{"id":1383,"date":"2022-12-19T14:48:50","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T14:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2023-01-02T10:54:10","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T10:54:10","slug":"i-am-not-a-stamp-collectorer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/i-am-not-a-stamp-collectorer\/","title":{"rendered":"I am not a Stamp Collectorer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>I am not a stamp collector,<\/strong> but I have ended up with albums and boxes full of them. Like most people who inherit a stamp collection, I googled \u201cWhat do you do with an inherited stamp collection?\u201d. 99% of what I read was totally useless. I thought I&#8217;d share what I&#8217;ve learned on my journey so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_20220914_142815-1-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_20220914_142815-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_20220914_142815-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_20220914_142815-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_20220914_142815-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_20220914_142815-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_20220914_142815-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Mixed postage stamps in a collection<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This post is a summary of what I learned in case it helps you deal with stamps you&#8217;ve inherited. It\u2019s a personal response, based on what I have been told and uncovered. Though what worked for me won\u2019t necessarily be right for you,  it might help you decide how to start.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>My situation was simple:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I wanted to \u2018dispose\u2019 of the collection because I didn\u2019t \/ don\u2019t want to leave the puzzle of what to do with the stamps for my kids to deal with, and just put them in the attic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I wanted to do justice to my grandfather\u2019s beloved collection, and I knew I couldn\u2019t just hand over the boxes to a dealer without looking first.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I knew NOTHING about stamp collecting, and didn\u2019t want to learn more than I had to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Money wasn\u2019t my main driver. Not that I don\u2019t care about it &#8211; but it was more important that the stamps went to someone who would care about them, rather than someone who just saw them as something to trade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking back on this, I was SO naive. Before you start doing anything, be clear in what your goals and boundaries are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Look \/ Don\u2019t look<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I said above, I wanted to look. By looking at the collection I got a huge rush of nostalgia, especially from the smells. I actually learned some things about my grandfather that I didn\u2019t know. He was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westcoaststamps.com\/stamp-collecting\/\">a hobbyist, not an investor<\/a>. I think he collected mainly for the places he could travel from his kitchen table and the history and art it opened up for him. But I also discovered that he wasn\u2019t as organised as I thought he was, as there was no apparent system, and there were almost no notes or information about what the stamps were!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be honest, part of me regrets opening it all up &#8211; as it feels like, without the expertise, I\u2019ve spent hours \/ days on something I wasn\u2019t in a position to deal with.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>IF you can avoid opening it up, and want to save yourself a LOT of time,&nbsp; &#8211; then I\u2019d recommend just taking it to get valued by a dealer. If you can,&nbsp; let them do the work &#8211; and just take the money you are offered. You might be ripped off a little, and there might have been some gems amongst the dross, but \u2026 you win some\/lose some\u2026 and\u2026 it is the easiest option. <strong>Don\u2019t sweat it &#8211; just sell it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if like me, you can\u2019t do that, and a prepared to put a little time into looking at what you have\u2026 then, you\u2019ll need to know the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More time \/ Less Value<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start NOW! However big the collection is, there is no point waiting for it to get easier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stamp collecting is (at the moment) a dying past-time. Literally. There are almost no young people collecting for fun.&nbsp; Collectors are mostly older and have been doing it for a long time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the number of inherited collections being auctioned, almost everything of interest is readily available online and, as a result, the prices of stamps have dropped.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even quite rare stamps are being sold cheap, and collectors can be very fussy about condition and provenance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First day covers &#8211; though pretty interesting &#8211; are generally of low value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t think you can work out which are the valuable ones &#8211; because often it&#8217;s really obscure stuff that makes even the most tatty looking stamp worth loads. Some of the most &#8216;mint&#8217; stamps are worth sod all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes HUGE knowledge and expertise and TIME to evaluate what\u2019s there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can\u2019t just use Google Lens to find out what you have and how much it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can sell them yourself, but the time and cost of postage will probably be greater than the value of most of the stamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a LOT of trading on ebay, and more than a few sharks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Collectors tend to specialise and likely have most of what they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apparently lots of inherited collections just get ripped out of the albums and are put in big bags for sorting and shipping around the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words &#8211; you won\u2019t be rich! Most of the cherished collection you\u2019ve been handed is likely worth a tiny fraction of what it would have been worth 30 years ago. Which is particularly hard for me &#8211; as if I\u2019d dealt with mine when I\u2019d inherited it &#8211; I could have got quite a lot of money for it. It\u2019s likely worth a quarter of the value now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unless you want to start collecting, then SELL IT to the nicest philatelist you can find in your area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Swap and Use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2022\/oct\/24\/royal-mail-urges-people-to-use-stamps-without-barcodes-by-31-january\">Any British stamps with the just the old Queen on are going to worthless from the end of Jan.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have any stamps after decimalisation \/ 1971 with just the queen\u2019s head, send them in as soon as possible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>HOWEVER, any picture stamps (like Christmas editions, or themed stamps) after 1971 are still valid and worth the amount on the stamp! You can use them &#8211; in combination &#8211; to add up to 1st Class (95p) or Second Class (68p) &#8211; or whack them on a parcel. You\u2019ll need space on the envelope or parcel &#8211; so put the stamps on first &#8211; and write the address after in any space left. I\u2019ve sent a load of Xmas cards this year using only festive stamps from the past, and neighbours and friends have been using me as a post office for stamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/uk\/shop\/HanDesigned?ref=simple-shop-header-name&amp;listing_id=1071972663\">make art<\/a>, or craft using them\u2026 or you could always <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanleygibbons.com\/collecting-stamps\/new-stamps\">start collecting<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Good luck<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I am not a stamp collector, but I have ended up with albums and boxes full of them. Like most people who inherit a stamp collection, I googled \u201cWhat do you do with an inherited stamp collection?\u201d. 99% of what &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/i-am-not-a-stamp-collectorer\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[256],"tags":[246,258,257],"class_list":["post-1383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal","tag-personal","tag-philately","tag-stamp-collecting"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2vDki-mj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1383"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1405,"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions\/1405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ezekiels.co.uk\/eylan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}