Gift Ideas to Help Out Last-Minute Shoppers

Question: With the holidays upon us, I still have a few more last-minute gifts to buy. What do you recommend as presents for stamp collectors?--F.L.

Answer: Stamp tongs, hinges, small glassine envelopes, perforation gauges, Mylar cover protectors, stock books, reference books on philately, a new stamp album or, of course, one of the standard catalogues of stamp values. All of these are for sale in local stamp shops (addresses listed under “Stamps for Collectors” in the telephone Yellow Pages).

Find out what the collectors on your gift list need in the line of accessories, or ask what they collect and get them a few stamps in their area of specialty. If you know who their favorite stamp dealers are, go there; you’ll be doing business with dealers who are familiar with their customers’ needs.

Most post offices sell little books on stamp collecting, as well as kits and souvenir folders for beginners. Most general new-book stores carry the Official 1990 Blackbook Price Guide of United States Postage Stamps, a $4.95 paperback that serves as an excellent pocket-size checklist of all major U.S. stamps listed by Scott numbers.

And then there’s the 1990 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps, which lists the retail values of all major U.S. stamp varieties and provides a wealth of information for people who buy, sell or study U.S. stamps; retail price is $25. The catalogue is for sale by nearly every stamp dealer and in most large bookstores. The Scott Specialized offers a philatelic education in itself.

Q: Where can I get some computer software programs for inventorying my stamp collection?--P.D.

A: Try Compu-Quote, 6914 Berquist Ave., Canoga Park, Calif. 91307, telephone (818) 348-3662. They sell software for coins, stamps, and baseball cards. Ask for their catalogue of “Software for Collectors.”

Q: A dealer offered me a set of two stamps he called the Ronald Reagan signature stamps; he said they were issued by the White House about 20 months ago at $75. He says they are now selling for $400 and implied that since they were rare and investment grade, they could increase 40% in value each year. I checked several catalogues but can’t find these items listed. I think they are privately printed labels, like Christmas seals and have, therefore, no philatelic value.-- M.R.

A: If it is such a good deal, why doesn’t the dealer save them and earn a cool 40% per year? I haven’t seen these stamps, but I can think of a lot of other issues I would rather buy.

Krause, a free-lance writer and a member of several national stamp-collecting organizations, cannot answer mail personally but will respond to philatelic questions of general interest in this column. Do not telephone. Write to Your Stamps, You Pages, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.