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What Is It Worth?

Many sources exist to determine stamp values

By Michael Baadke 

Many stamp collectors will tell you they collect stamps for the fun of it, but most are aware that those little pieces of gummed paper they save have at least some intrinsic value. Determining that value can be significant for the collector who wants to buy a stamp at auction, from a dealer or a fellow collector.

 
Figure 1. The 25 cent Niagara Falls stamp of 1922. How much should you pay to add this stamp to your collection?
 

How do you know what you should pay for that stamp? Are you paying too much? A story on page 1 of the March 20, 2000 issue of Linn's Stamp News described how the next edition of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue will show an increase in the minimum retail value for any listed postage stamp. Currently the minimum retail value in the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogueis set at 20?.

Does this mean every common stamp you own is worth at least 20 cents? Probably not. The Scott catalog value reflects the retail price that you can expect to pay for a stamp in the grade of Very Fine with no faults. Generally, a stamp grade of Very Fine means the design is well-centered within the margins of the stamp.

For common stamps, the minimum catalog value takes into account stamp dealer expenses for handling common stamps and preparing them for resale. If you walk into a stamp store and request a common older commemorative stamp, such as the United States 4 cent Higher Education stamp of 1962, the stamp dealer is likely to charge you 20 cents for the Very Fine grade stamp that he has in stock. The few pennies profit he makes on the sale won't go far toward paying the rent on his store, his insurance, his employees' salaries or his utility bill.

 
Figure 2. Catalogs provide detailed price listings for basic stamps and known varieties. Collectors need to understand what these prices represent to use the information wisely. Shown are price listings for United States Scott 568, the 25 cents Niagara Falls stamp shown in Figure 1.
 

There's a chance you might encounter that same stamp for sale in a big box marked "FACE VALUE" the next time you go to a stamp show. The fact is there are plenty of these stamps to go around. The stamp you find in the face-value box may not grade Very Fine, or it may sport some fingerprints or bent perforations. It's even possible it will be in great shape and you can use it to fill an empty space in your album.

Some dealers can sell minimum-value stamps for just face value because they aren't catering to a customer's specific need. They don't have to watch for condition, they don't have to organize and carefully store the stamps, and they don't have to worry about replenishing their stock if they run low. When a collector seeks out stamps that retail well beyond the minimum, determining the proper value becomes more important.

Let's say a collector is putting together a nice mint-stamp collection of the 1922 definitive series from the United States. These are the stamps some collectors refer to as the Fourth Bureau issue because it was the fourth full definitive series printed by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

To begin with, our collector should determine the grade of stamp that he wishes to collect. While a stamp grading Very Fine (VF) is superior to a stamp grading Fine Very-Fine (F-VF), it is also likely to be more expensive. The collector must determine what his budget can afford while planning a collection that he will enjoy.

A mint  Nathan Hale stamp, Scott 551, will probably cost no more than 25 cents, even in Very Fine grade, but the cost of other stamps in the series is substantially more. For example, Figure 1 shows the 25? yellow-green Niagara Falls stamp from the 1922 series, Scott 568.

In the 2002 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers the 25 cents Niagara Falls stamp lists for $18 unused, and $29 never-hinged. The catalog listing for Scott 568 is shown in Figure 2.

Why is there such a difference between the unused and never-hinged values? It's a matter of condition, and a matter of supply and demand.

The term "unused" often describes a stamp that has gum on the back, but it's gum that has been disturbed in some way. Even the small mark left by a removed stamp hinge will change a stamp's condition from mint to unused. A collector who insists that his stamps have undisturbed gum often will have to pay more for the condition he demands. A collector who is unconcerned with minor gum disturbance can enjoy paying the smaller of the two amounts.

Remember, too, that the Scott catalog lists retail prices that you may expect to pay if you purchase a VF grade stamp without faults from a stamp dealer. If you want to sell the same stamp to a dealer, he'll normally pay you considerably less than catalog value. If he didn't, he'd have no way to make a living.

The stamp catalog is just a starting point for determining values, however. Other resources can help you decide if the price you're looking at is too high, too low or just right.

Collectors can also consult dealer price lists, auction listings, advertisements in Linn's Stamp News and other resources when researching stamp values. After all, the more pricing information the collector has about the stamp he wants to buy, the better chance he has to make an informed buying decision.

For collectors of foreign stamps, the values listed in specialized catalogs from other countries can be useful, but it's important to understand if the values are compiled from retail price listings, if they are theoretical market prices, or if the catalog publisher is also a stamp dealer and the catalog is doubling as a retail price list.

One source of price information is Linn's Zillions of Stamps searchable Internet shopping center, located at  on the World Wide Web. Stamp dealers around the world use Zillions of Stamps to offer their stamp inventories to collectors at set retail prices.

A collector looking for a specific stamp can easily comparison shop on Zillions of Stamps to find the stamp in the condition and price that suits him best. As this column was being written, Zillions of Stamps listed 18 mint examples of the 25 cents Niagara Falls stamp offered by 10 different stamp dealers, at fixed prices ranging from $6 for a stamp grading Fine (noticeably off-center on two sides) to $29 for a F-VF mint, never-hinged example.

When it's time to spend money carefully on stamp purchases, it's important to research the many differences between stamps. As the examples given here show, it is possible for collectors to find examples of similar stamps that sell for prices that are substantially different.

Consider all of the factors that are involved: grade, condition and scarcity when evaluating your information. The stamp catalog is an important starting point for determining stamp values, but the knowledgeable collector uses additional information to find the best value for his money.