doug534
Member 
A new enthusiast leaning to pre-1957 Aden, New Zealand, Switzerland, great designers & engravers
Posts: 168
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Post by doug534 on Jun 4, 2024 21:28:54 GMT
Hello all,
I'm a retired biological scientist and have recently inherited my father's very large accumulation of stamps. He was a stamp dealer as well as collector, and all of his inventory and other other material has been in storage since he passed away in 1957. After almost 70 years in storage I've opened the boxes and started to inventory the material, both because of interest and because no one else in the family wants the job. I am learning both about my Dad and his stamp business, and about stamp collecting in general. His inventory is global in scope, so I'm also simultaneously learning geography and world history. I was aware of the hobby of collecting stamps as a kid (in the early 1950s) from being around my Dad, but I never realized until going through his albums that some people focused on collecting readable cancellations from a country's post offices. My Dad appeared to have been focusing on post office collections for Mauritius, the Bahamas, and especially British Guiana. My plan is to post questions concerning the stamps, First Day and other covers, and odd material to the forum as they arise and to seek advice concerning material that seems unusual or special. I can also report on my progress with the inventory, if there is interest. Maybe others out there are doing something similar.
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philatelia
Member
Captain Jack - my best kiloware find ever!
Posts: 3,655
What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Jun 4, 2024 21:45:00 GMT
 To the group! I can’t imagine opening up those old boxes- it would be like a treasure hunt! Well look forward to seeing what you uncover
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doug534
Member
A new enthusiast leaning to pre-1957 Aden, New Zealand, Switzerland, great designers & engravers
Posts: 168
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Post by doug534 on Jun 4, 2024 22:28:19 GMT
I do actually think of it as a kind of treasure hunt. We didn't have a lot of money in our household when my Dad was running his stamp business--it was run out of a room in the house I grew up in--and I've been trying to figure out how he chose and bought his stock. His approval booklets were clearly mailed out and mailed back--many are still in their returned mailing envelopes--and those have my Dad's prices listed. I have just started to go through a shoebox filled with returned booklets and today I found these early Great Britain stamps (#52, price $4.50, and 53, price $6.00) in glassine envelopes in a booklet. These are some of the highest prices I have found (highest has been $8; many in the booklets are 2 cents):  I would appreciate an expert opinion on whether these prices seem reasonable, given it was 1957 and a dollar in 1957 could purchase what $11.16 would today (2024). The online Scott catalog has the GB 52 and 53 stamps listed as $350 and $475, which would suggest my Dad was asking a lot. Maybe GB stamps (all stamps?) are in general worth comparatively less now than in 1957. There is a 1957 edition of Scott's "The Americas and the British Commonwealth of Nations, Vol. 1" in the material from the boxes. The listings for #52 and #53 in that catalogue indicate my Dad's asking price was 50% of that in the book. |
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sudbury12000
Member
Posts: 360
What I collect: Canada, Great Britain, Germany, World Pre 1925
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Post by sudbury12000 on Jun 4, 2024 22:36:52 GMT
Welcome! I have this vision of my son doing the same thing upon my demise. But I still have stamps to collect so I ain't going nowhere.
Roy
Scugog, Ontario, Canada
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hdm1950
Member
Posts: 1,887 
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 Jun 4, 2024 22:55:25 GMT
doug534 your project sounds like fun. In regards the Great Britain stamps the best way to find the real value today is to look at the sold price on a site like eBay. Condition is very important. Learning to recognize what is considered a fine example will come with time. I do hope that you will decide to be a collector and place your holdings in some order so you can enjoy it even more. Due to the time in storage it sounds like much will be from the pre 1940 classic era. I would be tempted to stay in the time frame you inherited.
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dorincard
Member
Posts: 1,623
What I collect: My focus is on Wild Mammals on maximum cards. Occasionally, I get or create maximum cards with other animals, or any other topic.
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Post by dorincard on Jun 5, 2024 0:13:37 GMT
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mberry
Member
Posts: 1,177
What I collect: USA, USA Revenues, Beer Related Stamps and Revenues, US State Revenues, Stamp Show Stamps
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Post by mberry on Jun 5, 2024 9:56:50 GMT
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,698
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Jun 5, 2024 10:27:26 GMT
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Post by gstamps on Jun 5, 2024 11:02:29 GMT
Hello and welcome.
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drblade
Member
Posts: 847
What I collect: GB Unmounted mint & Machin definitives Q.E.II Used commemoratives
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Post by drblade on Jun 7, 2024 15:44:25 GMT
Welcome to the forum.  |
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drblade
Member
Posts: 847
What I collect: GB Unmounted mint & Machin definitives Q.E.II Used commemoratives
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Post by drblade on Jun 7, 2024 16:13:13 GMT
I do actually think of it as a kind of treasure hunt. We didn't have a lot of money in our household when my Dad was running his stamp business--it was run out of a room in the house I grew up in--and I've been trying to figure out how he chose and bought his stock. His approval booklets were clearly mailed out and mailed back--many are still in their returned mailing envelopes--and those have my Dad's prices listed. I have just started to go through a shoebox filled with returned booklets and today I found these early Great Britain stamps (#52, price $4.50, and 53, price $6.00) in glassine envelopes in a booklet. These are some of the highest prices I have found (highest has been $8; many in the booklets are 2 cents): I would appreciate an expert opinion on whether these prices seem reasonable, given it was 1957 and a dollar in 1957 could purchase what $11.16 would today (2024). The online Scott catalog has the GB 52 and 53 stamps listed as $350 and $475, which would suggest my Dad was asking a lot. Maybe GB stamps (all stamps?) are in general worth comparatively less now than in 1957. There is a 1957 edition of Scott's "The Americas and the British Commonwealth of Nations, Vol. 1" in the material from the boxes. The listings for #52 and #53 in that catalogue indicate my Dad's asking price was 50% of that in the book. Hi doug534 I have just taken a cursory look at my Gibbons catalogue (2022 edition) re the 10d pale red brown which lists it at £400 sterling used, if I am looking at the correct stamp. I can't see the 9 pence straw listed with plate 1 only plate 4 in 1867. Are the dollars written on the envelopes single figures or 3 figure amounts. Of course asking prices for used stamps may also depend on many factors not least their condition, cancellation/postmark types etc etc. |
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doug534
Member
A new enthusiast leaning to pre-1957 Aden, New Zealand, Switzerland, great designers & engravers
Posts: 168
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Post by doug534 on Jun 7, 2024 21:44:51 GMT
Those are the prices my dad was asking in 1957: US $6 for the 10d and $4.50 for the 9d. The 1957 Scott catalogue lists their values as $12 and $9, respectively. A 1949 edition of Gibbons lists the 10d, if it is #113, as having a value of £90, so now I am confused. And indeed, the 1949 Gibbons also lists only Plate 4 for the 9d (assuming #110; value £60). Was the exchange rate between US and British currency vastly different in the 1950s from what it is today?
In going through the collection of returned approval booklets that he received (based on envelope postmarks) in Spring 1957, the stamps with the highest listed prices have included (Scott #s) St. Lucia #126 unused ($5.60), Dominica #110 ($2.80), Burma #65 ($3), Kenya Uganda Tanganyika #85 ($3.10), British East Africa #52 ($9), Barbados #68 ($10), Straight Settlements #173 ($7), and Great Britain #63 ($6). It seems like each approval booklet contained between $20 and $40 worth of stamps. He apparently insured the booklets during their travel in the mail systems (customers seem to be solely in the U.S. and Canada) by The Hartford Fire Insurance Company.
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hrdoktorx
Member
Posts: 7,213
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on Jun 8, 2024 8:12:50 GMT
to TSF! Glad to have you with us.
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To the group! I can’t imagine opening up those old boxes- it would be like a treasure hunt! Well look forward to seeing what you uncover
