It is always good to know that you can turn a keen hobby into a lucrative investment. All you have to do is find the right one. Stamps have long been a hobby that people would take part in for fun, but over time has become one of the most payable hobbies in the world. Over the years, people who had collected stamps didn’t even know that they were sitting on a fortune. In 2014 the British Guanna Magenta sold for $9.5 million at the Sotheby’s Auction, one of the more prestigious stamp auctions UK.
If you have ever thought about starting a stamp collection, then now would be an excellent time to pick up some tips on how to make it worth the investment:
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Clear stamps
The more minor markings a stamp has, the better, although it is almost impossible for one to find vintage stamps that were not used for mailing at some point. The trick with these stamps is to look for stamps used for air travel, especially between the 40s and 60s. These hold a higher value as air travel wasn’t prevalent back then. The best way to remove a stamp from the envelope that it is still on is to steam it until the glue becomes loose, then gently remove it from the envelope. If it doesn’t budge, then carefully cut arrow dit, leaving the perforation intact until you can find someone who deals in stamps to help you with the separation.
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Full image stamps
The more you can see the stamp’s image, the more likely it is to be valuable. If you can see the date, the picture, and the perforation is still in good condition, you can still have the stamp evaluated. Faded stamps with unclear images or glue still heavily stuck to the back diminish in value. It is also important to note that novelty stamps like royal weddings or birthdays are not worth anything because they are distributed in large volumes. The only time you would want to keep it is if it was listed as a limited edition.
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Purchasing a portfolio
If you don’t have the time or means to go around to older family members to look for their old stamps, you can purchase a completed stamp portfolio from companies like Stanley Gibbons. The portfolio contains a complete collection of stamps already evaluated and priced. You can also purchase up to seven stamps of high value and insure them for a period of five to ten years. If no profit was made on the value of the stamps, you could get a full refund, but in the case where a profit was made off the increased value of the stamps, the company will take 20% of the profits.
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Reputable evaluation
If you have been collecting stamps for a while and you want to find out how much they are worth, then you will need to find a reputable stamp evaluator to assist you. You can look at the online stamp communities in your area and ask around for someone who is a registered evaluator. They are not companies per se, but they are a businessman who takes a keen interest in the stamp collecting industry and will either help you find the value of the stamps if they are valuable or tell you if they are a waste of money.
