Stamp Expertizing


Stamp collecting is a very popular hobby all over the world, thriving with people young and old for many generations. One reason for its great popularity are the stories about valuable stamps that almost everyone has heard.

Finding a rare, valuable stamp is probably every stamp collector's dream, and it does happen. Unfortunately, some people forge or fake valuable stamps, hoping to fool the philatelist who comes across one. But the risk of buying a forged stamp that's an imposter for a rare, valuable stamp is much reduced by stamp expertizing services.

Stamp expertizers issue certificates that guarantee the authenticity of stamps that purchasers submit. Several reputable organizations expertize stamps, but perhaps the most well-known, at least in the United States, is the American Philatelic Society (the APS). The process is a simple one. A collector sends the stamp in question to the American Philatelix Expertizing Service (APEX), which is the division of the APS that certifies stamps. Their headquarters is located in Pennsylvania. When APEX receives the stamp, it is assigned a number, photographed and then examined by up to five expert philatelists. The process can take 90 days or so after APEX receives a stamp. A unanimous decision must be made by the experts, and if the expert panel cannot agree, APEX refunds the expertizing fee that was paid less its administrative charges. But if the experts are unanimous in their opinion of the stamp, a certificate is issued and returned to the owner along with the stamp. The opinion on the certificate relates only to genuine-ness, not value.

APEX expertizing fees are based on the value of the stamp being submitted, as determined by the appropriate Scott catalog. The fees are not substantial, and many avid stamp collectors find expertizing services quite valuable.