Investors Must Spend Time and Effort
Question: Let me get this straight. Are stamps a good investment or aren’t they? You seem to give contradictory advice. On the one hand you say rare stamps retain their values. Then you point out that stamps can drop in price, and there is no way to predict when this will happen or which issues will be affected.
I’ve dabbled around in stocks and silver a little. I’ve been disappointed in the price growth of my U.S. coin collections. Should I even consider stamps as a logical investment or look elsewhere to make profits?--T.D.E.
Answer: It depends on your definition and understanding of the market.
Speculators are people who buy something and hope it will go up in price fast so they can make a giant profit. Investors are individuals who study a commodity market very carefully, then cautiously invest a portion of their surplus funds in well-selected items chosen for their good track record in price appreciation.
Collectors like the material first, and the profits (if any) only second. It is funny how collectors seem to make higher profits than many investors and most speculators. A true collector knows what is rare and beautiful and knows what other real collectors like and want. So it stands to reason that a well-planned and carefully acquired collection of choice and rare material will always appeal to collectors who specialize in such items.
If money is the most important thing on your mind, stay away from stamps. If you care to invest time and effort as well as cash in stamps, then you may find philately lucrative.
Q: My Australian Olympic stamp shows the five Olympic rings and the date 1956. The denomination is 2 shillings. Please evaluate.--P.F.
A: Latest catalogue prices show $5 mint, $2.25 canceled. They were issued to publicize the 16th Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956.
Q: What is this worth? One block of four stamps with Adolf Hitler’s bust covering the whole stamp, the number 6 in top corners and a cancellation on each side of the block stating “Der Fuhrer Iprieht, Salsburg 6.7 GSRIL 1938.” This block was purchased in Austria.--C.E.H.
A: This is Scott Germany item number B102, the 6-pfennig dark-green souvenir sheet issued April 5, 1937, and sold and used later in various post offices of Hitler’s Reich. The sheet originally sold for 1 mark but is now worth about $10 in U.S. money.
Q: During World War II, I was stationed in Tacloban, Leyte, in the Philippines, where I acquired some stamps. They include both unused and canceled envelopes (photocopies enclosed) from before and after the so-called “official” reopening of the Philippine post offices on Jan. 19, 1945.
The stamps issued before the reopening bear a crude hand-stamp overprint of the word “Victory.” The stamps sold on the “opening day” have the word Victory in a professional overprint. Is there a way to evaluate these stamps and first-day covers?--H.E.M.
A: The earlier hand-stamped overprints are more valuable. From your photographs, I can see stamps worth about $25 or $50 each in catalogue value. The later machine overprints are worth only a few cents per stamp.
The first-day covers have added premium value. I suggest that you take these stamps to a large, well-established stamp shop for a professional evaluation if you wish to sell them.