Mike,
in most cases, i've not seen price increases higher than the proportional amounts of B/4 or sheets of X, at least not with stamps of vintages from the 40s on.
There ARE conventions if you choose to go higher than singles. For instance, if you're going to do B/4s, you're probably best to do PBs or blocks with Mr ZIP or other slogans, so that you have the selvege and the block.
I think sheets are probably a cost-prohibitive way to start a collection, primarily because of the extra glassine sheets and folders you'll need to keep the fellers separated and glue off one another. Oh, and then there's the price of 50 vs 1 (or whatever).
PB collecting has fallen, no plummeted, out of favor, so, if you go B/4 route, you should be able to get PBs at face or below. If you go PB route, remember that for most it's block of 4, but for some it's 6 or 10 or 20 or the full sheet. Scott provides details on how to collect each PB. PM me if you want more details.
Hope this helps.
David
Mike,
It is totally up to you. Since you mentioned sheets of 20, I am thinking you are looking at more US modern issues. Collecting modern self-adhesive stamps in sheet/whole booklet form the easiest way to collect since it can be harder to separate out singles for some issues. You can store them on stock pages like Vario
If you are collecting older material (say pre-2000), plate blocks are nice and easy to acquire inexpensively (often less than face) if you buy them in lots. There are many whole albums out there on the market. If you want a specific one with a certain plate number expect to pay more or be patient. For stamps that are not engraved, the plate number does not mean nearly as much as it did.
Now, there are not that many US stamps after 1940 that are that have appreciated (exceptions abound for certain varieties) so do not expect any real gain in value.
Enjoy the beauty, the education, fun in organizing, etc. It is cheap entertainment compared to many activities and you actually have something.
(I also fixed your link).
Thank you for the responses.
My inclination is to collect one stamp of all the various presidential stamps.
I'm not collecting for value inasmuch as just enjoying the hobby/education.
Thanks again!
"I'm not collecting for value inasmuch as just enjoying the hobby/education."
Hello everyone! I am new to collecting and want to start with U.S. Presidents but I am confused about the type of stamp (sheet or block or single). I looked through the Newcomer Corner but didn't find anything about my specific question. (Although I did find a lot of excellent information in that section!)
When I look for stamps on auction sites, I see single stamps, blocks of 4 or sheets of 20. I am assuming that the older stamps may only be available as singles or blocks of 4 and the newer stamps may be available as a sheet of 20, is that true?
Finally, is there a rule about when to buy each different quantity of stamps (sheet or block or single)? Does the quantity of stamps (single stamp, block of 4 or sheet of 20) affect the resale value if I were to sell it someday? Is there a "hard and fast" rule about keeping your collection of similar quantity types (sheet or block or single)?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
BTW, this topic is similar to my question but not exact:
https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=6087#36737
(Modified by Moderator on 2017-10-12 11:22:34)
re: Newbie collecting question (sheet, block or single)
Mike,
in most cases, i've not seen price increases higher than the proportional amounts of B/4 or sheets of X, at least not with stamps of vintages from the 40s on.
There ARE conventions if you choose to go higher than singles. For instance, if you're going to do B/4s, you're probably best to do PBs or blocks with Mr ZIP or other slogans, so that you have the selvege and the block.
I think sheets are probably a cost-prohibitive way to start a collection, primarily because of the extra glassine sheets and folders you'll need to keep the fellers separated and glue off one another. Oh, and then there's the price of 50 vs 1 (or whatever).
PB collecting has fallen, no plummeted, out of favor, so, if you go B/4 route, you should be able to get PBs at face or below. If you go PB route, remember that for most it's block of 4, but for some it's 6 or 10 or 20 or the full sheet. Scott provides details on how to collect each PB. PM me if you want more details.
Hope this helps.
David
re: Newbie collecting question (sheet, block or single)
Mike,
It is totally up to you. Since you mentioned sheets of 20, I am thinking you are looking at more US modern issues. Collecting modern self-adhesive stamps in sheet/whole booklet form the easiest way to collect since it can be harder to separate out singles for some issues. You can store them on stock pages like Vario
If you are collecting older material (say pre-2000), plate blocks are nice and easy to acquire inexpensively (often less than face) if you buy them in lots. There are many whole albums out there on the market. If you want a specific one with a certain plate number expect to pay more or be patient. For stamps that are not engraved, the plate number does not mean nearly as much as it did.
Now, there are not that many US stamps after 1940 that are that have appreciated (exceptions abound for certain varieties) so do not expect any real gain in value.
Enjoy the beauty, the education, fun in organizing, etc. It is cheap entertainment compared to many activities and you actually have something.
(I also fixed your link).
re: Newbie collecting question (sheet, block or single)
Thank you for the responses.
My inclination is to collect one stamp of all the various presidential stamps.
I'm not collecting for value inasmuch as just enjoying the hobby/education.
Thanks again!
re: Newbie collecting question (sheet, block or single)
"I'm not collecting for value inasmuch as just enjoying the hobby/education."