Politics May Not Affect Philately

Question: Will the recent political liberalization in the Eastern European countries make their stamps more popular and more valuable? I have a large collection of Hungary and Poland, with mint and used examples from about the year 1945.--H.M.

Answer: Politics in itself doesn’t automatically translate into philatelic demand. The so-called Communist Bloc nations of Europe, which have undergone amazing reforms in the past few months, have been notorious for flooding the stamp market with a lot of cheap, hard-currency-seeking stamp issues since World War II.

For example, East Germany (German Democratic Republic, as it is called in stamp albums) alone has issued as many major catalogue varieties of stamps since 1950 as the United States has since the first American postage stamps in 1847 (ignoring the provisionals, according to the Scott catalogues).

Czechoslovakia and Poland have each released well in excess of 2,000 different stamps since the early 1950s. And most of the Eastern Bloc stamps were printed in quantities sufficient to satisfy collector needs around the world, so they are not especially valuable or scarce.

Earlier issues are another story, however. Pre-World War II issues of most European nations, East or West, are in steady demand, and the reformed politics and potentially ever-increasing standard of living in Eastern Europe may trigger a gradual increase in stamp market values for such nations’ earlier material. Of course, all stamps tell a story, and they are worth collecting and studying for non-monetary reasons too.

Q: What does “SON” mean? I’ve seen this abbreviation in auction catalogue descriptions for stamps.--P.F.

A: “Socked on the Nose,” or in other words, a cancelled stamp on which the circular date stamp has been applied so that it is more or less perfectly centered on the stamp’s design. Sometimes called Bullseye cancels, such postal markings are avidly sought-after by a dedicated group of cancellation specialists. For early U.S. stamps (those released before 1900), such well-centered cancels usually increase the value of the stamp significantly.

Q: Will glassine envelopes harm stamps that are stored in them over a period of years? I have many of my duplicates and cheaper mint stamps stored in file boxes filled with glassine envelopes.--B.A.

A: For short-term storage, maybe a year or two at the most, I see no problem with glassine envelope protection for your stamps. For longer storage and for expensive items I recommend inert plastic approval cards or the equivalent material manufactured for stamp stock books, or inert (chemically neutral) stamp albums, either hingeless or made for affixing stamps with stamp hinges. Any stamp dealer will be delighted to show you some relatively safe storage accessories (as stamp supplies are termed), at prices to suit any collecting budget.

Glassine paper, which looks like thin green waxed paper, often has a high sulfur content or other harmful chemicals that can discolor stamps over a long time period.

Q: Is it against the law to collect the stamps of Iran? With the recent war they had with Iraq and considering the controversial pronouncements of the Iranian government, it seems to me that some stamps of Iran might be rare or sought-after. I have a few mint issues from the time when the Shah was in power; are they of any value?--B.E.

A: Iranian postage stamps may be collected in the United States, and Scott catalogues list more than 2,000 major varieties. Iranian stamps issued since the Revolution are of no special monetary value, with a few exceptions such as the Islamic Republic overprinted gold and yellow-green 10-Rials stamp of 1979, listed in Scott at $40 mint (U.S. dollars).

Iran used to be called Persia, a country of fame in the ancient world, and pre-World War II Iranian stamps are often quite valuable and scarce, some costing hundreds of dollars each when found in nice condition.

Since the days of Hitler, there have been frequent philatelic debates on whether the acquisition and collection of stamps from nations that are on bad diplomatic terms with the United States is acceptable or not. My advice is to use your conscience, recognizing, of course, that when you buy any current stamps from a country, you help to support its economy in a small way.

Q: While living in Japan I collected sheets of Japanese stamps from the years 1959 to 1972. I have a total of 2948 sheets, new, mint condition with a total face value of 847,792 Yen, and a Sakura-Catalogue of Japanese Stamps value of 5 million Yen. At today’s exchange rate it makes my collection seem to be of considerable worth.

What I need to know is: How do I go about selling these stamps? What is the best way? Do I have to go to Japan to get the best price? Should I try to sell in small lots or what?--D.H.H.

A: It depends on what particular issues you have. In general, there are no great rarities among Japanese issues of that time period, with the exception of such things as the air-mail issues of 1952-1962 (Scott numbers C25-C38, catalogue value $257.95 U.S. dollars).

You must remember that catalogue values are traditionally inflated from the actual market prices. The high face value of your collection gives it some worth. I recommend that you auction this off with a local stamp auction house (found in the telephone book Yellow Pages under “Stamps for Collectors”). The market values of stamps are well known all over, and chances are that you’ll get a decent price in America if the company is large enough to have a wide distribution for its auction catalogues.

Standard auction commission is 10% of the selling price, and settlement to a consignor is usually within a few months after the sale date. The Better Business Bureau will tell you if the company is reliable. Also ask how long they have been in business and get a sample of their last catalogue.

Q: Are special delivery stamps still being issued by the United States? I remember using them in college to mail home important letters to my parents.--B.G.

A: The last U.S. special delivery adhesive stamp appeared in 1971, and while they are still good for postage, any normal regular or commemorative U.S. mint stamp may now be used for special delivery service. Post offices no longer stock specific stamps for this purpose. Meters are also used for special delivery postage.