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Post by dannymcginty on Apr 5, 2018 18:59:16 GMT
I'm 'carefully' thinking about 'investing' in a set of three Zeppelins, C13-15.
Can anyone recommend a reputable dealer if I wish to buy ?
I found the site Collectors.Com but there are many, many traders there.
Any/all advice is gratefully appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
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khj
Member
Posts: 1,469
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Post by khj on Apr 5, 2018 19:34:18 GMT
(OK, below I should have said early 1980s instead of 1970s. My worsening memory is showing again...) The supply of those Zeppelins is more than the demand of those who can afford it. If you want to "invest" in stamps, there are better choices. That being said, if you were to "invest" in C13-C15, consider only XF MNH or better with no faults; or for used, XF on complete clean cover with good cancels/markings or historical significance. Anything less than that, you have nearly no chance of beating a 10-12% standard rate of return, plus you will need to factor in buying/selling commission (can easily total 25%-35% for decent auction house) -- in other words, anything less than that, you would be better off investing in something else. Keep in mind that full MNH panes and large lots of MNH of well-centered multiples/singles still get sold/traded among dealers. Just check the stamp selling sites and you will see plenty of Zeps of all grades/conditions available. That's a sure sign that supply far exceeds payable demand. If you want to do long-term investing in stamps, I would suggest you only consider stamps that pop up in auctions at most 1-2 times a year. Those are stamps that consistently increase in value, will often beat the estimate (surprise, if you look at results from most major auction houses, most hammer prices do not beat the pre-auction estimate!), and will get multiple bidders. An extreme example is the 1c Magenta -- looks like a faded piece of junk, and yet see how much the value increases each time it gets put up for sale! The price of Zeppelins has never come close to returning to its peak value in the 1970s. If you bought Zeppelins in the 1930s and sold today, you would have beaten the standard rate of return on investment. If you bought Zeppelins in the 1970s, you would have suffered a significant loss. If you buy today, I find it hard to expect beating the standard ROR without going to the highest quality/demand Zep stamp/cover. Here is an older, but still useful article: Stamp investment can be successful, but comes with risk. Just my opinion. Others may have a different valid take on this.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 20:05:57 GMT
If "having" as opposed to "investing" is what you want, you might want to start bidding on the better auctions A good central auction hub is StampAuctionNetwork
Register and start watching the auctions - you might get lucky but as khj mentioned, they are presently not a great investment. The site allows for searching all the auctions very easily and updated online bidding. This Site will give you a good idea as to current selling prices I would also consider some of the better Euro sites as the demand may be lower there Added: I would be careful with Collectors.com - I noticed a few sellers there who used to get a lot of warnings when the StampSmarter site under Bill Weiss was active. You might not have much recourse if there is an issue.
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bladeng
**Member**
Inactive
Posts: 14
What I collect: 20th Century US Stamps
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Post by bladeng on Apr 7, 2018 17:29:20 GMT
Everything posted has been spot on. I own a nice set of MNH certified graded XF-Superb, and I could Maybe,maybe get what I paid for it several years ago. I'm posting, because I've never understood prices for Zeps. I own quite a few stamps that are far more rare than a Zep, but don't command nearly the same price
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Post by dannymcginty on Apr 9, 2018 10:47:45 GMT
Thanks to all for the insight. I checked prices in a couple of older Scott catalogues and about 10 years back, the trio was priced at $2600. Appreciate the good advice - thanks
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,661
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 9, 2018 11:14:51 GMT
Thanks to all for the insight. I checked prices in a couple of older Scott catalogues and about 10 years back, the trio was priced at $2600. Appreciate the good advice - thanks $2,600 sounded rather high to me, so I checked the 2013 Scott Catalogue values for C13-C15: $1,900 for set, mint-never-hinged $1,155 for set, mint-hinged $1,140 for set, used All values in USD. Just FYI
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2018 13:23:35 GMT
Hype and grading certificates that mainly consider centering lure collectors into thinking they have an investment opportunity. Why is one above worth 3X more when they both appear to be of basically the same quality - HYPE I especially like the bottom one rated 95J - who makes these up - actually one group in particular, a pox on the hobby Many of the premier auction houses are now starting to use their "grading system" and certs - more $$ for everyone except the collector who thinks he just made an investment Right below it says " only 48 copies rated 98 or better" - what does this have to do with this stamp, maybe to make you think a 95J is near perfect? Who gave those 48 others a 98 or better rating? No mention in the original sale of gum or hinging not important I guess! I'm glad I go back to the days of F-VF - and now I need to relax. BTW - some good news - a set of un-certified OG, NH in the same auction with no hype sold for $920 - so maybe there is still hope for collectors
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2018 12:08:59 GMT
Interesting data compiled on StampSmarter of the actual Scott listings not adjusted for inflation. The U.S. printed 1,000,000 of each color. However given the economic times they only sold about 227,000 zeppelin stamps with the majority being used on the zeppelin. The rest were apparently destroyed so it is interesting that both mint and used ones now have basically the same value.
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