Inherited a stamp collection? Here's what it's worth.
Stamp collections are the most commonly over-valued inheritance. Enormous albums assembled in the 1950s–70s are usually worth a fraction of what families expect. The value, when it exists, is usually in a handful of items or in unusual covers — not in the bulk.
- Do not soak, peel or lift stamps off envelopes.For many stamps the envelope — the 'cover' — with its postmark and route is worth substantially more than the stamp alone. Removing it destroys that.
- Do not use tape, glue or self-adhesive mounts.Any adhesive contact is permanent damage. Even removing an old hinge badly can halve the value of a mint stamp.
- Do not store them anywhere damp or hot.Humidity makes gum stick and foxing spread. An attic or garage will quietly ruin a collection over a summer.
What actually decides the value
- ·Whether the stamp is used or mint, and if mint whether the original gum is intact and unhinged
- ·Perforation count and watermark — these separate common printings from rare ones that look identical
- ·Covers with legible postmarks, unusual routes, or early dates
- ·Centring: a well-centred example can be worth many times a poorly centred one
- ·Country and era — pre-1900 material and early airmail are where value concentrates
How to photograph it
- ·Whole album pages, straight on, so we can see the arrangement
- ·Close-ups of anything pre-1900, anything with an unusual postmark, and any stamp kept separately from the rest — that separation usually means the collector thought it mattered
Five photographs · free · no account
Common questions
Is a stamp collection worth anything?+
Stamp collections are the most commonly over-valued inheritance. Enormous albums assembled in the 1950s–70s are usually worth a fraction of what families expect. The value, when it exists, is usually in a handful of items or in unusual covers — not in the bulk.
What should I not do with a stamp collection?+
Do not soak, peel or lift stamps off envelopes. For many stamps the envelope — the 'cover' — with its postmark and route is worth substantially more than the stamp alone. Removing it destroys that. Do not use tape, glue or self-adhesive mounts. Any adhesive contact is permanent damage. Even removing an old hinge badly can halve the value of a mint stamp. Do not store them anywhere damp or hot. Humidity makes gum stick and foxing spread. An attic or garage will quietly ruin a collection over a summer.
What makes stamps valuable?+
Mostly these: Whether the stamp is used or mint, and if mint whether the original gum is intact and unhinged; Perforation count and watermark — these separate common printings from rare ones that look identical; Covers with legible postmarks, unusual routes, or early dates; Centring: a well-centred example can be worth many times a poorly centred one.
How do I find out what mine is worth?+
Photograph it and we'll examine it. Five photographs are free. A full report is $39, covers up to 200 photographs, and we never buy or sell anything — so we have no reason to tell you it's worth less than it is.