Posts Tagged ‘stamp collecting’

Stamps on eBay are hot properties today. In actuality, they are gaining appreciation by more and more people who learn to make use of the present technology in participating in stamp auctions that the leading marketing hub online, Ebay.com, holds every now and then to supply the cravings of the world’s stamp enthusiasts.

Buying and selling stamps online is all about modernizing the age-old craft of stamp collection to keep up with the times. Thus, based on the aforementioned fact, EBay proves to be an excellent hub for finding stamps that are worth including in anyone’s well-loved collection.

Stamps on eBay fulfill every stamp collectors’ ultimate dream, which is to find unique and valuable stamps to keep, display, and compare with other stamp collectors’. They come in various designs, while some originated from Japan, Austria, and New Zealand and are considered vintage stamps.

Shopping for Stamps on eBay has never been this enjoyable through the internet. Since Ebay.com started this thing going on, collectors as well as non-collectors are attracted to take a peak at its vast collection because the site also contain hard-to-find collections like covers, errors, oddities, and more.

Stamps on eBay are always included in auction events. They are always given to the highest bidder and their price continuously increases as time go by. However, some of these stamps go on sale, but that is a very rare case since Stamps on eBay become the collectors’ investments as they accumulate in the album. This only proves that such stamps are valuable and are worth every collector’s money.

The one-dollar Colonial Rush Lamp and Candle Holder stamp of USA was first printed in 1979. In 1986 one hundred stamps with the inverted brown candleholder were sold to the public. Five of those stamps were presumed to have been used on mail, with the invert error going undetected. The remaining 95 were purchased by employees of the CIA. This stamp error soon became known as the “CIA invert.”

Are you new to the world of stamp collecting? Stamp collecting is a treasured hobby that people around the world have enjoyed for centuries. If you’re just starting out, there are some things you should know before spending your hard-earned money on collectible stamps.

The first thing you’ll need is to make sure you have the proper stamp collecting supplies. You will need a sturdy album with acid-free pages to display and store your stamps, stamp hinges to safely affix the stamps to album pages, and glassine envelopes for stamps that aren’t ready to be placed in the album. You’ll also need a pair of stamp tongs, because using your hands to handle stamps can cause severe damage. Choose tongs in either plastic or stainless steel, that aren’t too sharp.

The next thing you’ll need to know is how to determine an authentic collectible stamp from a fake. This is where a watermark detector can come in handy. Another option is to only purchase stamps from reputable dealers who offer certificates of authenticity. Also, doing your research before buying can help you determine whether a stamp is the real thing or a fake.

There are many places where you can buy stamps. You can visit stamp shops in your area, or go to stamp shows and conventions. Another option is to shop online. There are a variety of retailers that specialize in selling collectible stamps. You can also find rare stamps on Ebay. When buying stamps on Ebay, however, make sure you deal with an experienced and knowledgeable stamp seller that has a high feedback rating. This will ensure that you’re getting an authentic collectible stamp for the right price.

One good idea is to join an association or group for stamp collectors. This way, you can network with stamp collecting experts who can advise you on all aspects of collecting stamps. Also, you can swap, buy and sell stamps with other collectors. There are groups that meet in person, and groups you can join online. Check MSN groups, Google groups and Yahoo groups for great stamp collecting groups you can join!

Stamp collecting doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby — it can easily be enjoyed for very little money! Many collectors get into stamp collecting first as a hobby, and over the years, work up to buying stamps for investment purposes.

Bisects means a stamp that has been cut to be used for a lesser postage value than its face. For example, a 10 pence stamp may be cut in half and used as a 5 pence stamp. This was permitted long ago, but it is no longer allowed.

There are three types of bisects Horizontal, Vertical and Diagonal. Bisecting was done in emergencies when no stamps of the lower denomination were available.

First Day Cavers (FDC as short form) are method of collecting stamps on envelopes that have been mailed with a cancellation showing clearly that the envelope was mailed on the day the stamp was first issued from the place of issue commemorating that stamp.

Each stamp printed for postal service is first placed on sale in the post office of whatever city is pertinent to the issue. If it commemorates a famous person, as an example, the first day of issue would more than likely be the city in which that person was born. If the stamp is in commemoration of some historical or national event or landmark, the first day issue location would be the city nearest the place where the event occurred or the landmark was located.

While the new issue of stamps is sent to post offices all over the country, the postmasters are instructed to withhold the sale of them until the day after the day of issue. This means that if the first day sale is on the first of the month, local post offices in other than the first day city cannot sell the stamps until the second of that month.

First day covers have become a big thing in stamp collecting, and several companies are now engaged in printing very elaborate envelopes for sale as first day covers.

Something of a legend among rare stamps, the so-called “Woodblock” provisional stamps of 1861 were engraved in London and were printed from stereotyped plates that were mounted on a wooden block, hence the nickname.

The stamps were created by a Cape of Good Hope surveyor and were supposedly designed in a triangular shape. The design of a female figure sitting on top of an anchor, which is resting on top of a rock, symbolizing the Cape.

The Woodblock Stamps were printed in 1861 and comes in both 1 penny and 4 penny forms. The 1 penny Woodblock Stamp comes in the color Vermillion while the 4 penny Woodblock Stamp comes in the color Blue. However, as is common during this error, the 1 penny stamp sometimes is accidentally printed with the color blue: and the 4 penny stamp is accidentally printed with the color vermillion.

Just over 24,000 of the One Penny and 20,000 of the Four pence “Woodblocks” were printed. At most, there could be but 220 errors in each case. A rarer shade of the One Penny error exists in pale blue and is valued at around £40,000 in sound used condition.

Printed in 1849, the 1 Kreuzer Black issue was one of the first stamps issued in the German State of Bavaria. Originally printed in panes of forty-five stamps, the tete-beche varieties were created when a few cliches were mistakingly inserted into the printing plate upside-down. It is unknown how many of the stamps were printed in with the inverted plates, but only three tete-beches are known to exist today. Each of the three tete-beche pairs have a different position and no tete-beche varieties are found in any of the complete panes still in existence. A block of twelve stamps featuring a tete-beche variety was originally found in the Ferrari collection. In 1923, at a Paris auction, the block was sold to New York native Alfred F. Lichtenstein, a rarities collector referred to by many as “the philatelist’s philatelist.” Upon his death, his daughter, Louise Boyd Dale, inherited the error block where it was kept by the Anne Boyd Lichtenstein Foundation until 1990. The 1849 Bavaria 1 Kreuzer tete-beche pair has a value in today’s market of $125,000.

If you’re a stamp collector, then there may be stamps of different values in your collection. There are probably rare and valuable stamps that you’d like to own. But if you’re new to the world of stamp collecting, you may not be aware of the rarest and most valuable stamps. There are lots of them; however here is a list of some of the best:

Error Stamps: An error stamp is a stamp that has some kind of mistake. This could mean that it is unhinged or a detail on the stamp is incorrect. Stamps that aren’t usually valuable can become very much so if they contain errors.

The Benjamin Franklin 1908 Stamp: This rare one cent stamp, when found unused and hinged in perfect condition, can be worth $100,000!

1868 Canadian Stamp: This two-cent ultra rare stamp features a picture of Queen Victoria. There are only two of these stamps that are known to be in existence today!

Hawaiian Missionary Stamps: These stamps are the state of Hawaii’s very first stamps and are known as Missionary Issue. There were four stamps originally issued, with three values: two cents, five cents, and thirteen cents. It is almost impossible to find these stamps in undamaged condition.

1911 25c Vin Fiz Airpost Stamp: There are only 12 of these stamps recorded to be in existence. The only example shown to go to a foreign destination fetched $88,000!

British Guiana One Cent Magenta Stamp: This amazing rarity is probably the most valuable stamp in the world. It was first discovered in 1873, and auctioned to millionaire John Dupont for over $900,000. There is only one other known copy of this stamp in the world, which is currently undergoing tests for authenticity.

Swedish Three Skilling Banco: These stamps were normally made in green, but in 1885 a yellow stamp was found that was deemed to be a printing error. In 1996, this stamp sold for over two million dollars!

You may never get your hands on one of these rare stamps, but there are many others that are accessible to most every stamp collector. By reading stamp catalogs and magazines, you can learn more about them. Do some research and find out which rarities you’d like to pursue. You never know what you may find!

Just like stamp collection requires a lot of time similarly taking good care of those stamps is vitally important. Stamp Collection involves a schematic arrangement of the collected stamps and preserving their quality. Stamps having poor quality won’t make a good impression on anyone looking at your stamp collection efforts.

Soaking Stamps

At times you receive a stamp pasted on an envelope. You might have to get rid of the envelope to add that stamp to your collection. Tearing it out would mean loss of quality and possible damage to the stamp. Before separating the stamp from its cover evaluate its worth with and without the cover. At times old stamps with covers are worth more than those without the cover as they have interesting details of postal history. You could refer your query to your stamp club mates to decide if you need to keep the cover or no.

Once you have made up your mind to separate the stamp from its cover, cut finely around the stamp close enough to keep the teeth around the edges intact. Then soak this stamp cut out in lukewarm water, spread in a saucer. Allow the paper to float till the stamp is separated from the paper. You may rub off the remaining adhesive at the backside of the stamp with your fingertips. Now you need to dry these stamps using either a newspaper or an absorbent paper. Once these stamps dry they develop wrinkles on them, which could be removed by placing them between the pages or beneath a heavy book.

Stamp Collection Album

Arranging your stamps is an important part of stamp collection. This ensures better quality and gives more life to your stamp collection, when preserved in an appropriate manner. There are different ways to store stamps. Easiest would be to sort stamps and put them in separate envelopes. Envelopes are available in different sizes and ones having a transparent portion called as the glassine envelopes would be preferred by stamp collectors as the stamps are visible through it. This would be the most basic way to store your stamps. If you want to store your stamps for a higher durability you could make use of stock books. Stock books or folders have a set of transparent pockets where in stamps could be arranged depending upon their sorting. This ensures durability but not a very good presentation of your stamp collection as the stamps are in groups. Individual stamps cannot be viewed.

Making a Stamp album for your collection would be the ultimate way to preserve your hard earned stamps. You could design your own stamp album by punching a set of handmade paper together either with a ribbon or getting it spiral bounded. Choose a good color for the paper on to which stamps would be prominently visible. You may choose to stick stamps on either side of this paper or just on the right hand side, making use of special peel able gum that will not harm stamps.

Another option would be to purchase a ready made album having printed information that would help to sort stamps into different subjects. This seems to be a good initiative for budding stamp collectors. The only trouble here is that a readymade album restricts any kind of creative presentation to preserve stamps. When you create your own stamp album you could add on as many more supplement s as you wish to. Moreover you could design various sections within your album such as Sort by type – animals, ships, nations, country, etc. You may add a separate section for covers. Used and unused/mint stamps could have separate pages allotted too. Remember to make use of stamp mounts while you stick mint stamps to your album. This will help to restore its quality and preserving the adhesive at the back of the stamp.

Stamp collecting can be fun. It may sometimes be profitable. And you can start with an album plus a packet of stamps from all over the world for less than a tenner.

If you want hours of amusement sorting and sticking, dealer Stanley Gibbons sells packs of 2,500 assorted stamps for £17.50. That’s less than 1p per stamp.

You could also go to the top of the market – but prepare to remortgage to the hilt.

Last September, a block of 20 Great Britain “two shilling browns” from 1880 fetched £240,800 at auction in London. They had been owned by the late Sir Gawaine Baillie whose collection was the most important in the UK, other than the Queen’s.

But if your spending power is less than Sir Gawaine’s, it can be all too easy to discover you have wasted your money on an album-full of virtually worthless pieces of gummed paper. Most stamps have a zero resale value.

So if you want to move up from a child’s hobby to a more mature interest, here are some essential tips.

Read before you spend

Stamp collecting can be a lonely hobby. And while there are many local clubs for stamp collectors dotted all over the country, you may not feel comfortable joining them as a total beginner (although most clubs are really welcoming).

So take some time to read through the various stamp magazines. Gibbons Stamp Monthly costs £2.90. Stamp Magazine is the same price, while Stamp & Coin Mart is £2.50 – all are sold at most newsagents. These will give you some stamp “buzz” and gossip. And they feature informative adverts from dealers and auctioneers.

Don’t believe the catalogue value

Stamp catalogues are like the Argos catalogue – a list of prices for people interested in buying. All the stamps in the £17.50 packets are valued from 10p upwards in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue – but that does not mean you will get £250 or more for your 2,500 stamps. It’s just the price you could pay if you bought them one by one.

If a collection is saleable, you should expect to get around 30% to 40% less than catalogue prices once you take auction or other costs into consideration.

Avoid poor quality

Property investors know the rule is “location, location, location.” In stamps, it’s “condition, condition, condition.”

Dealers usually quote six grades – but not always the same six. Some go from superb to poor: others from mounted mint to poor quality used. The difference between top and bottom is huge.

A pale blue 1854 Great Britain 2d stamp will cost £950 in top condition – but just £5 for the lowest grade.

Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules so comparability is tough.

Shun “commemoratives” and countries you’ve never heard of

Dealers sometimes sell special stamps from remote corners of the globe, often commemorating events such as the Olympics or the World Cup. These are generally worthless. The most amazing example was the 1981 Charles and Diana wedding issue from North Korea. Value, zero. For UK collectors, Great Britain stamps rule.

There are costs involved

You will need to insure your collection. Most home insurers will cover a collection up to £1,000 to £2,500. But once you are serious, you may need to go to a “high net worth insurer” with experience in covering valuable collectibles and works of art, such as Hiscox.

If you trade stamps from your home or exhibit regularly, try a specialist broker such as H.W. Wood (020-7398-9000).

Remember the Inland Revenue

As stamps produce no income, you do not have to report your collection on a self-assessment tax return. But selling a collection could produce a capital gains tax charge.

And if you were to put stamps into a Sipp under the new rules in April 2006, you won’t be able to show them off to your friends without paying income tax. It’s called a P11D assessment – it’s similar to the tax charge on perks such as a company car or company medical plan.

The way around this is to keep the collection in a bank vault and never look at it. Expect to pay for this facility.