Selling stamp collection

The non-collectors guide on how to sell inherited stamp collections

Posted by The Philatelist Stamp collecting guide 5 Min Read

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

This is probably the best advice non-collectors can get after inheriting their grandparents old stamp collection. And why not, selling collector stamps these days can be worth a great deal as a lot of stamp collectors are looking for the rarest stamps around.

So before you start judging your grandparents stamp collection as trash, why not try selling these old stamps and maybe earn some money from it.

But before you do just that, here are some tips that you need to know on how to sell a stamp collection.

Assessing the stamp’s value

When it comes to selling stamps, the first move that you need to do is to asses your stamp collection’s value. This means that you need to look for the indicators for high and low value.

Try visiting local stamp clubs that has an experienced philatelist to help you look for these stamp value indicators.

If a local stamp club or an experienced philatelist is not available then you have no choice but to do this on your own.

What are the indicators for high stamp value?

  1. Find out if large sums of money have been spent to collect your grandparent’s stamps. This is very important because it has been proven in the past that stamp collections have been priced lower or discarded because the spouse or the grandchildren did not know the real amount of money spent on the collection.
  2. Find out if a huge amount of effort went into the organizing of the collection. Check if stamp mounts or hinges have neatly been used to protect the stamps.

Also check the stamps condition, look for any signs of damage on the stamps.

  1. Check if the collection has any “philatelic literature”. Serious collectors always use literature to use as aid for their collection. “Philatelic books” can also be sold in the philatelic market.
  2. Check if the collection contains covers with old stamps that are in good condition. Covers are defined as envelopes with stamps on them that have passed through the post.

Covers are regularly seen as more valuable than the actual stamps so do not remove the stamps as well as the contents of these envelopes.

  1. Evaluate if the collection is specialized or coming from a single country. A specialized stamp collection that comes from a single country is worth more than a whole world stamp collection.
  2. Know what period the stamps are from. Stamps that belong to a later date carry with them a higher value while recent stamps have less or no value at all.

What are the indicators for low stamp value?

The indicators that a stamp collection has low value are:

  1. The collection has no rare postage stamps.
  2. The collection contains 1935 mint American stamps. These stamps have no value and it is only worth for postage.
  3. The collection contains the same stamps.
  4. The collection contains Elvis stamps. Elvis stamps, if they are not used are better of being used for postage.

Decide how to sell the stamp collection

After you have assessed the stamps value, you now decide how to sell the stamps. There are many ways you can do this, you can sell stamps online, sell rare stamps to a stamp dealer, sell stamps through a stamp club and sell stamps at an auction.

To sell stamps online, you need to visit Internet sites that offer such services. The popular websites are eBay and Delcampe.

To sell stamps to a dealer, you will need to find the right stamp dealer or collector in the local yellow pages.

To sell stamps through a stamp club, you need to check out if your grandparents were members of a local stamp club or a philatelic society. If they were, then you might try to contact them. A philatelic society can help you sell the collection among its members.

To sell stamps at an auction, you need to look for auction houses who will sell your stamp collection on your behalf. There are also stamp auctions online that you can avail.