Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
So what should I do? Should I separate them into separate glassine envelopes and at least try to find the CV for each one? I think I have something like 30-40 different countries in the box. Probably the majority are common stamps not worth anything much. I have no idea which ones are worth maybe $2 to $5 CV and which are worth maybe a penny. I did go through them and it seems I do have some old ones (some from 19th century).
I would greatly appreciate any advice from the SOR membership.
Adam
Login to Like
this post
Just because a stamp is "old", it doesn't mean that the stamp is valuable.
Had to say that first.
I enjoy getting box lots and the search for things that I need, and hopefully a "diamond" or two waiting to be found as well. Hope you do find a surprise in the box. Makes it all the more fun!
What to do depends on what you want to do.
Sorting by country is a good start. Taking out what you need for your collection and selling the rest is a good way to pay for some or all of the box.
If you find stamps/countries that you want to collect, get stock books or dump the Harris and get a better album or subscribe to the Steiner pages. You have to decide which is best for you.
Login to Like
this post
I think Michael nailed it for the most part.
Depending how large the lot is, you may want to break each country down further before adding to your collection. For a large Sweden lot I just finished with, I sorted the stamps by year - one glassine per year - and then worked on one glassine at a time.
For each glassine, I'd check things off in my catalogue and arrange them on a stock page. But you could use a stock books or album pages if you prefer.
One bite at a time and it remains fun... 
Mark
Login to Like
this post
Hey thanks, I appreciate the advice. It just feels a little daunting because I have at least 1000 stamps to go through.
Login to Like
this post
"It just feels a little daunting because I have at least 1000 stamps to go through."
Oh, you just got a small box!
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Adam,
great advice. I'll add something a little more basic.
You don't have to collect the entire world; and you don't have to organize, cagtalogue, value, etc., every stamp that comes your way.
IF it's interesting, please do so; if it's a burden, don't. Know that it's likely your collecting interests will change, so perfection isn't the goal; instead, this should be an exploration of what interests you. IF it's worldwide, then great start. If you find, instead, you only want South America or only great three-toed sloths on stamps, that works too.
Certainly this is a good time to make catalogues your friend.
and enjoy
David
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
12:49:06pm
Michael is kidding, but speaks the truth.
I'd suggest you might want to follow the tips and try to decide what interests you the most.
For instance perhaps there are quite a few Canadian or UK stamps in the lot. Then concentrate on them. It might be a topic; birds, flowers, famous people or one of my favorites, "Ships and Lighthouses."
I'd not worry too much about value and pay as much attention to what the stamp is about.
The reason I say that is that tabulating and valuing a miscellaneous lot of a thousand stamps is both tedious and eventually frustrating. I suspect that many potential collectors run ashore on the rocks and shoals of catalog descriptions, stamp conditions and the peculiarities of the relationships between catalog listings and actual market values.
What all that really means will become apparent as you go along. Remember stamp collecting is supposed to be fun, a relaxation, a pleasure and rewarding.
The place you go to when you have four daughters and both bathrooms are already occupied.
Struggling through the fine print, and with the expense of, an up to date set of catalogs as a newbie is work, possibly close to torture.
I think were I to be in your situation and know what I know now, I'd buy a ream of blank paper at Office Max, #67 weight, a nice three ring binder and hole punch, some hinges and begin to enjoy the hobby.
All that other stuff will come in time. Join a local stamp club and see what other collectors are doing. Make that two clubs as sometimes old established clubs are a bit stuffy. I'd attend as many shows and stamp bourses as I can find within traveling distance.
And, most importantly ask questions.
There are many members at Stamporama who will stop what they are doing and happily answer sincere queries.
Keep in mind that the only stupid question is the unasked question.
Keep it fun.
Login to Like
this post
I do what Anglophile suggested but before his step 1 (separate into countries) I sort them by categories: US; Latin America; British Commonwealth; Africa; Middle East; Asia; etc. whatever makes sense. As you do this, you can lump smaller areas together. Then I sort within these categories by country. I do this because when I had a worldwide general collection, I had them in albums by these categories.
You might also want to pull out topical collection areas into separate piles if they dominate the mixed lot, if that's what you collect (e.g., dogs; stamps on stamps; Churchill stamps; etc.).
Have fun by all means.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
I recently won a box of mixed worldwide at my local stamp club auction. I want to ask for some advice. What are some ways to handle a mixture of stamps like this? I don't have specialty albums for these different countries. I do have a Harris worldwide album, but there are not spots for most of these different worldwide stamps. For example it might have a few pages for a particular country.
So what should I do? Should I separate them into separate glassine envelopes and at least try to find the CV for each one? I think I have something like 30-40 different countries in the box. Probably the majority are common stamps not worth anything much. I have no idea which ones are worth maybe $2 to $5 CV and which are worth maybe a penny. I did go through them and it seems I do have some old ones (some from 19th century).
I would greatly appreciate any advice from the SOR membership.
Adam
Login to Like
this post
12:00:21pm
re: Mixed Lot Auction Box
Just because a stamp is "old", it doesn't mean that the stamp is valuable.
Had to say that first.
I enjoy getting box lots and the search for things that I need, and hopefully a "diamond" or two waiting to be found as well. Hope you do find a surprise in the box. Makes it all the more fun!
What to do depends on what you want to do.
Sorting by country is a good start. Taking out what you need for your collection and selling the rest is a good way to pay for some or all of the box.
If you find stamps/countries that you want to collect, get stock books or dump the Harris and get a better album or subscribe to the Steiner pages. You have to decide which is best for you.
Login to Like
this post
re: Mixed Lot Auction Box
I think Michael nailed it for the most part.
Depending how large the lot is, you may want to break each country down further before adding to your collection. For a large Sweden lot I just finished with, I sorted the stamps by year - one glassine per year - and then worked on one glassine at a time.
For each glassine, I'd check things off in my catalogue and arrange them on a stock page. But you could use a stock books or album pages if you prefer.
One bite at a time and it remains fun...
Mark
Login to Like
this post
re: Mixed Lot Auction Box
Hey thanks, I appreciate the advice. It just feels a little daunting because I have at least 1000 stamps to go through.
Login to Like
this post
05:15:10pm
re: Mixed Lot Auction Box
"It just feels a little daunting because I have at least 1000 stamps to go through."
Oh, you just got a small box!
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Auctions
re: Mixed Lot Auction Box
Adam,
great advice. I'll add something a little more basic.
You don't have to collect the entire world; and you don't have to organize, cagtalogue, value, etc., every stamp that comes your way.
IF it's interesting, please do so; if it's a burden, don't. Know that it's likely your collecting interests will change, so perfection isn't the goal; instead, this should be an exploration of what interests you. IF it's worldwide, then great start. If you find, instead, you only want South America or only great three-toed sloths on stamps, that works too.
Certainly this is a good time to make catalogues your friend.
and enjoy
David
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
18 Apr 2015
12:49:06pm
re: Mixed Lot Auction Box
Michael is kidding, but speaks the truth.
I'd suggest you might want to follow the tips and try to decide what interests you the most.
For instance perhaps there are quite a few Canadian or UK stamps in the lot. Then concentrate on them. It might be a topic; birds, flowers, famous people or one of my favorites, "Ships and Lighthouses."
I'd not worry too much about value and pay as much attention to what the stamp is about.
The reason I say that is that tabulating and valuing a miscellaneous lot of a thousand stamps is both tedious and eventually frustrating. I suspect that many potential collectors run ashore on the rocks and shoals of catalog descriptions, stamp conditions and the peculiarities of the relationships between catalog listings and actual market values.
What all that really means will become apparent as you go along. Remember stamp collecting is supposed to be fun, a relaxation, a pleasure and rewarding.
The place you go to when you have four daughters and both bathrooms are already occupied.
Struggling through the fine print, and with the expense of, an up to date set of catalogs as a newbie is work, possibly close to torture.
I think were I to be in your situation and know what I know now, I'd buy a ream of blank paper at Office Max, #67 weight, a nice three ring binder and hole punch, some hinges and begin to enjoy the hobby.
All that other stuff will come in time. Join a local stamp club and see what other collectors are doing. Make that two clubs as sometimes old established clubs are a bit stuffy. I'd attend as many shows and stamp bourses as I can find within traveling distance.
And, most importantly ask questions.
There are many members at Stamporama who will stop what they are doing and happily answer sincere queries.
Keep in mind that the only stupid question is the unasked question.
Keep it fun.
Login to Like
this post
01:14:59pm
re: Mixed Lot Auction Box
I do what Anglophile suggested but before his step 1 (separate into countries) I sort them by categories: US; Latin America; British Commonwealth; Africa; Middle East; Asia; etc. whatever makes sense. As you do this, you can lump smaller areas together. Then I sort within these categories by country. I do this because when I had a worldwide general collection, I had them in albums by these categories.
You might also want to pull out topical collection areas into separate piles if they dominate the mixed lot, if that's what you collect (e.g., dogs; stamps on stamps; Churchill stamps; etc.).
Have fun by all means.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.