The History of Stamp Collecting - Part III


This post continues and completes our series on the history of stamp collecting.

The 20th century saw a steady increase in the popularity of stamp collecting, with the number of stamps that were available for collecting positively exploding.  Many of the stamps from the 1910s-1940s are not rare, but they are nonetheless fine examples of design and engraving. 

Although the period between 1840 and 1940 is often called the "Classic Era" of stamps, the period right around 1940 probably represents the peak of the so-called "Golden Age" of stamp collecting, at least in the US.  Franklin D. Roosevelt, an avid stamp collector himself, was President and stamp collecting garnered publicity and prestige through him.  During this period almost every young boy (and many young girls) collected stamps.  They spent many an hour every week happily trading stamps and otherwise working on their stamp collections.  Philatelic periodicals and stamp shops were plentiful, and even ordinary department stores all had stamp departments stocked with stamps and stamp supplies.  I well remember the Gimbels store stamp department and how going there was the highlight of every weekend.

The periods immediately before and after World War II gave birth to a variety of interesting philatelic items - everything from Weimar inflation stamps through Hitler head stamps to stamps from behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.  Some countries that formerly issued stamps went away and became so-called dead countries, while other countries, such as East Germany, sprung up.  The British Empire was seeing its final days but stamps from exotic British colonies were still of very high quality, and seeing them let us have a glimpse of life in those exotic places.

After the war, new stamp printing technologies were developed.  Stamp issuing countries began to realize that they could garner significant income by marketing their stamps directly to collectors.  Collecting mint never hinged stamps became the rage.  Some countries (and pseudo-countries) issued stamps solely for the purpose of selling them to collectors, with no intent to ever be used on the mail.  The number of stamps issued throughout the world hugely increased, with the result that building a comprehensive worldwide collection is now very difficult if not impossible - there are just too many stamps being issued.

Even though the US now produces more than 100 new stamps every year, in today's era we see post offices printing postage labels to be affixed to mail.  Post offices should be selling stamps at the counter for use on the mail, and in truth they do, but they'd rather just print those labels and sell stamps to a few die-hard users and collectors.  But that's not the only strike against the future fate of stamps:  postage also can be printed using peoples' home computers and printers.  

Are stamps becoming irrelevant to the mail?  Perhaps so.  In the future it may well be that the only stamps sold are sold to collectors.  A dire prediction and a bleak thought, because that will likely bring the hobby to a crashing end.  

How to avoid this?  Buy stamps, but use them on your mail in addition to adding them to your collection.  And don't just buy self-adhesive definitive stamps, either - buy some commemorative stamps.  Don't let the post office put those postage labels that they print out onto your mail.  Use stamps whenever possible.  That's the best way to ensure the hobby continues.

A Primer on the History of Stamp Collecting - Part II


As we mentioned yesterday, stamps were one of the main causes of the American Revolution.  Great Britain's Stamp Act of 1765 imposed a tax on the population of the American British colonies without any input from the colonists.  This tax led to one of the most famous rallying cries of the colonists and one of the founding principles of the USA:  "No taxation without representation."  But those types of stamps are different than the postage stamps that most people collect today.

The first government-issued postage stamps were issued by Great Britain in 1840, and they were a hit right from the beginning.  Although many private and local post stamps had been issued by then, Britain's Penny Black and Penny Blue were the first "official" stamps printed by a national postal authority.  Sir Rowland Hill came up with the idea as a means to prepay postage at the expense of the mailer instead of charging the recipient on delivery, but an additional benefit was a standardized rate for all mail carried throughout the country.  His idea caught on quickly and spread throughout the world, with the United States issuing its first postage stamp in 1847. 

Stamp collecting also became popular very quickly, and the wares of stamp dealers began to be in demand.  By the end of the 19th century stamp albums, along with stamp collecting tools such as stamp tongs, stamp hinges, magnifiers and stamp catalogs had come into common use.  Around this same time, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, some of the world's most important stamp sets were issued.  Classic US stamps falling into this category include the Columbian set of 1892, issued in connection with Chicago's Columbian Exposition - the World's Fair that celebrated the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. Prized for their beautiful engraving and designs, the Columbians were also the first (technically, anyway) commemorative stamps issued by the US.  Other important US stamp sets from this period include the Trans-Mississippi Exposition set and the Pan-American Exposition set.  Far more (in my opinion) than the coveted (and in my opinion highly overpriced) Graf Zeppelin set, when taken together, the Columbians, the Trans-Mississippis and the Pan-Americans represent the pinnacle of US stamps, and I do not believe their quality and beauty will ever be surpassed.

The Universal Postal Union, created in the late 19th century, also significantly impacted stamp collecting.  We'll discuss the UPU more in a couple of days, but for now suffice it to say that the UPU imposed standardized stamp colors for international mail, causing a plethora of new stamps to be issued in order to comply.

Tomorrow we'll add the final post in this short series on the history of stamp collecting.

More on Postage Stamp Values (Part II)


Some amount of philatelic knowledge and experience is required before anyone can determine the value of a vintage or modern postage stamp.  Sometimes it's just a matter of looking a stamp up in a stamp catalog, but in many cases stamps that are valuable look almost identical to stamps that have only the minimum value.  They can be so similar that even experienced stamp collectors and stamp dealers must sometimes send a stamp to a stamp expertizing service before they can be sure about the identity and value of a stamp.

There are a few things that anyone who inherits an old stamp collection - or even just a box of loose stamps - should realize. 

Most importantly, know that although there certainly are exceptions, the stamps you inherit probably won't be valuable enough to pay for a new car, put your child through college or buy a new house.  If you start out with this assumption and later find out otherwise, that the stamps do have a great deal of value, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

You should know that no one, whether they're an experienced stamp dealer, stamp collector or anyone else, will be able to tell you the value of your stamps without seeing them.  You should be willing to compensate the person who reviews your stamps, at least in some small way.  They'll spend a lot of time looking at your stamps and paying them something for their time and knowledge is only fair.  A stamp dealer who evaluates your stamps should be looked at in the same way as any other professional who gives informed opinions.

If it turns out that your stamps don't have much value, don't despair.  They just might provide you with a relaxing and challenging new hobby that you can enjoy for years to come.

Postage Stamp Values - Part I


We get several emails every week asking how much a particular stamp is worth.  Sometimes the person doesn't know much about it - not even what country it's from - but others know at least something about the stamp and usually describe it by country, denomination and color.  The person who knows the stamp's specific Scott Catalog number is much more rare.  Many of the people sending these inquiries aren't able to send a scan of the stamp because they don't have a scanner and/or don't know how to send a picture as an email attachment.  Unfortunately, there's just not much we can say about a stamp's value if we don't know which stamp it is and we can't see its condition.  But that's another story.

The value of old postage stamps is a frequent question and will probably never go away.  The question almost always comes up when someone inherits or finds a relative's collection and naturally wants to know if the stamps are worth anything.  The answer, much to many peoples' surprise, is often "probably not a lot."

Valuable vintage stamps are in many peoples' stamp collections, and more of them are found around the world regularly.  But just because a stamp is old doesn't mean it's rare, and it doesn't mean it's valuable.  As a matter of fact, most of the time, it's not. 

If a stamp is quite common, it doesn't matter how old it is - if it's common it won't be rare (obviously) and it won't be valuable.  Not even if it's 150 years old.  In other words, age ALONE is not relevant to the value of a stamp.  The only reason there are more old valuable stamps than modern valuable stamps is because some older stamps are more scarce:  over time stamps can easily be damaged or lost, so fewer of these older stamps are likely to still be around.

Like everything else in the world, the value of any postage stamp is determined by supply and demand.  If a stamp is rare and there is a high demand for it, it will be valuable, whether it is old or not.  But most stamps, even those from more than 100 years ago, were issued in enough numbers that they will never be scarce.  In truth, most valuable stamps are either scarce varieties or stamps that were issued in smaller quantities because of low anticipated demand, such as the high value stamps of many stamp sets.

We'll post more on this important stamp collecting subject tomorrow!

Nicknames of Some Famous Stamps


Some stamps are so well-known or so beloved that they've been given nicknames over the course of time. Here are just a few of them. There are many more.

• "Baby Zeppelin" or "Baby Zep," the US 50¢ green Graf Zeppelin airmail stamp, US Scott # C18
• "Basel Dove," the first issue of Basel (in 1845), a canton of Switzerland, picturing a dove
• "Beaver" or Beavers, early issues of Canada (1851-1859) that of course picture a beaver
• "Black Jack" or Blackjack, the early 2 cent US issues picturing Andrew Jackson (there are several of them)
• "Cape Triangle," the triangular-shaped 1853-1864 issues of the Cape of Good Hope
• "Chalon Head," one of the many stamps of British Empire countries picturing a specific portrait of Queen Victoria. Named after
• the portrait's artist Alfred Chalon. Canada, the Bahamas, Grenada, Natal, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island,
• Queensland, Tasmania, and perhaps most famously, New Zealand all produced Chalon Heads
• "Hawaiian Missionaries," the first issues of Hawaii in 1851-1852
• "Hermes Heads," the 1861-1882 Greece stamps picturing the Greek god Hermes
• "Inverted Jenny," US Scott C3a. This 1918 airmail stamp features an airplane that was unintentionlly-printed upside-down. One
• of the most prized errors in philately
• "Penny Black," the 1840 1 penny black issue of Great Britain. Considered to be the first adhesive postage stamp
• "Penny Red," the 1841 1 penny red issue of Great Britain. Similar in appearance to the Penny Black but a different color.
• "Posthorns," Norway's long-running series of stamps picturing a post horn
• "Saint Louis Bears," 1846 postmaster provisional stamps issued by the Saint Louis, Missouri US postmaster picturing three bears
• "Treskilling Yellow," Sweden's famous, unique three Skilling Banco color error

That's just a short list of a few of the well-known stamp nicknames that exist. If you'd like to contribute more, please post them!

Aerophilately and the Famous Graf Zeppelin Stamps

Aerophilately is the study of airmail stamps - stamps specifically designed to pay postage for the transport of mail by airborne mail carriers. Some early airmail was carried by balloons, while other airmail was carried by zeppelins, rockets, and later by fixed-wing aircraft, both propeller planes and jet aircraft. These different modes of air transportation result in different sub-specialties of aerophilately: balloon mail, zeppelin mail, rocket mail and so on.

Zeppelin mail, carried by lighter-than-air German airships similar to dirigibles, is a fascinating and popular division of aerophilately. Zeppelins were first used to carry mail in 1908. Most carried mail on every flight, and the covers received special postmarks applied on board the zeppelins in their own small post office areas. Many countries, including the US, issued airmail stamps to be specifically used for zeppelin mail. The US zeppelin stamps feature the famous Graf Zeppelin airship, named after its designer.

Zeppelins captured the public's imagination with their successful trans-Atlantic flights, at least until the tragic explosion of the Hindenburg in 1937. Some flew for a few more years, but not long after the Hindenburg disaster they fell into disuse.

The relatively short window of their use, together with the popularity and mystique of the zeppelins and the relatively small quantities of zeppelin stamps that were issued, makes zeppelin covers and the stamps themselves popular with collectors.

The US Graf Zeppelin stamp set is one of those magical stamp sets that fetch very high prices when they're sold.

Canada's Diamond Jubilee Stamps


The British Empire celebrated the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign - her Diamond Jubilee - in 1897. Her incredibly long reign lasted 64 years, from 1837 until her death in 1901. When you see the terms "Victoria Era," "victorian Period" or the like, those terms are referring to Queen Victoria, the influences her rule had over much of the world, and the industrial, political, social, economic and military changes that occurred during her reign.

The Diamond Jubilee celebration was a major event, with holidays declared in Great Britain and its colonies, including Canada. Empire countries, including Canada, issued a series of stamps in connection with the Jubilee celebrations.

There are 16 stamps in the Canadian Diamond Jubilee set, and they are some of the most beautiful and collectible stamps that Canada has ever issued. They are Scott # 50-65, Unitrade # 50-65. The first Canada commemorative stamps, each of the 16 stamps is a different denomination, all the way up to $5. Each features two portraits of Queen Victoria, one as a young woman and the other in her maturity.

A complete set of Canada Diamond Jubilee stamps in mint never hinged condition has a catalog value of more than $34,000.

Collecting Rare Stamps


Investing in rare stamps is a normal occurrence that's undertaken by intermediate to advanced stamp collectors. Rare stamps are tangible investments with potential similar to collecting art. But in addition to their investment potential, rare stamps also give their owners a great deal of pleasure. A sense of accomplishment. A sense of completion.

The value of any given stamp is directly proportional to its scarcity, in other words, how rare (or not) it is. Many stamps, such as the one cent British Guiana black on magenta, the Treskilling Banco Yellow stamp or the US one cent Z Grill, are extremely rare because only one (or just a few) were ever produced, and even fewer survive today. Because there are so few, and because so many stamp collectors covet them, the value of these stamps - and those in similarcircumstances - is very high.

Collecting rare stamps is a challenge, and can be quite expensive. But not always - some are found in a neglected old desk drawer or in an attic. Rare stamp varieties can even be found in stamp kiloware or off-paper stamp assortments. The lucky collector who finds a rare stamp this way is lucky indeed - if he or she decides to sell it, they might be able to live out their lives on the proceeds.

Classic United States Stamps - the 1901 Pan-American Exposition Stamp Set


The beautiful Pan-American Exposition stamps were the first United States postage stamps to be issued in the 20th Century. There are six stamps in the set, and all are quite collectible. They are commemorative stamps, but they were printed in a smaller size than the commemoratives that we're used to today.

These stamps were intended to promote the faulous 1901 World's Fair, also called the Pan-American Exposition, that was held in Buffalo, New York. The Fair itself featured technical achievements and their benefits, and each of the six stamps featured what was at the time a modern form of transportation. The 1 cent stamp features the City of Alpena steamship and is known as the Fast Lake Navigation stamp. The 2 cent stamp depicted the Empire State Express train of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroads and is called the Fast Express stamp. An electric automobile is featured on the 4 cent stamp (the Automobile), and the 5 cent stamp features the Bridge at Niagara Falls. The 8 cent stamp features the Canal Locks at Sault Ste. Marie. The final stamp of the set, with a 10 cent denomination, features an American Liner steamship called the St. Paul. It's also known as the Fast Ocean Navigation stamp.

Rach of the stamps in this classic US stamp set is a beautiful work of art and is printed in two colors. They were available for sale while the Fair was open, from May through October, 1901. They are true American classics and a valuable addition to any US stamp collection.

Stamp Superstars: Some of the Rarest and Most Costly Stamps in the World

Like professional athletes or movie stars, the stamp world has several superstars: the most famous of the famous classic stamps. Except for the Penny Black these stamps are super rare and except for it you're not likely to ever see any of them, but they're all interesting to read about. Some have interesting stories behind them, and many of these classic stamps are likely to fetch extremely high prices when they go up for sale - if they ever do.

Great Britain's 1840 One Penny Black, the first adhesive stamp ever issued. Although they're not considered rare, they're not a dime a dozen either, and they hold an important place in philatelic history. Used examples usually command prices in the hundred-dollar range, while fifteen years ago an unused example sold for $2.4 million dollars.

The 1847 Mauritius Post Office stamp, the legendary rare stamp (only a few hundred were printed and far fewer still exist) from the British Colony of Mauritius. In addition to being very old, it is actually a stamp with a printing error: instead of being imprinted with the words "post paid," the words "post office" are incorrectly on the stamp. A cover mailed with two of the stamps on it sold for about $4 million around 15 years ago.

The 1851 Hawaiian Missionaries stamps, used by missionaries on Hawaii to send their mail. The two cent stamps (only 16 known to exist) are the most valuable, ranging in cost from around $200,000 to $800,000. The five cent and 13 cent stamps are also quite pricey.

The Swedish 1855 Treskilling Banco Yellow stamp is perhaps the most famous of all stamps. It's an error of color that was supposed to be printed in blue-green, but somehow ended up being yellow. Only one is known to exist, and it's the rarest stamp in the world. It has fetched world-record prices whenever it has been sold, and without doubt it will continue to do so.

The 1856 British Guiana One Cent Black on Magenta stamp, also extremely rare. It's a rectangular stamp with black ink printed on magenta paper, but the corners are snipped off, making it an octagonal shape. Originally discovered by a young boy, it sold for almost $1 million about 30 years ago.

The 1868 US 1 cent Z Grill, the rarest and most valuable United States stamp. The front features a portrait of Benjamin Franklin and the back has a Z variety grill, intended to stop people from re-using the stamps by causing the postmark ink to settle more deeply into the stamp. Only two of these stamps are known; one is owned by the New York Public Library while the other is in a private collection. That stamp was "sold" a few years ago in exchange for a block of four Inverted Jenny stamps (themselves worthy of stamp superstar status) worth almost $3 million.

Stamp Collecting Can Yield High Gains As A Long-Term Investment

Stamp collecting, especially vintage stamps, can be an investment that steadily grows in value over the years. Stanley Gibbons, the large London stamp dealer, reported that postage stamp prices roughly doubled between 2000 and 2006. Not bad when you consider that's only 7 years. And Stanley Gibbons believes that over the last 50 years the average gain in value of postage stamps has been about 9.5% per year.

It's crucial to do business with reputable stamp dealers, especially when investment gains are one of the goals of a stamp collector. The Stamp People, an established online stamp dealer, take great pride in their integrity and provide superior customer service, thorough descriptions and accurate pictures. Visit The Stamp People today and see what they have to offer - you'll find everything from classic vintage stamps worth hundreds of dollars to inexpensive stamps priced below 20 cents each, to bulk stamp lots and wholesale priced stamp mixtures.

1893 Columbian Exposition Commemorative Postage Stamps


The first ever US commemorative postage stamps were issued in 1893 in honor of the World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair. Quite controversial at the time they were issued, the stamps also commemorated the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World. They were intended to be moneymakers for the U.S. Post Office but were initially unpopular with Congress, which passed a resolution protesting these new types of stamps as being unnecessary. But despite their high cost (the face value of the entire set was $16.34, about the average weekly wage at the time and a lot of money in those days) these classic stamps were a huge hit with the stamp collecting public.

Sixteen stamps are in this beautiful vintage commemorative stamp set, and each one features a different scene from the travels of Christopher Columbus in Spain and in the New World. As mentioned earlier, the denominations of the stamps were a point of contention: the first class postage rate was two cents per ounce and people could only mail up to four pounds, so the high face value stamps (the $2, $3, $4 and $5 Columbians) were basically unable to be used on mailings unless one wanted to severely overpay the applicable postage charge. But in the end, over $40 million was made on the Columbian stamps.

A used complete set of Columbian Exposition stamps would typically cost more than $2,000 if bought today, while a mint set would cost more than four times as much.

What are Classic Stamps?


Classic stamps are postage stamps that are considered distinctive by philatelists. The term is often reserved for stamps that were printed during the early years of stamp production, before about 1870. But the definition of "classic stamps" has never truly been established, and it can mean different things to different people. Some people include stamps issued before 1900 or so, although not all stamps issued before then can be considered "classic." Other people expand the definition even more and include at least some stamps that were printed up to 1910 or so.

What constitutes a classic stamp can also vary by country. For example, Canada produced some truly beautiful stamps in the 1930s, with stellar designs and exquisite engraving. Many stamp collectors would consider those stamps to be classic stamps even though they were printed after the period that's typically included in the definition. By contrast, stamps of the United States from the same period are only rarely considered to be classic stamps.

So to sum up, the definition of "classic stamps" is fluid and depends upon the eye of the beholder.

How to Find Vintage Stamps Online

Vintage stamps provide much enjoyment to many stamp collectors. Many online stamp shops, such as The Stamp People, sell vintage stamps from many different countries. It's easier than you might think to find vintage stamps online, and in some ways finding old stamps is easier than finding modern stamps - older stamps tend to have more value than modern stamps, so online stamp dealers are more likely to post vintage stamps for sale than modern stamps.

Any collector of vintage or old stamps knows that while some are quite scarce and valuable, others are very common and inexpensive. But stamp collecting isn't just for investment purposes: many people like to collect even the cheaper vintage stamps, covers and postcards because of their historic interest.

In addition to finding an online stamp shop that is willing to work with you to build your collection, one of the best ways to find vintage stamps online is to join a stamp forum or online community where you can discuss your needs and wants with other stamp collectors. They may be able to help you identify old stamps that you just can't figure out, and they may be willing to trade stamps with you. Online stamp auctions can be another good way to find vintage stamps, but make sure you read all the details so you don't get hit with any surprise fees or condition problems.

You can also buy assortments of stamps - either single country (such as US stamp mixtures) or worldwide stamp mixes. Generally available for wholesale prices (often only a penny or two per stamp) at an online stamp shop like The Stamp People, they can be an extremely inexpensive way to add vintage stamps to your stamp collection.

Stamp shows also provide opportunities to purchase vintage stamps and are held frequently in different locations. Drop into a stamp show if there's one convenient to you. Just be aware that you'll likely pay more than you would online.

Famous US Stamps - The Pan-American Issue Inverts


Issued in 1901 in connection with the Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo, New York, the six beautiful commemorative stamps of this series, Scott Nos. 294-299, were early bi-colored stamps. They feature various transportation-related subjects, including several ships, a vintage electric automobile, a steam engine and train, the bridge at Niagara Falls, and canal locks at Sault Ste. Marie. The set is a must-have for any US stamp collector and, because of its theme, it's a desirable set for topical stamp collectors too.

Three of the stamps - the 1 cent, 2 cent and 4 cent, are known to have varieties with inverted vignettes - the central part of the design.

Few stamp collectors will ever own one of the Pan-American inverts, but we can all hope.

Collecting No. 1 Stamps - A Different Type of Topical or Thematic Stamp Collection




There are specialized collectors who try to collect all of the first stamps that were issued by every country in the world. These stamp collectors are sometimes called "No. 1 Collectors" because most stamp catalogs number the first stamp issued by any given country as that country's number 1.



Many No. 1 stamps are inexpensive, making it possible for the average stamp collector to specialize and collect many number 1 stamps of the world on a modest budget. The number 1 stamps of some countries are definitely very expensive, but a surprising number are within reach. And some no. 1 stamps are so common that they are priced at the minimum catalog value.



Why would the first stamps issued by many countries be so inexpensive? We don't know, but maybe it's because the postal authorities of those countries printed their first stamps in high numbers and many still survive today. Many countries - especially those in Africa and the Caribbean - issued their first stamps upon achieving independence from their European colonial overlords. Those countries may have flooded the market with stamps in their over-exuberance. What is clear, however, is that it is possible for a collector to start a collection of no. 1 stamps of the world and achieve a fairly high degree of completion.

Vintage Stamps (continued)

We left off at "what is a vintage stamp?" The general consensus is, a vintage stamp is a postage stamp that's more than [x] number of years old, but the meaning of "x" (how many years back we should go) is up for some debate.

Our personal feeling is that a stamp isn't a vintage stamp until it's at least 70 or 80 years old. Many stamp collectors and stamp dealers agree with us, but a few do not.

But is it important? Is there some inherent value in being a vintage stamp?

Many vintage stamps are valuable. But just because a stamp is a vintage stamp does not automatically mean it's also a valuable stamp. We could give you hundreds of different examples of stamps that are more than 100 years old, but because so many were printed and still survive today, they aren't worth more than 5 or 10 cents.

In the end, a stamp has a better chance of being valuable if it's vintage, but that's certainly no guarantee. And it works the other way too - many recent stamps have little value because they're so easy to find, but some recent stamps buck this trend and are fairly pricey. So keep in mind that there is always more than one factor at play in the value of a particular stamp - condition, scarcity, and age.

What is a vintage stamp? (the first of several parts of this somewhat-complex discussion)

All stamp collectors want to acquire vintage stamps - well, most of us, anyway. That's where the money is, right? Some people think that all vintage stamps are valuable just because of their age.

Not necessarily.

There is no clearcut definition of what constitutes a "vintage" stamp.

We get emails all the time from people who collected stamps when they were a kid and now want to sell them. And from people who inherited an old stamp collection from a parent or grandparent and want to sell it. And also from people who have a handful of stamps from the 1960s or 1970s. Almost all of them say that they want to sell their "rare and valuable vintage stamps."

They are shocked when we tell them that a stamp produced in 1970 (for example) is not "vintage" and is almost certainly not "valuable." Although it's now 38 years old - and probably older than some of the senders of these emails - a stamp printed in 1970 is actually fairly "young" or "recent" in the stamp world. On top of that, many stamps from the 1950s or so forward have been printed in such huge quantities (billions of the same stamp in many cases) that it's impossible to consider them to be "rare." Don't forget, there are several factors involved in the price of any specific stamp:

• condition,
• condition (yes, I know I repeated it)
• scarcity / rarity
• subject matter (this has much more significance for collectors of topical or thematic stamps than to country collectors)
• condition (again)
  
• age (and by that, I don't mean 20 or 30 years old)

Definitions of "vintage stamp" vary, but we would hesitate to consider any stamp printed later than 1925 or 1930 to be "vintage." Old, yes, but vintage, no.


to be continued ....

Postally Used Stamp Collections - Popular or Not?

We've recently read that nowadays, stamp collectors are not as interested in postally used stamps as they are in mint never hinged stamps (unused and unmounted).

We disagree. And we disagree quite strongly. Here's why:

1. The number of stamps now being issued throughout the world makes it an almost impossible task to collect worldwide mint never hinged new issues.

For the vast majority of stamp collectors, the expense of collecting worldwide mint never hinged new issues would simply be too large, because of the now-huge number of stamps that would be involved. And in a time like now, when several countries issue more than 100 stamps per year all by themselves, the amount of time involved to assemble the thousands of new stamps coming out each year would also be prohibitive.

It's easier to collect mint never hinged new issue stamps when you only collect stamps from one or two countries. But take a country like the United States just as an example. The first class, one ounce letter rate stamp is now 42 cents. Multiply that by one hundred or so (an estimate for the number of new stamps that will be issued) and that's $42.00 if all those new stamps are purchased at face value at the post office - the cheapest way to buy them. But wait - there's a new Express Mail stamp and a new Priority Mail stamp. Between just those 2 stamps, there's another almost $20. So now we're at about $62.00, and we haven't even included the postcard rate stamps, the 2 ounce stamps, the international letterpost stamps, etc. The total could easily be $80 or $90 or more. And that's just one year and one country, purchased at the post office. If a stamp collector is buying older mint never hinged stamps he or she would need to buy them from a stamp dealer, at a much greater cost.


2. While it's true in many cases that mint never hinged stamps have a higher catalog value than their used counterparts, there are many exceptions where the postally used stamp is worth much, much more than the same stamp in mint condition (even when never hinged).

3. Finding specific postally used stamps for a collection is generally a much greater challenge - and usually much more fun and rewarding - for the stamp collector. You can't just go to the post office and buy them. And most stamp dealers don't stock inexpensive used stamps - they just don't want to spend the time that would be required in order to catalog and stock inexpensive used stamps (for an exception to this general rule, visit www.thestamppeople.com - they sell expensive, classic stamps, but they also sell wholesale bulk lot stamps and individual inexpensive stamps).

4. How many people enjoy buying a "mystery box" of stamps, or bags of stamps, or bulk lots of stamps? You might be surprised by the answer. For a very long time, this has been one of the all-time most popular ways of buying stamps. And as popular as they've always been, sales of postally used, wholesale priced bulk stamp mixtures are going up even more, not down. This is true for kiloware (on paper stamp mixtures) and also off-paper stamp mixtures.

So bottom line, we think collecting postally used stamps is alive and healthy.

Now You Can Buy Collectible Classic Stamps, Vintage Stamps and Modern Stamps at Affordable Prices!

Whether you're looking for fine classic vintage stamps, US or worldwide kiloware assortments, US or worldwide off-paper stamp mixes, inexpensive US or worldwide stamp sets and singles, or postal stationery or postal history from around the world, try The Stamp People.


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