People often wonder “where can I sell my stamp collection?” after they tire of the hobby, are ready to make some money off of it, or have inherited a collection from a family member.
The key is not to over-excite yourself just because you found, or were given a bunch of random stamps (even if they’re very old). If you’re a collector yourself you may have a good idea what your collection is worth. If you don’t have a clue as to how much your collection could sell for, you must research this matter thoroughly before you start expecting a huge check in return for those stamps!
You can get an idea of a collection’s value by checking to see if the original collector left any kind of records with the collection detailing the stamps and or the value of them. You might also want to check and see if the collection was insured. This can be a great guideline as to approximately how much it is really worth.
However, please keep in mind that some collectors are so proud of their collections that they may have exaggerated in their records. This means that you might be offered a lot less than you were expecting.
On the other hand, if you have no records left behind from the original stamp collection owner, you can assess the worth of these pieces with some hands-on work.
You can visit your local library and pick up the Scott Postage Stamp Catalog. This comes in 6 volumes, so obviously this is a time-consuming job that takes quite a bit of effort. Each volume is filled with pictures and details of stamps, sorted by country. If you have the time, you can identify each stamp and look up it’s value in the catalog. The numbers you find the the catalog are usually higher than what people are actually willing to pay you for it, though.
Another option is to hire an appraiser to come up with a figure for you. They will examine the collection and provide you with a written estimate of the collection’s value. You can trust this number, as appraisers rarely ever buy collections, and therefore have no reason to low-ball you.
Or you could just go to a dealer. Dealers will usually make you an offer for a part of the collection or the whole thing. Stamp dealers make their money by buying and selling these stamps, so keep in mind that they’re looking for a great value. They’re not trying to give you the highest price they can afford, they’re trying to buy low and sell high. In no way am I implying that they’re trying to cheat you – I just want you to be aware that what is offered to you might not be as high a dollar amount as you were expecting.
If you’re willing to sell to a dealer, you’ll probably want to use a dealer from the American Philatelic Society. Their website can be found here: http://stamps.org/directories/dir_DealerMembers.htm.
These dealers agree to a specific code of ethics, which you may find comforting as the collection seller.
If you would rather not use any of the above methods to sell your stamp collection, you could always find a local stamp club and visit them at a meeting with your collection. These members (being enthusiastic philatelics) are usually very willing to look through what you have, give you their honest opinion of it’s value, and maybe even purchase a piece or two.
Now that you have an idea of what your collection is worth, you can sell it wherever you see fit. Good places to make your collection available are in your local newspaper ad and on the online auction site, Ebay. Whichever method you choose, enjoy yourself while selling your stamp collection because you’re making some collector out there very happy!