts about what to do with inherited collections, which I will get some photos of those put up in the near future. What I need some help with sooner is a massive pile of common postage stamps from the 1990s that my father had that aren't worthy of collecting. Not sure where he got all of this, but they are valid postage (no postmarks on any of them that I see). I haven't gone through all of it yet, but what I've gotten through so far is in the realm of $5,700 at face value. This is just the 25¢ denomination; I have a pile of 29¢ stamps as well as several other random denomination stamps. I also have 1,700 F stamps with tulips on them common to the early '90s. I was told the F meant Forever, but it turns out that isn't the case. I'll never use all of this, so I'm looking to sell as much of it as I can, but I have no clue how to go about this. Smaller stacks are in lots of 100 stamps each, so $25.00 face value per stack. Just not sure where to put any of it.

I'd be shocked if those are unused. If they are, then compressing them into stacks with rubber bands likely caused many to be stuck together. If they truly are unused, you could sell them at maybe 50 percent of face value. The F stamps are 29c. They are not "forever" stamps.

My guess is many were adhered (lick and stick style) to stamped envelopes for promotional stuff or something before all of the metered stuff came to be more popular. They are NOT stuck together. I've had at least a third of the pile apart because the old rubber bands disintegrated. I took those stacks and counted every one before re-banding them.

As for the F stamps; that stinks. A "stamp guy" told me otherwise, so I'm glad I brought it up here. Thank you for setting the record straight on those.

Ok. I would argue that unless a stamp has it's original gum you wouldn't be able to get a buyer, even as discounted postage. For the stacks you counted, each stamp has gum? Just can't imagine why mint stamps would be separated and stacked like this unless someone was preparing to send out a lot of mail, but then didn't.

Try Mystic.

So, the backs have no gum? I would think that will make them even harder to resell. Were your people in the solicitation business?

Very funny FB, , but way off the mark.

A solicitation letter is a persuasive document used to request donations, sponsorships, or in-kind support for a cause, event, or organization. Effective letters are personalized, donor-centric, and clearly outline the mission, purpose, and impact of the support.

Such solicitation letters were usually done as mass mailings.

My guess is these stamps were all removed from envelopes or mailers that never went through the mail. Many still have some gum left, but show signs of being adhered to something and later removed. If they don't hold any value as they are, I'll probably just pitch the lot. The stamp collection books look pretty extensive to me, and likely has at least some value. I'll get photos of those up soon for consideration.

Before tossing them, consider donating and perhaps checking the coil stamps for plate numbers. Plate number singles do have value, especially rare ones. For example P#1 of the prephosphored variety of the 25c Flag over Yosemite shows as $15 in the 2019 catalog in used condition. But that would imply some kind of postmark.

You may still probably sell some on ebay at 25% face value. Just make sure to disclose that stamps have no gum but uncancelled. Start at $100 face value lots with a starting bid of $25 plus shipping cost. Some people may buy them for discounted postage.

Pitch it to Stamps for the Wounded, a wholly volunteer organization started in 1942.

https://www.stampsforthewounded.org/donate/

As a donation they each retain their marked face value.

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I'll consider all of them.

Here are a handful of some other loose stamps that I'd guess are less common and was probably intended for one of their albums. Anything of value beyond face value for my own use? All have some signs of being removed from parcels or envelopes.

If unused, all are useful for postage here by you except the Bahama pair.

Now the larger denomination stamps even without gum go for a higher percentage of face value. Folks regularly mailing packages find them useful and can save money in postage.

Would the $1 denomination fit into the "larger" category, or just the $2+?

Also, is ebay really the only/best outlet to sell this sort of stuff? I hoping to dig into the albums to get photos of those up so I can get an idea if it's worth having them formally appraised or not. My father also has an extensive coin collection as well, but I am not going to sell any of that. I will get some/all of that appraised, but only for my own information.