I have got stamp collection as an inheritance. I know it costs $ but I don't know how much... I'm not going to sell it, but i do wonder the price of this collection. How can i learn out about it? The main theme of collection is animal and plants(worldwide), and some political&cultural events of USSR, it was collected in 1930-1980, and less part of post stamps(but only from Russia) even earlier... Where can i get a information about it?
I found myself in a similar situation. I, also, received a stamp collection. I bought myself a stamp price guide & have been going through it, pricing as I go. The tough part is grading the stamps, but as I've been working on it , I am kinda picking it up. I had taught myself all about coins, so that may have help with my understanding. Although, with stamps it's a bit trickier. Luckily for me, the collection I got, albiet quite large, is all U.S. and is in pretty good order- it helps with similar looking stamps. You could always get a professional to appraise the collection, but they'll have a price for that based on you NOT selling the collection. I wish you luck with your investigating.
It can be quite pricy to have a collection appraised. I suggest the cheap easy way to start getting an idea of value is to go to your local library and check out Scott's Stamp Catalogs. Make sure they are current-2008. There are several large catalogs in the set. One is for US and others for other countries. Just take a trip to the library and see what they are. If they don't have them, I'm sure they can get them. Keep in mind, prices listed in Scott are for stamps in the best of condition. You'll need to do lots of reading, but it is the best and cheapest way to get an idea of what you have. Good luck!
I know how you feel, I just came across a few thousand old first day covers myself and they are taking over my living space. I think the best way to sell them is in small specialized packets. I am always looking for Staele cachets. Collins cachets are hot right now. I must have 100 1940 Pony Express FDCs all with different cachets. 1930s FDCs I would sell piece by piece if they have nice cachets, otherewise in groups of five.
The value of a collection depends on what you wish to do with it. Sentimental value - priceless, regardless of the catalog value of the stamps. If you go to the Scott catalogs, you will see recommended retail value based on perfect condition stamps and for mint stamps, they should generally be unhinged or the value drops considerable. If you want a cash value, take the catalog value of the expensive stamps and use about 5 to 7 percent of the catalog value. If it is a collection of thousands of used stamps, figure somewhere between a half penny to a penny per stamp. Sounds harsh, but I follow these when I go to public auctions and always purchase collections to tear apart. A good useful tool you have at your disposal is to do an advanced search on ebay and specify closed or completed listings. Find items close to what you have and see the final selling prices. Main thing, do not consider a stamp collection with $10,000 catalog to be worth that amount. It might sell at auction for 100 to 150, depending on how many buyers are interested. More if you are lucky. Hope my opinions help.
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