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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2022 16:44:21 GMT
Looking at comparative stamps from the British colonies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I recently paid £4 for this pair of 6d Bahamas stamps in a lightly mounted mint condition that was issued in 1884 which equates to £2 per stamp.  On looking at various British stamps of around the same period of time the nearest one that I could find for comparison was that of the 6d dull green also issued in the same year. On looking at this stamp I noticed the enormous difference in price, for a copy in a similar condition when compared to the Bahamas one it would set me back up to £400 or more ! Note the price on the Bill Barrell advert.  WOW ! what a difference in price ! Both stamps have the same face value and both stamps were issued approximately at the same time, so why oh why then is there such a vast discrepancy in the price between the two issues, was a Bahamas 6d so much lesser than a British one ? Another bargain purchase I recently made in my opinion was an unmounted mint block of 6 of the 2/- Barbados Seahorse stamps (SG 227) first issued on 14th of November 1921 for the princely sum of £15 which gives them an average price tag of only £2.50 per stamp !  The nearest British stamp that I could equate them to would be the later 1934 2/6d re-engraved Seahorse which currently retails in the region of around £76 each.  it appears that there's a massive difference in the price between the Barbados and British Seahorses, and if it had been the earlier printing of the 2/6 Seahorse (around 1921 as with the stamps of Barbados) you would have been talking in the region of at least £220 per stamp or possibly more ! Britannia it would seem still rules the waves along with its stamps. Do you have any comparisons for you to exhibit ? |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on May 11, 2022 18:44:05 GMT
Hey ho the perennial problem of supply and demand…. There are obviously many more collectors of GB than there are Barbadians , irrespective of relative numbers of stamps issued, the demand is biased.
Also GB stamps have tended to be on sale till they run out, small colonies often were left with substantial remainders at the time of a new issue so survival of mint in multiples may be skewed.
Fast forward 100 years and I have a collection of 750 GB from about 1955 to 1980 and 10% of catalogue would be a wild dream……..too many dormant collections have come on the market , the demand ain’t there.
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renden
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Post by renden on May 11, 2022 18:52:30 GMT
Nice post @paperchase ! I wish to know the difference when you use the terms "mounted" and" not mounted" - I am ignorant of those terms - Thanks  René |
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vikingeck
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Post by vikingeck on May 11, 2022 18:53:26 GMT
The best classic example I have already posted elsewhere on the Forum is not Commonwealth, I confess.
Look at GB No1. a used Penny Black compared to the almost contemporary Spain No1 , the black Isabella 6 quartos.
Relative issue numbers
64,000,000 against only 6,000,000 , yet selling prices are reversed , at £40- £150 for the GB and a 10th of these for the much scarcer Spaniard.
Demand rules the waves , not Britannia alone.
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vikingeck
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Post by vikingeck on May 11, 2022 18:54:37 GMT
Nice post @paperchase ! I wish to know the difference when you use the terms "mounted" and" not mounted" - I am ignorant of those terms - Thanks  René Mounted =. Hinged. Not mounted = mint never hinged |
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renden
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Post by renden on May 11, 2022 19:25:12 GMT
Nice post @paperchase ! I wish to know the difference when you use the terms "mounted" and" not mounted" - I am ignorant of those terms - Thanks René Mounted =. Hinged. Not mounted = mint never hinged I want the response from the member @papershase Thanks Alex for your response - freedom of the press !! René |
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2022 19:47:54 GMT
As any economist knows the price of an item is driven by supply and demand, the greater the demand the higher the price and if there is a short supply of the item the price will tend to increase.
I believe the problem with Queen Elizabeth commemoratives started around 1965 and not 1955 as you have suggested Alex.
it was during the 1950s up to about the mid 1960s when collectors of British stamps still looked forward to a new commemorative issue coming out, between 1953 and 1960 inclusive (8 years), only 6 different sets of commemorative was actually issued and from 1960 up to 1965 issues started to become more frequent, especially their popularity partly due to the introduction of the automatic sorting system and the production of the phosphor tagged commemoratives of 1962, these versions became very popular with British stamp collectors with the added bonus of being a potential investment, as initially one could purchase a set for a few pence and within the space of a short time they could be worth a few pounds (it was better than money in the Bank).
People were treating stamps similar to shares on the stock market purchasing sheets of stamps hoping for a quick buck, I remember in 1966 when England won the world cup the 4d overprint for the first few days of issue was changing hands at 10 shillings each, you couldn't go wrong, but mixing stamps and investments do not make happy bedfellows as due to all the stamps on the market supply overcame demand and people were left with stamps they could no longer sell, hence the slump that continued for several years thereafter.
Thank you Alex for explaining to René the difference between mounted and unmounted.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2022 6:17:42 GMT
It's not just mint commonwealth stamps Alex that are low priced in comparison, take for instance this 10/- stamp of Malta issued in 1899 that was recently purchased for £15 (a high value 123 years old). >  A British stamp with the same face value issued around that time would cost a lot more than that that was paid for the Maltese stamp, the nearest comparison I could get was the 10 shilling Edward VII stamp first issued in 1902 priced by Rush Stamps as being in the region of £180.  Virtually everywhere I have looked relating to comparisons between British and colonial stamps that are in a similar condition, including face value and issue date, are faced with large discrepancies in the price structure between the two with the British ones miles ahead when it comes to evaluation by the market. I realise that a segment of the differential will relate to supply and demand but with such a wide expanse in the price there is no correlation between the differences found. All the more reason to pick them up now at bargain prices before they catch up with inflation like the earlier GB material. |
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hdm1950
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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 May 12, 2022 10:50:21 GMT
This discussion is interesting but it can be dangerous to generalize. Case in point try buying Falkland Island stamps. I do specialize somewhat in British America and each country in this region has it's own pricey stamps in the Victorian and Edward VII eras. The better items from these countries are selling much nearer to catalogue than a lot of the Great Britain high CV items. At the end of the day one needs to look at prices realized, not asking or catalogue values to determine true market value. There will always be exceptions and deals out there. We all want to buy low and hope when we are gone or are downsizing that the market is high.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2022 11:30:15 GMT
It's all a matter of shopping around when it comes to buying anything which includes stamps hdm1950. Talking of the Falkland Islands, I recently purchased 2 stamps SG 46 + 48 LMM, how much would you expect to pay for them ?   |
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hdm1950
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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 May 12, 2022 11:43:15 GMT
It's all a matter of shopping around when it comes to buying anything which includes stamps hdm1950. Talking of the Falkland Islands, I recently purchased 2 stamps SG 46 + 48 LMM, how much would you expect to pay for them ? |
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2022 12:00:46 GMT
As we all know, prices quoted in catalogues are not the retail price you would expect to pay for a particular stamp or set. I normally look in the range of around 25% when purchasing (as a rule of thumb), but then again it depends on how keen you are to acquire a particular elusive stamp when it comes up for sale. |
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