"The very first question you have to ask yourself - and you may already have answered - is do you want to keep it or get rid of it? If the latter, are you seeking money or gratitude?
If the latter - gratitude - you can skip most of the rest of this article and click here, and just pick a charitable organization. We recommend the American Philatelic Society, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation.
[MY NOTE: I also recommend a chapter of APS called American Topical Association - http://www.americantopicalassn.org/ . ATA is the largest affiliate of the American Philatelic Society.
"What is Topical Collecting?
Topical or thematic stamp collectors develop themes or story lines based on images or subjects of the collected stamps. They assemble their collections according to themes or topics instead of by country."http://www.americantopicalassn.org/whatistopicalcollecting.html ]
If any of the other choices, including taking a tax deduction for your donation, then the first step is to get an idea of what's in the collection. The more work you do, the more you'll get from the collection.
You can just take all the books and boxes to a local stamp dealer, dump them on the counter, and say,
"What will you give me for this?" but how will you know if you're getting a fair deal?
First, then, visit our Introduction to Stamp Collecting article just so you know a little bit about what you have. If you need more information, visit our Message Board and don't be afraid to ask. No one will jump down your throat."
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3 comments:
O.K., but the big hurdle if you're taking the second option is that you have to either put your total trust in the dealer or do a whole lot of research to identify what you have. That's a tough one.
@Christine H. : True. You could submit, maybe, your stuff to a second dealer, for an independent quote - but what if he's a crook of similar magnitude in his quote?
Do you have the time, will and expertise to educate yourself about all that? Is is worth it?
I say this: all the mint US stamps are worth between 70 and 100% of their face value if you sell them AS POSTAGE, for later mailing. Insist for close to 100%.
All the other stamps can vary wildly, depending on who you ask.
Maybe you should post image samples in some forum, such as VSC, because this way you SHAME potential buyers/dealers into NOT undervaluing your collection, in plain view of the forum users. :)
I think you should always post some images and info in non-profit sections of forums, and get some opinions.
This is an open statement to anyone reading this blog.You can refer any person who is not online to contact me.I take all items of postcards and stamps.I even take high number of duplicates( which is very rare)I have heaps of buyers who will not search by themselves.My contacts are superprofessionals.Also my buyers and friends reside in all continents of the world.Rest assured your collection will taken by true lovers of the art.
I am the main conduit.
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