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Post by robayr on Apr 30, 2024 12:04:47 GMT
When I started collecting my main object was to present good looking stamps in my album. However there is no doubt that when checking them in the catalogue there was always a feeling of contentment when there was the possibility that there might be some value in them. However since joining this very informative forum it became clear that there was more to this hobby than I thought. So, can any members tell me how much can be lost in value for stamps that are cto as opposed to regular cancellations. Also stamps that are not centered, are they pretty much worthless?
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philatelia
Member 
Captain Jack - my best kiloware find ever!
Posts: 3,443
What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Apr 30, 2024 14:49:51 GMT
As with so many questions in philately the answer to yours is “It depends”.
Many older issues only exist with poor centering so the catalog values are for those copies and often state that fact. Of course, better centering is preferable, but rarely does poor centering make a stamp completely worthless. Humorously, extremely poor centering becomes a freak or error and is then desirable!
CTOs for modern issues are often the only way to add a cancelled copy to your collection. The same is true for certain classic issues such as the Austrian semi-postal’s from the 1930s. Collecting cancelled copies is very popular in Europe with postally used at a premium but First Day cancels or other CTOs are accepted as a last resort, better than nothing. The choice to include them or not is up to the collector. Some purists chafe at the fact, but they are few and how others want to collect is, frankly, their choice alone. It’s your album - do what makes you happy.
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hdm1950
Member
Posts: 1,634 
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Apr 30, 2024 14:56:17 GMT
robayr you probably will not like my opinion on CTO's but personally I think they are near worthless other than looking nice on the page. My only regret in my years of collecting was how much of my paper route money I wasted in the 1960's buying Eastern European CTO's. I do still mount them if I find them in old collections I buy and they fill a spot. I get more excited when I find a mint or actually postal used copy to replace my CTO. In regards centering, there can be value in rarer stamps even when poorly centered. There are many classics that are almost impossible to find well centered and catalogues will often mention this. I do not get to hung up on value, rather I think of the hours of enjoyment spent hunting. philatelia and I must have been typing at the same time and have pretty well said and think the same thing. That is scary Terri.. 
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philatelia
Member
Captain Jack - my best kiloware find ever!
Posts: 3,443
What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Apr 30, 2024 15:12:57 GMT
Too funny, Hugh hdm1950 ! I also tend to agree with what he says. Cancelled to order can be a real irritant because they are purely philatelic meaning they didn’t actually work for a living and are designed to pull money out of collector’s wallets. But if you’re a collector who collects used copies sometimes CTO and FDC clippings are your only choice. Although, I’ve been experimenting with a third option - sending envelopes with the stamps I want cancelled to the postal authorities to mail back to me with the usual postal markings. Results are mixed. You can read about my experiences with Bermuda post in our club newsletter. tsfimagehost.net/TSFNews/V4.3.pdf#page29 |
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