Friday, February 8, 2013

Before Looking Out For Stamp Experts

By Lenore Nealey


Collecting stamps, an activity also known as philatelism, is one hobby many people choose to devote both their time and money for. Not all gathered stamps have great value in them though but some rare ones usually are worth heaps. An older stamp tends to be valued greatly if it is unmarked. Worth even much more are misprints. Collectors who wish to have their collections appraised are recommended to seek the services of reputable stamp experts.

Other than providing you with the accurate value of your collections, a professional appraiser will also be giving you advice on what is best to do with these. You may be pointed to good auction houses if it so happens that the stamps you have are rare. You can actually do the evaluations on your own. However, a professional assessment might just be much more accurate than yours.

Before heading out and searching for appraisers, collectors should first examine the collectibles they currently have. A few of the pertinent details to take note of are the condition of the stamps, their face value, design, year, and whether or not they have been used before. Stamps that have already been posted on envelopes are often worth a lot lesser.

Make sure that you do additional research about your stamps. You may want to go down to a public library near your area and seek assistance from the librarian. Find all available publications that enlist all stamps which have been printed within your area or region.

Details will usually include the approximate values of the stamps. The books may also be able to tell whether there have been different versions printed along with how much each of these is worth. Collectors must know that there exists a big price difference between first prints and second prints.

There are some guidelines that should be followed when it comes to valuing these collectibles. Stamps that have been printed within the past 60 years are usually worth their face value only. This can be around 1 dollar or less. Furthermore, collectors should remember not to remove stamps already posted on envelopes unless they have been advised by experts to do so since this can affect their value.

Getting recommendations is one of the most effective search methods that collectors may resort when it comes to searching for stamp experts. They may ask their fellow collectors for some referrals. Naturally, people will only be recommending professionals they know are reputable and reliable.

Other collectors may consider contacting collectible stores for referrals. Most of these businesses at least have some connection with stamp experts. Factors necessary to consider for the search include references and the experience of the professionals.




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