As soon as people learn you are a stamp collector people in the area start getting in touch with you because they have "some stamps". This has happened to me several times and I have yet to see anything with any value. Unless their relative put some effort into the collection it turns out to be a bunch of stamps soaked off envelopes. I know exactly where you're coming from!
LOVE calling it a snipe hunt! Really a perfect way to describe these little adventures.
When I worked at GM, it was a huge complex and we had literally thousands of people working there and word spread that I knew stamps, so everyone starting bringing me their albums to see if they were RICH! I must have looked at a hundred Statesman and Minuteman albums - same old thing, a bunch of CTOs, a few USA year sets from mom and dad and a few plate blocks that Uncle Ted bought them, plus a bit of this and that.
BUT one time, OMG I almost fainted. This guy brought in a few books from his father's collection. He had every type of Zeppelin cover imaginable, and autographed covers galore. Turns out his dad was the head of the Boy Scouts for SE Michigan back when Detroit was BIG STUFF - 1920s and 1930s etc. He knew Henry Ford and Edison and had their autographs along with presidents galore. And Boy Scout ephemera and covers like I've never seen. What a cover collection - breathtaking and worthy of a museum. I recommended he talk to a few major auction houses and consign. It should have been a named collection auction in my humble opinion - it was that spectacular. And that was just the COVER portion!
So you never know what you're going to see - you just might find that elusive snipe!
I'm glad you are honest - it's possible this person had no idea what he had. I've never run into it with stamps, but I have in the antique community since my wife and I were fairly respected antique dealers in the area. Over the years we did see some amazing stuff and we always treated people fairly. There were, and probably still are, many dealers who offer as little as possible for some great stuff! I suppose sooner or later someone will show me a great stamp collection!
The fellow did know that the autographs had value, but he hadn’t a clue as to the Philatelic riches he had inherited. I’m surprised his father hadn’t educated him a bit more.
He had been offered $2000 by a local physician and was asking me to get a second opinion before taking the offer and I’m so glad he did. $2000 would have been outrageously low for this caliber of material.
I wonder what ever happened. He said he had contacted, um, I think Spinks and Applebaum ? Can’t remember, I believe he was transferred to Pontiac, so I’m not sure if he auctioned or not.
Oh - one more item - remember the baseball stamp from that era? He had some great covers with that stamp and team autographs. One nice one had the New York Yankees - great stuff!
And Funny thing! The Girl Scout (me! Got all the badges heh heh!) came to the rescue of the Boy Scouts LoL!
I believe the baseball stamp was 1939. If the Yankees from that year autographed covers for him there were six Hall of Famers including Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Lefty Gomez. There was also a well known Canadian by the name of George Selkirk who had a life time BA of 290. If a cover happened to have the 1939 Yankee's autographs it was potentially very valuable. Even the 1939 Detroit Tigers had three Hall of Famers. It had the potential of being a very interesting collection! I'm a bit of a baseball nerd - go Blue Jays (fat chance), but at least Canadians now have the Raptors in basketball to cheer for - even without Kawhi !!
I like to see the Raptors do well...i don't know how the Knicks get the crowds they do.The reason we get calls from people with stamps is...we placed ads in the local pennysaver papers hoping to attract new members..instead we get people who want free appraisals of U.S. first day covers and sheets of 3 cent stamps from the 40's. Be careful what you ask for.
I have a photocopy of one of the baseball covers but I don’t know which team this is? ? One of the guys saw it and asked for a copy of that particular cover, why I don’t know. So I ended up with a pic of one of them. I think I copied an autograph cover too. So which team is this?
I found the photocopy of one of the autographed covers ... love this - Edison autographing the lightbulb cover. Dang nice piece of Americana!
I still can’t believe that fellow just left that album on my work bench!
Baseball cover looks like the Detroit Tigers probably from 1939.
I have a very well done placard stating that I am a "Stamp Hobbiest" and that I buy stamp collections/accumulations and post cards. I would display this at our community yard sales, etc. I haven't displayed it in a couple of years because I couldn't handle telling people how little their items were worth - and their negative reactions. I remember one collection in particular that belonged to the lady's father. There were many altered and bogus FDCs and historical documents. I couldn't believe that someone would actually buy this stuff - thinking that it was a wise purchase. When I contacted her about returning the collection she wouldn't come to the door - so I just left it by the front door. I believe that was the last collection I evaluated.
I never actively solicited collections to evaluate. Large industrial complexes are like small towns and word got out where I worked so people just started bringing me collections to assess. The 1980s were the big boom years for stamp values - remember those days? So everyone was digging out their old collections to cash in.
Theresa,
Regarding the baseball autograph cover;
Scott is absolutely correct - its the 1939 Detroit Tigers.
As near as I can tell, there are 24 signatures on there;
those that I can make out are as follows -
1. Pete Fox
2. Schoolboy Rowe
3. Benny McCoy
4. Earl Averill
5. Fred Hutchinson
6. Birdie Tebbets
7. Pinky Higgins
8. Barney McCosky
9. Dizzy Trout
10. Billy Rogell
11. Bud Thomas
12. Bucky (Bobo) Newsom
13. Al Benton
14. Tommy Bridges
15. Rudy York
16. Roy Cullenbine
17. Charlie Gehringer (the 'Mechanical Man!')
18. Slick Coffman
19. Frank Croucher
I can't make out the others.
And just as an aside, there were 4 future Hall of Famers on that team that year!
1. Charlie Gehringer
2. Earl Averill
3. Hank Greenberg
4. Hal Newhouser
Here are a couple from my collection - the Tommy Bridges card is a bit ragged,
but Paul "Dizzy" Trout is in fine shape! Tommy is from 1933 and Dizzy is from 1948;
Randall (Who LOVES baseball....and the Tigers!)
Awwww cool! I hope that cover ended up with a baseball fan.
Just curious - How many members would have been on the team? Do they have a limit of how many players they can have?
I think Hank Greenberg in on the bottom - the one with a backwards slant. Was he a leftie by any chance?
No, oddly enough - he was a rightie!
I've been trying to figure out how to get "Charlie" out of the name in front of Gehringer. Now I see, it's signed "Chas" with a very elaborate C. I've also got his 1934 Goudey card, as well as Gerald Walker's (who is not on this 1939 roster).
Good eye, Youpiao!
Wonderful that you have the 1934 Goudey;
can you post a pick of Walker's card? That's one I haven't seen.
(Hopefully we aren't overstepping discussion boundaries here....!)
Here's the Walker and the Gehringer, and for good measure, a 1950 Bowman George Kell, and 1955 Bowman Kaline. I've never been big into vintage sports cards, so while I've had the Gehringer for several years, now, it was only yesterday I learned there are 2 versions of the 34 Goudey set -- one of them a Canadian printing put out by Worldwide Gum, which is the one I have.
My entire baseball card collection consists of the above cards plus 15 others, from 1959 and the 60s. I've always wanted to compile a 1968 set of my beloved championship team, but, so far, this is all I've got.
Great cards, Thaddeus!
I have the Kaline and Northrup as well...
I also have the entire '68 set of Tigers - they are MY beloved team as well!
I collect only Detroit...have been since I was 7 in 1968! That was the year I discovered
baseball and the Tigers.
I hope someday to complete the 1935 Goudey Tigers set - 1 card!
would love to have every World Series Champs set!
I was a fan of the Tigers back in 1968 as well. Those cards are great.
Now I'm a big fan of the Colorado Rockies. It was great seeing Larry Walker make it to Cooperstown!
Scott
We probably better get back to discussing stamps before
we end up getting this thread broken and moved!
Oh well! But are you having fun? ????
I did write and send an apology to PhilB for hijacking his thread. SORRY PHIL!
Taking us back to stamps (and First Day Covers), here are 3 1939 Baseball FDCs from my collection with 1939 Tigers' autographs:
From top to bottom:
Hank Greenberg
Birdie Tibbetts
Dixie Walker
Dizzie Trout
Rudy York
Slick Coffman
Roy
Love 'em. Thanks for posting, everyone.
so Phil how did that snipe hunt turn out?
Every one I've been involved with has turned out as Teresa said.
Absolutely LOVE those, Roy!
I'm jealous....
I wish I could tell you how many times I have had friends, and relatives and friends of friends, have asked me to look at and given them an appraisal of their Stradivarius violin, or a painting from a famous artist.
The last time I traveled 3.5 hours up to view a Monet, and give an appraisal. Then I had to travel 3.5 hours back home.
And mind you the person, whose mother had been given this painting, studied art in college, and had a BA in art appreciation or some such thing, and he had seen the painting, and told me it was of a boat.
Well I remembered the first painting shown in the Paris art show, that Monet called Impression Sunrise, was the start of impressionism.
So maybe this was some piece of great value.
The family wanted the house emptied, and told her she could keep anything in the house.
But 2 seconds, and I realized it definitely was a Monet maybe a Pedro Monet, because it said on the back of the stretcher Made in Mexico. DUH!!!!
For the baseball fans ...
Counting down only 63 days until opening day of our local minor league team.
A fellow spectator in a nearby seat once asked what football team I watched during baseball's "off season". I said - "I don't watch football."
"Well then - what do you do", she asked?
"Wait for baseball. Just wait for baseball."
Tomorrow i am going with our club president to visit a fellow who has "some stamps". Its not my first rodeo...i know how these things usually turn out..for some reason non collectors seem to equate stamps with money. I have met with people who wanted to throw me off their place when i made an offer on their stamps and found out later that they sold to a dealer for less than i offered. I usually prefer that the person come to our club auction and see the stuff that sells for 20 percent of catalog...but its just too much effort for them. To be continued .
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
As soon as people learn you are a stamp collector people in the area start getting in touch with you because they have "some stamps". This has happened to me several times and I have yet to see anything with any value. Unless their relative put some effort into the collection it turns out to be a bunch of stamps soaked off envelopes. I know exactly where you're coming from!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
LOVE calling it a snipe hunt! Really a perfect way to describe these little adventures.
When I worked at GM, it was a huge complex and we had literally thousands of people working there and word spread that I knew stamps, so everyone starting bringing me their albums to see if they were RICH! I must have looked at a hundred Statesman and Minuteman albums - same old thing, a bunch of CTOs, a few USA year sets from mom and dad and a few plate blocks that Uncle Ted bought them, plus a bit of this and that.
BUT one time, OMG I almost fainted. This guy brought in a few books from his father's collection. He had every type of Zeppelin cover imaginable, and autographed covers galore. Turns out his dad was the head of the Boy Scouts for SE Michigan back when Detroit was BIG STUFF - 1920s and 1930s etc. He knew Henry Ford and Edison and had their autographs along with presidents galore. And Boy Scout ephemera and covers like I've never seen. What a cover collection - breathtaking and worthy of a museum. I recommended he talk to a few major auction houses and consign. It should have been a named collection auction in my humble opinion - it was that spectacular. And that was just the COVER portion!
So you never know what you're going to see - you just might find that elusive snipe!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I'm glad you are honest - it's possible this person had no idea what he had. I've never run into it with stamps, but I have in the antique community since my wife and I were fairly respected antique dealers in the area. Over the years we did see some amazing stuff and we always treated people fairly. There were, and probably still are, many dealers who offer as little as possible for some great stuff! I suppose sooner or later someone will show me a great stamp collection!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
The fellow did know that the autographs had value, but he hadn’t a clue as to the Philatelic riches he had inherited. I’m surprised his father hadn’t educated him a bit more.
He had been offered $2000 by a local physician and was asking me to get a second opinion before taking the offer and I’m so glad he did. $2000 would have been outrageously low for this caliber of material.
I wonder what ever happened. He said he had contacted, um, I think Spinks and Applebaum ? Can’t remember, I believe he was transferred to Pontiac, so I’m not sure if he auctioned or not.
Oh - one more item - remember the baseball stamp from that era? He had some great covers with that stamp and team autographs. One nice one had the New York Yankees - great stuff!
And Funny thing! The Girl Scout (me! Got all the badges heh heh!) came to the rescue of the Boy Scouts LoL!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I believe the baseball stamp was 1939. If the Yankees from that year autographed covers for him there were six Hall of Famers including Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Lefty Gomez. There was also a well known Canadian by the name of George Selkirk who had a life time BA of 290. If a cover happened to have the 1939 Yankee's autographs it was potentially very valuable. Even the 1939 Detroit Tigers had three Hall of Famers. It had the potential of being a very interesting collection! I'm a bit of a baseball nerd - go Blue Jays (fat chance), but at least Canadians now have the Raptors in basketball to cheer for - even without Kawhi !!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I like to see the Raptors do well...i don't know how the Knicks get the crowds they do.The reason we get calls from people with stamps is...we placed ads in the local pennysaver papers hoping to attract new members..instead we get people who want free appraisals of U.S. first day covers and sheets of 3 cent stamps from the 40's. Be careful what you ask for.
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I have a photocopy of one of the baseball covers but I don’t know which team this is? ? One of the guys saw it and asked for a copy of that particular cover, why I don’t know. So I ended up with a pic of one of them. I think I copied an autograph cover too. So which team is this?
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I found the photocopy of one of the autographed covers ... love this - Edison autographing the lightbulb cover. Dang nice piece of Americana!
I still can’t believe that fellow just left that album on my work bench!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Baseball cover looks like the Detroit Tigers probably from 1939.
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I have a very well done placard stating that I am a "Stamp Hobbiest" and that I buy stamp collections/accumulations and post cards. I would display this at our community yard sales, etc. I haven't displayed it in a couple of years because I couldn't handle telling people how little their items were worth - and their negative reactions. I remember one collection in particular that belonged to the lady's father. There were many altered and bogus FDCs and historical documents. I couldn't believe that someone would actually buy this stuff - thinking that it was a wise purchase. When I contacted her about returning the collection she wouldn't come to the door - so I just left it by the front door. I believe that was the last collection I evaluated.
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I never actively solicited collections to evaluate. Large industrial complexes are like small towns and word got out where I worked so people just started bringing me collections to assess. The 1980s were the big boom years for stamp values - remember those days? So everyone was digging out their old collections to cash in.
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Theresa,
Regarding the baseball autograph cover;
Scott is absolutely correct - its the 1939 Detroit Tigers.
As near as I can tell, there are 24 signatures on there;
those that I can make out are as follows -
1. Pete Fox
2. Schoolboy Rowe
3. Benny McCoy
4. Earl Averill
5. Fred Hutchinson
6. Birdie Tebbets
7. Pinky Higgins
8. Barney McCosky
9. Dizzy Trout
10. Billy Rogell
11. Bud Thomas
12. Bucky (Bobo) Newsom
13. Al Benton
14. Tommy Bridges
15. Rudy York
16. Roy Cullenbine
17. Charlie Gehringer (the 'Mechanical Man!')
18. Slick Coffman
19. Frank Croucher
I can't make out the others.
And just as an aside, there were 4 future Hall of Famers on that team that year!
1. Charlie Gehringer
2. Earl Averill
3. Hank Greenberg
4. Hal Newhouser
Here are a couple from my collection - the Tommy Bridges card is a bit ragged,
but Paul "Dizzy" Trout is in fine shape! Tommy is from 1933 and Dizzy is from 1948;
Randall (Who LOVES baseball....and the Tigers!)
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Awwww cool! I hope that cover ended up with a baseball fan.
Just curious - How many members would have been on the team? Do they have a limit of how many players they can have?
I think Hank Greenberg in on the bottom - the one with a backwards slant. Was he a leftie by any chance?
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
No, oddly enough - he was a rightie!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I've been trying to figure out how to get "Charlie" out of the name in front of Gehringer. Now I see, it's signed "Chas" with a very elaborate C. I've also got his 1934 Goudey card, as well as Gerald Walker's (who is not on this 1939 roster).
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Good eye, Youpiao!
Wonderful that you have the 1934 Goudey;
can you post a pick of Walker's card? That's one I haven't seen.
(Hopefully we aren't overstepping discussion boundaries here....!)
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Here's the Walker and the Gehringer, and for good measure, a 1950 Bowman George Kell, and 1955 Bowman Kaline. I've never been big into vintage sports cards, so while I've had the Gehringer for several years, now, it was only yesterday I learned there are 2 versions of the 34 Goudey set -- one of them a Canadian printing put out by Worldwide Gum, which is the one I have.
My entire baseball card collection consists of the above cards plus 15 others, from 1959 and the 60s. I've always wanted to compile a 1968 set of my beloved championship team, but, so far, this is all I've got.
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Great cards, Thaddeus!
I have the Kaline and Northrup as well...
I also have the entire '68 set of Tigers - they are MY beloved team as well!
I collect only Detroit...have been since I was 7 in 1968! That was the year I discovered
baseball and the Tigers.
I hope someday to complete the 1935 Goudey Tigers set - 1 card!
would love to have every World Series Champs set!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I was a fan of the Tigers back in 1968 as well. Those cards are great.
Now I'm a big fan of the Colorado Rockies. It was great seeing Larry Walker make it to Cooperstown!
Scott
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
We probably better get back to discussing stamps before
we end up getting this thread broken and moved!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Oh well! But are you having fun? ????
I did write and send an apology to PhilB for hijacking his thread. SORRY PHIL!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Taking us back to stamps (and First Day Covers), here are 3 1939 Baseball FDCs from my collection with 1939 Tigers' autographs:
From top to bottom:
Hank Greenberg
Birdie Tibbetts
Dixie Walker
Dizzie Trout
Rudy York
Slick Coffman
Roy
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Love 'em. Thanks for posting, everyone.
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
so Phil how did that snipe hunt turn out?
Every one I've been involved with has turned out as Teresa said.
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Absolutely LOVE those, Roy!
I'm jealous....
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
I wish I could tell you how many times I have had friends, and relatives and friends of friends, have asked me to look at and given them an appraisal of their Stradivarius violin, or a painting from a famous artist.
The last time I traveled 3.5 hours up to view a Monet, and give an appraisal. Then I had to travel 3.5 hours back home.
And mind you the person, whose mother had been given this painting, studied art in college, and had a BA in art appreciation or some such thing, and he had seen the painting, and told me it was of a boat.
Well I remembered the first painting shown in the Paris art show, that Monet called Impression Sunrise, was the start of impressionism.
So maybe this was some piece of great value.
The family wanted the house emptied, and told her she could keep anything in the house.
But 2 seconds, and I realized it definitely was a Monet maybe a Pedro Monet, because it said on the back of the stretcher Made in Mexico. DUH!!!!
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
For the baseball fans ...
re: Snipe hunt tomorrow !
Counting down only 63 days until opening day of our local minor league team.
A fellow spectator in a nearby seat once asked what football team I watched during baseball's "off season". I said - "I don't watch football."
"Well then - what do you do", she asked?
"Wait for baseball. Just wait for baseball."