Inheriting a Stamp Collection

You inherited a collection, now what? The most common phrase I hear is that I have some “valuable old” stamps that look valuable. Can you tell me what I should do with them or where to sell them?

Valuable and old are relative terms; there are stamps that are 100 years old that I will give away to kids for free, there are also 10 year old stamps that sell for thousands of dollars. The two can be mutually exclusive. The stamp market is driven by what people are willing to pay for items, and the scarcity of the item is what often drives the price of an item. Other factors that come into play are condition, centering, errors, etc.

Identifying stamps can be challenging, something that can be hard to understand without a bit of research and homework. Misidentification of stamps happens often as there are several factors that go into identification. These include watermark identification, color, perforation measurement, printing types, and precise stamp measurements. These require special tools and often magnification. Sometimes you even need another stamp to compare it with in order to see similarities and possible differences.

While a lot of people turn to the internet for information, you must be careful where you go and how you interpret the information that you find. The American Philatelic Society has good information and is a go-to organization to learn about stamps.

Local stamp clubs can be a good source of information as well. ebay and Hip Stamp are two sites where stamps are sold, but be especially careful to look at sold prices when trying to determine the value of a stamp. My recommendation is to eventually talk to a professional when you are ready to part with your collection.