Finding out how much you can sell a stamp for can be quite the challenge. For the novice collector, this is a question you’ll find yourself asking quite often. Most often, the answer of individual stamp values will be quite disappointing as they can be quite low. However, if you’re lucky, you could stumble across a rare stamp worth thousands!
Well, let’s take a look at some of the most common ways to discover the price of a stamp. We’ll be looking at the methods used by evaluators to determine the rarity and pricing of stamps that are presented to them so that you can start to see how valuable your stamps may truly be. Please note that if you’re looking for the actual price of your stamps, going to a professional will still be recommended.
Whether you’ve been collecting stamps on your own for years or you stumbled across a loved one’s collection, it can be fun to learn the price of what you have. Here are a few tips for the novice looking to value their stamps. How much can you sell a stamp for?
Stamps Marked After 1930
Unfortunately, most stamps marked after 1930 are likely sold at face value or below. That means that the price you pay to buy them for postage is the maximum price that you can sell them for. Most stamps marked after 1930 can still be used for postage and therefore do not share the same value as rare, old stamps.
If you’re looking to sell a cool stamp that you have that is marked after 1930, chances are you’ll be looking at 40-70% of the actual price of the stamp. Most collectors don’t really value modern stamps as they’re either still in production or haven’t gained the age that is valued amongst the stamp collecting community.
Don’t be discouraged, though, as some rare stamps have been marked after 1930! You could still fetch a decent price for your stamps if you find the right buyer or stumble across a rare, modern stamp.
Modern And Unused Stamps
If you’ve got a massive collection of modern stamps that could be used for postage today, it’s likely that you’re not going to fetch a good price from a collector. They simply don’t value actual use stamps from modern times in the same way as they do classic stamps. However, you could still sell the stamps to a company that needs postage stamps.
You’re probably looking at the low end of the valuation, especially for modern stamps that are still in production so don’t go to the post office looking to flip stamps. You could end up buying for face value and then only receiving offers of 70% of the initial value of your stamps. Certain companies seek out stamps from people who have either overbought or no longer need their circulating stamps.
As long as the stamps are unused, someone is looking to buy them. Find the right company for your modern and unused stamps to sell to.
Rare Stamps
This is where you’ll fetch a good price. The older the stamp, the better the price and the more likely a collector is to buy your stamps. When you have a valuable stamp on hand, you could be looking at a pretty decent price. The first thing that a collector or dealer will look for is how rare the stamp itself is.
Many stamps were produced in a limited quantity that are highly valued amongst the stamp collecting community. If you have a stamp that was produced scarcely for promotional purposes or due to certain historical restrictions, you could be looking at a pretty decent value. The rarest stamp ever sold was sold for $9.48 million. So if you have a rare stamp on hand, it could change your life – if you’re lucky.
Condition
You might find that you have a super rare stamp in your collection, but the condition is rather poor. Time can play a big part in damaging a stamp and if it’s not well taken care of in its lifespan, it can quickly lose value. You could have a stamp worth thousands of dollars in your collection when in pristine condition, but it has a missing corner. This could bring the price from $1,000 to $10.
Age
The age of the stamp is another major contributing factor in how valuable your stamp is. Stamps are like a fine wine – they get better with age. The older your stamp, the happier other collectors will be and you could fetch a pretty good price for it. Anything marked before 1930 starts to gain value as they’re no longer usable for actual postage. If you have a stamp from the 1800s, you could be in business in most collector circles.
Who Buys Stamps?
While there are several places that buy stamps, there are two main methods to sell your stamps for a high price. First, is getting lucky and having a valuable stamp in your collection. Second is finding the right person to sell it to. Many collectors value certain stamps in different ways. One collector might say the stamp is worth $100 to them while another thinks of it as a $10 stamp. Stamp collections do have a market price, but finding that consensus can be quite tricky.
Collectors
When selling to another collector, you’re forgoing the middle man and fetching the actual value of the stamp. Collectors will likely pay more for your stamps but are hard to sell to.
Dealers
A stamp dealer is someone who likes to flip stamps. They’ll buy low and sell high. You’ll probably get a lower price for your stamps when selling to them, but they’re usually always ready to buy stamps.
Auction Houses
An auction house will typically take your stamp collection – or an incredibly valuable individual stamp – and sell it for you. They’ll take a certain percentage of your price as their commission for selling.
