Mint Sheets

I have been watching Ebay for what mint sheets of 1970, 80's stamps
were selling for. I am trying to sell about 300 sheets for a friend
of my wifes who inherited them. What I am seeing is people can't
even get face value for most of the sheets. Is stamp collecting
getting that low on collectors, or is the market flooded with late
90's stuff. Thanks for your time and efforts.

Don

Don wrote:
I have been watching Ebay for what mint sheets of 1970, 80's stamps
were selling for. I am trying to sell about 300 sheets for a friend
of my wifes who inherited them. What I am seeing is people can't
even get face value for most of the sheets. Is stamp collecting
getting that low on collectors, or is the market flooded with late
90's stuff. Thanks for your time and efforts.

Don


So many people bought the sheets as an "investment" that they are a drug
on the market and are worth less than face value.
The best way to get full value for them is to use them for postage.
There are exceptions. If you can get a copy of Linn's Stamp news and
look at the buy ads, maybe someone is payong more for the particular
shhets you have, but don't count on it.

--
To e-mail me get rid of the cats and dogs.

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 15:23:25 GMT, Don wrote:

I have been watching Ebay for what mint sheets of 1970, 80's stamps
were selling for. I am trying to sell about 300 sheets for a friend
of my wifes who inherited them. What I am seeing is people can't
even get face value for most of the sheets. Is stamp collecting
getting that low on collectors, or is the market flooded with late
90's stuff. Thanks for your time and efforts.

Don

The golden age of U.S. postage ran from 1847 to 1925,
in my opinion. Now, if your friend had 300 sheets, all different
mind you, from that period of time and spaced out accordingly,
why avarice wouldn't be the word!

However, back to reality, your wife's friend had best get busy
writing letters and paying bills.

8^)

Alan

In article ,
AK47 wrote:

Don wrote:
I have been watching Ebay for what mint sheets of 1970, 80's stamps
were selling for. I am trying to sell about 300 sheets for a friend
of my wifes who inherited them. What I am seeing is people can't
even get face value for most of the sheets. Is stamp collecting
getting that low on collectors, or is the market flooded with late
90's stuff. Thanks for your time and efforts.

Don


So many people bought the sheets as an "investment" that they are a drug
on the market and are worth less than face value.
The best way to get full value for them is to use them for postage.
There are exceptions. If you can get a copy of Linn's Stamp news and
look at the buy ads, maybe someone is payong more for the particular
shhets you have, but don't count on it.

Selling at discount for postage gets you varying returns--but almost
always less than face. One exception is that if there is an organization
or association related to the subject of your commemorative stamps
(e.g., nurses or animal organization), they might be willing to even pay
a premium over face. As I recall, back in the 1980s, the Postal Service
issued a stamp recognizing CPAs. Individual CPAs bought up as many of
the stamps they could find to use for postage, and the price went above
face.

Using for personal postage gets you 100 percent--but how many stamps can
you utilize.

Another way to get 100 percent face value is to donate the stamps to a
charitable or other 501(c) organization. That gives them free postage,
and you get a 100 percent charitable contribution deduction--at least in
the U.S. and providing you itemize tax deductions.

You can sometimes get a premium over face by framing a sheet of stamps
and offering them for sale via eBay or at flea markets to a
non-philatelic audience. With a little creativity and marketing acumen,
you can create a something special from something simple. For example,
as a promotion, the University of Georgia printed a set of 18 football
cards showing the best Bulldog players. These were given out as a
promotion at last week's football game. Within days, the set of cards
started appearing on eBay at $5 and $10 starting bids. Some enterprising
fellow however mounted the cards in a simple wood frame behind glass.
The last time I looked, bidding was up to $35 on that set of mounted
cards.

I can't generalize about mint sheets in other countries. But, in the
U.S., if you're trying to dispose of sheets since the 1940s, with a very
few exceptions, forget about philately. Rather, study the subject of the
sheet of stamps, think about who in the non-philatelic world might be
interested in the subject of the stamps, and then think about how you
can creatively present and market the stamps. Of course, this advice
doesn't help the 75-year-old widow of a stamp accumulator who does not
know how to use a computer, has no idea what eBay is, and now wonders
what she can do with the hundreds of mint sheets that her deceased
husband left behind. My advise to her [in my experience, it's always
been a she who was the spouse of a collector] or her children is to
contact the nearest stamp club and ask for their help.

Ed Jackson

Thanks for responding. Kind of what I thought. There are a few
sheets, 15 or so, that are definitives so I am thinking they will at
least go for face. There was one C18 and a few $5 stamps from the
Americana series. I am thinking of buying used scotts albums to check
the worldwide stamps which are numerous.
Thanks again for the interest.

Don

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 00:00:04 GMT, Don wrote:

Thanks for responding. Kind of what I thought. There are a few
sheets, 15 or so, that are definitives so I am thinking they will at
least go for face. There was one C18 and a few $5 stamps from the
Americana series. I am thinking of buying used scotts albums to check
the worldwide stamps which are numerous.
Thanks again for the interest.

Don
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Don, SIr:
Do not give up too easily. If you have C18 and some $5. definitives,
you should suspect there are other worthwhile sheets.

As for definitives going for "face value", those are more frequently
discounted than the Commemoratives. Some of the Plate Number Blocks of
four (or 6 for early issues) will be worth more than face, both in
definitives and commemoratives.

Sheets where all stamps are exactly the same, may be the least
valuable. But where every stamp is different such as State Birds and
Flowers, those should bring much more than face, and even sheets which
have four different stamps, repeated several times, may be valuable.

If you can find a "Brookman Catalog" at your library or nearest Stamp
Dealer, look up the simple little Christmas Stamp for 1964, four
little holly, mistletoe, poinsiettia,pinecones, repeated many times on
the sheet of 100. My old Brookman 2000 prices that sheet at $75.00!
Even the separate blocks of 4 are worth a lot more than "face".

Perhaps the first thing you might do would be to pick out the sheets
which are NOT all the same stamp, and then see which ones are
valuable.

Happy hunting.
S

"S" wrote in message
...



If you can find a "Brookman Catalog" at your library or nearest Stamp
Dealer, look up the simple little Christmas Stamp for 1964, four
little holly, mistletoe, poinsiettia,pinecones, repeated many times on
the sheet of 100. My old Brookman 2000 prices that sheet at $75.00!
Even the separate blocks of 4 are worth a lot more than "face".

Perhaps the first thing you might do would be to pick out the sheets
which are NOT all the same stamp, and then see which ones are
valuable.

Happy hunting.
S


I personally would trust Scott Catalog pricing over Brookman when seeking
information about the market value of a stamp or pane of stamps. From what
I have seen, Brookman pricing tends to be significantly inflated over Scott.

Mike

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 20:01:07 -0400, "Doug Spade"
wrote:


"S" wrote in message
.. .



If you can find a "Brookman Catalog" at your library or nearest Stamp
Dealer, look up the simple little Christmas Stamp for 1964, four
little holly, mistletoe, poinsiettia,pinecones, repeated many times on
the sheet of 100. My old Brookman 2000 prices that sheet at $75.00!
Even the separate blocks of 4 are worth a lot more than "face".

Perhaps the first thing you might do would be to pick out the sheets
which are NOT all the same stamp, and then see which ones are
valuable.

Happy hunting.
S


I personally would trust Scott Catalog pricing over Brookman when seeking
information about the market value of a stamp or pane of stamps. From what
I have seen, Brookman pricing tends to be significantly inflated over Scott.

Mike

+++++++++++++++++++++
Mike, Sir (and Don, too):
Your point is well taken, because twenty-first century Scott and
Brookman are both "inflating" values, perhaps to allow Dealers a
better chance of selling superb copies at those high prices. Lester
Brookman would turn over in his grave if he knew what Greg Manning and
others have done to what started in the 1950s as a "local list" for
realistic pricing in Minneapolis, from his own Stamp Store. At that
time, he was considerably lower than what Scott Publications (not
selling any stamps) was printing. Scott Stamp and Coin prior to 1930s
sellout to Esquire magazine, actually sold stamps listed in those
original "Scott" catalogs - - like Sears Roebuck or Montgomery Ward.

Scott Publications only bought the "publication" and no stamps, no
intention of ever being a stamp dealer, and their pricing wandered off
into unrealistic numbers. Brookman rebelled at that, and started
printing his own little book of USPS stamps.

Don, the reason I suggested that you should look in BROOKMAN was that
you can find "pricing" (no matter how unreal) for Mint Sheets (such as
YOU are dealing with, and plate b;ocks, and singles F-VFnh, and
F-VFused, all neatly displayed in one spot.
Specifically the 5c Xmas Tagged appears on page 31 of Brookman 2000:

(Scott's No.1254a-7a)
mint sheet (100) 75.00
Plate block (4 stamps + numbered selvage) 8.75
F-VFnh block of 4 3.00
F-VFused block of 4 2.95
Set of 4 singles (not attached) 2.65 unused, 2.40 used

But if you look at these same tagged Xmas stamps in Scott 1998 Vol. 1,
page 30, there is no pricing for the unbroken Sheets that YOU are
dealing with. However, that page does list a standard block of 4
(attached) as 1257c, and they show 3.25 mint, 2.00 used.

Dont believe ANY of the prices, but LOOK at Brookman
S

Hi Again;

Thanks for all the information. It is a bit like the stock market,
you just never know what will sell for what. Another point that
has been brought up is that if some of the sheets appeal to
topical collectors; i.e. birds and the like, that is may increase the
value of a sheet. I have been collecting for about four years
seriously and really never paid much attention to selling single
or sheets. I buy some from the stamp club in Sacramento, which
has a huge assortment of MNH and Used stamps.

Thanks again

Don

Don, SIr:
Do not give up too easily. If you have C18 and some $5. definitives,
you should suspect there are other worthwhile sheets.

As for definitives going for "face value", those are more frequently
discounted than the Commemoratives. Some of the Plate Number Blocks of
four (or 6 for early issues) will be worth more than face, both in
definitives and commemoratives.

Sheets where all stamps are exactly the same, may be the least
valuable. But where every stamp is different such as State Birds and
Flowers, those should bring much more than face, and even sheets which
have four different stamps, repeated several times, may be valuable.

If you can find a "Brookman Catalog" at your library or nearest Stamp
Dealer, look up the simple little Christmas Stamp for 1964, four
little holly, mistletoe, poinsiettia,pinecones, repeated many times on
the sheet of 100. My old Brookman 2000 prices that sheet at $75.00!
Even the separate blocks of 4 are worth a lot more than "face".

Perhaps the first thing you might do would be to pick out the sheets
which are NOT all the same stamp, and then see which ones are
valuable.

Happy hunting.
S

Well you were right. I am still digging, but I did run into 8 stamps
from the 1893 Columbian Exposition Issue. Scott # 230 thru 237.
There is a couple with light hinge marks, but otherwise look pretty
good. Not investment grade centering on all of them but still worth
a shot on Ebay.

Thanks again Don