Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Can anyone explain to me why the 1962 stamps depicting the art of Mei Lan-Fang are so pricey? I see a set on ebay priced in the thousands and others in the hundreds. Are they that special or rare? Just wondering Will never own a set that is for sure...lol
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Thanks guys I guess $15 for a stamp would be a bargain.... 
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The issue quantity of 20,000 was very low, even for stamps of that era. I'm not sure how many of those were used for FDCs and special cancels. Add to that speculator/investor interest. Most of the buyers now are NOT purchasing because they are stamp collectors, but because they are collectibles investors (i.e., they buy with the intent of selling a few years down the line).
Beware of reproductions of any Cultural Revolution era stamps and those in the preceding/following 10 years. I'm not talking about the 1950s reprints. In the previous decade, PRC stamps of the 1960s through 1970s were reproduced in large quantities, of which large "mint collections" were available for purchase at select tourist shops. I've seen sets/items removed from those reproduction collections being sold online over the past few years. If you are unfamiliar with PRC stamp paper/production, you can be easily fooled. The perfect perforations and modern-looking whiter-than-normal paper is the quick tell on the 1960's and early 1970's reproductions, but it gets harder to differentiate just from a picture as you get into the 1970's issues.
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One thing one has to be careful of with PR China stamps from this era is counterfeits. There are many, and they are all expertly made and hard to detect. I wouldn't buy any of the high dollar stamps from this era unless the stamp(s) had a certificate.
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Kim posted as I was typing mine. Beat me by 2 minutes exactly!
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Good advice...I have been watching and haven`t purchased a stamp...I see one seller listing a photocopied souvenir collection....I am not very skilled at picking out counterfeits esp when they have a postmark.... but that one is a print and he told me when I questioned him in an email...thanks
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At least that seller was honest about it. Good for that seller!
Some sellers of the reproductions honestly don't realize they have reproductions.
However, there are plenty of people who are buying them for cheap and then DELIBERATELY trying to resell them as genuine originals (or hiding their source).
"Many of these stamps and others like them were deemed inappropriate during the cultural revolution and destroyed."
This is a statement that is often promoted by dealers over the decades and has worked its way into collector lore, fed by historians who had no actual experience in or before the Cultural Revolution. The statement is not entirely correct. Collecting was deemed inappropriate -- YES, definitely. Destroyed -- actually very very very very very very very very few collectibles were destroyed. Trust me on that one. Confiscated - YES. Destroyed (???) -- ha ha ha ha ha. You know how stolen items in the US often turn up in pawn shops...
Getting back to the original topic. Again, that particular souvenir sheet did have a much lower than normal print quantity. It was genuinely difficult to get. My relatives/friends had pretty decent pre-Cultural Revolution PRC collections, and they were not able to get hold of that one. You can guess from the print quantity, that it was simply not available at the great majority of post offices.
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10:05:58am
Throughout history, time and time again, when investors enter the market, from the tulips and the South Sea Bubble of centuries ago, to railroad stocks, to derivatives, even single family homes and of course stamps and coins, eventually someone decides to liquidate their investment and someone else panics, dumping their "collection" and the bubble collapses.
The inexperienced will discover that what they hold is the proverbial "bag".
The vast number of budding philatelists in China may not just delay the collapse but through the sheer numbers and increasing wealth increase its growth, but the inherent value of things like the Mei Lan-Fang depends not on utility, but investor confidence.
The roots of what might be called he Chinese Stamp Bubble, lies in the facts presented already; reprints, counterfeits and bogus issues.
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I sure wish I were wise enough to see the differences...Haven`t purchased any but have been watching the postings.
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Hi there everyone,
I am brand new here and appreciate any assistance.
I am trying to sell the subject stamp: China PRC 1962 Mei Lan-fang Souvenir Sheet.
Since I have never sold any stamp before, can anyone please advise how I can
authenticate the stamp so that I can put the stamp up the auction place for sale?
The stamp was a gift from my uncle in China back in 60s.
Thanks in advance for your information and assistance.
Regards,
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Consider the
CSS
You might also see if the Green Foundation in Canada has expertise in this area - this might better suit your location
If it is genuine you won't have any problem getting a high bid on it through a proper auction house. CSS above lists better house for Asian material
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Howzabout we turn lemons into lemonade?
We think nothing (in the way of ethical constraints) of putting a Rembrandt/etc print on the wall.
We buy knock-offs of Ye Olde English Country Furniture for the living room.
Some of us are proud to have a framed replica of the US Declaration of Independence on the wall.
Most every Bible you've ever handled is a cheap reprint.
That list just goes on & on.
So what's the big deal about collecting Chinese reprints?
1) Sigh, knowing that you cannot own an original, and
2) Make sure you pay very little, and
3) You're golden.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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The easy way is to contact one of the larger Asian-material auction houses. There are a couple that are either US-based or have offices in the US. If they think it is genuine, you'll find that their reputation is as good as a certificate and far more convenient. You'll pay through the commission, but the hammer price will be higher than if you tried to sell it yourself as they do a better job of attracting the reliable Asian buyers. Also, you don't have to worry about non-paying buyers if you don't try to sell it yourself.
This is a high-ticket item. I assume you are not a dealer, otherwise you would not be asking this question. It's not something you really want to try to sell yourself unless you already know your buyers or can confirm their credentials.
If you got it in from your uncle in China the 1960s (especially if before 1966), then it has a very good likelihood of being genuine. Think it over again to confirm your recollection. If you got it after 1972, then there's a possibility of reproductions.
Best wishes, and please post a pic.
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10:41:02am
Greetings
Can anyone explain to me why the 1962 stamps depicting the art of Mei Lan-Fang are so pricey? I see a set on ebay priced in the thousands and others in the hundreds. Are they that special or rare? Just wondering Will never own a set that is for sure...lol
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11:57:05am
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
Thanks guys I guess $15 for a stamp would be a bargain....
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re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
The issue quantity of 20,000 was very low, even for stamps of that era. I'm not sure how many of those were used for FDCs and special cancels. Add to that speculator/investor interest. Most of the buyers now are NOT purchasing because they are stamp collectors, but because they are collectibles investors (i.e., they buy with the intent of selling a few years down the line).
Beware of reproductions of any Cultural Revolution era stamps and those in the preceding/following 10 years. I'm not talking about the 1950s reprints. In the previous decade, PRC stamps of the 1960s through 1970s were reproduced in large quantities, of which large "mint collections" were available for purchase at select tourist shops. I've seen sets/items removed from those reproduction collections being sold online over the past few years. If you are unfamiliar with PRC stamp paper/production, you can be easily fooled. The perfect perforations and modern-looking whiter-than-normal paper is the quick tell on the 1960's and early 1970's reproductions, but it gets harder to differentiate just from a picture as you get into the 1970's issues.
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this post
01:11:04pm
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
One thing one has to be careful of with PR China stamps from this era is counterfeits. There are many, and they are all expertly made and hard to detect. I wouldn't buy any of the high dollar stamps from this era unless the stamp(s) had a certificate.
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01:13:28pm
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
Kim posted as I was typing mine. Beat me by 2 minutes exactly!
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01:20:43pm
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
Good advice...I have been watching and haven`t purchased a stamp...I see one seller listing a photocopied souvenir collection....I am not very skilled at picking out counterfeits esp when they have a postmark.... but that one is a print and he told me when I questioned him in an email...thanks
Login to Like
this post
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
At least that seller was honest about it. Good for that seller!
Some sellers of the reproductions honestly don't realize they have reproductions.
However, there are plenty of people who are buying them for cheap and then DELIBERATELY trying to resell them as genuine originals (or hiding their source).
"Many of these stamps and others like them were deemed inappropriate during the cultural revolution and destroyed."
This is a statement that is often promoted by dealers over the decades and has worked its way into collector lore, fed by historians who had no actual experience in or before the Cultural Revolution. The statement is not entirely correct. Collecting was deemed inappropriate -- YES, definitely. Destroyed -- actually very very very very very very very very few collectibles were destroyed. Trust me on that one. Confiscated - YES. Destroyed (???) -- ha ha ha ha ha. You know how stolen items in the US often turn up in pawn shops...
Getting back to the original topic. Again, that particular souvenir sheet did have a much lower than normal print quantity. It was genuinely difficult to get. My relatives/friends had pretty decent pre-Cultural Revolution PRC collections, and they were not able to get hold of that one. You can guess from the print quantity, that it was simply not available at the great majority of post offices.
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
07 May 2015
10:05:58am
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
Throughout history, time and time again, when investors enter the market, from the tulips and the South Sea Bubble of centuries ago, to railroad stocks, to derivatives, even single family homes and of course stamps and coins, eventually someone decides to liquidate their investment and someone else panics, dumping their "collection" and the bubble collapses.
The inexperienced will discover that what they hold is the proverbial "bag".
The vast number of budding philatelists in China may not just delay the collapse but through the sheer numbers and increasing wealth increase its growth, but the inherent value of things like the Mei Lan-Fang depends not on utility, but investor confidence.
The roots of what might be called he Chinese Stamp Bubble, lies in the facts presented already; reprints, counterfeits and bogus issues.
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this post
10:09:42am
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
I sure wish I were wise enough to see the differences...Haven`t purchased any but have been watching the postings.
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this post
11:11:42am
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
Hi there everyone,
I am brand new here and appreciate any assistance.
I am trying to sell the subject stamp: China PRC 1962 Mei Lan-fang Souvenir Sheet.
Since I have never sold any stamp before, can anyone please advise how I can
authenticate the stamp so that I can put the stamp up the auction place for sale?
The stamp was a gift from my uncle in China back in 60s.
Thanks in advance for your information and assistance.
Regards,
Login to Like
this post
11:25:11am
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
Consider the
CSS
You might also see if the Green Foundation in Canada has expertise in this area - this might better suit your location
If it is genuine you won't have any problem getting a high bid on it through a proper auction house. CSS above lists better house for Asian material
Login to Like
this post
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
Howzabout we turn lemons into lemonade?
We think nothing (in the way of ethical constraints) of putting a Rembrandt/etc print on the wall.
We buy knock-offs of Ye Olde English Country Furniture for the living room.
Some of us are proud to have a framed replica of the US Declaration of Independence on the wall.
Most every Bible you've ever handled is a cheap reprint.
That list just goes on & on.
So what's the big deal about collecting Chinese reprints?
1) Sigh, knowing that you cannot own an original, and
2) Make sure you pay very little, and
3) You're golden.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
Login to Like
this post
re: Mei Lan-Fang 1962 stamp issues
The easy way is to contact one of the larger Asian-material auction houses. There are a couple that are either US-based or have offices in the US. If they think it is genuine, you'll find that their reputation is as good as a certificate and far more convenient. You'll pay through the commission, but the hammer price will be higher than if you tried to sell it yourself as they do a better job of attracting the reliable Asian buyers. Also, you don't have to worry about non-paying buyers if you don't try to sell it yourself.
This is a high-ticket item. I assume you are not a dealer, otherwise you would not be asking this question. It's not something you really want to try to sell yourself unless you already know your buyers or can confirm their credentials.
If you got it in from your uncle in China the 1960s (especially if before 1966), then it has a very good likelihood of being genuine. Think it over again to confirm your recollection. If you got it after 1972, then there's a possibility of reproductions.
Best wishes, and please post a pic.
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