I know nothing about collecting stamps but my FIL has a collection. Sounds smallish. He told my wife he would like to sell it? Wondering about if and how he might do that. He is an older man. Mid eighties. I do not know anything about its value. Not sure he does either. Wondering if anyone here does collect stamps and would have any interested in learning what he has and possibly purchasing.

He does not seem to have anyone to consult locally to him.

Thanks.

Email in profile.

I collected stamps when I was a kid. Partly because I had somewhat of an advantage with my family traveling internationally due to my dad's job. I had boxes and boxes of foreign stamps, with many of the most decorative combined into albums. When I was in my 20's I took the collection to be assessed only to be told the collection was not worth being inventoried. Many of my stamps were not at all common, post-war occupied Japan, Weimar inflation overprints, African and Asian countries that no longer exist, etc. but it didn't matter.

Only the rarest of stamps are worth even a few dollars.

Ok acrh, thanks.

My father collected most of his life and the family had to learn how to sell them off. Turns out nearby dealers offered almost nothing. Would have been better to just use them on mail, not exaggerating. A friend who still collects ended up offering about 10 times more, even as I insisted he not offer retail value, just bargains for himself. Look for someone who likes to collect.

You can buy unused old denominational stamps on eBay for LESS than face value. The Forever stamps have taken away the value because "math is hard" and having to look up what the ever changing First Class rate is.

I remember as a kid (I'm in my 40s) going to the post office with my dad and picking out a Plate Block of whatever cool design that interested me to collect. My dad would say it was a good investment because "you can always use it to mail something." Well...this was before the internet and e-mail and with inflation, it wasn't a good investment. Between plate blocks and those annual $20 USPS stamp book albums they made I probably have $100-$200 in face value 1990s stamps. I really enjoyed the 1991-1995 WWII annual stamp series and albums they made for them.

$50 in Apple stock in 1994 would be worth $32,209 today. All my 1990s stamp stuff is probably collectively worth $50 today, if that.

Those memories of collecting stamps with him outweigh any financial value of them. I could use $32,209 now to fix up his 1985 GMC though.

I have the same kind of problem . I have a huge collection of foreign coins and currency . I've been collecting since I was a kid. None of my family is interested and I'm ready to move them before I die and then who know what would become of them . There's nobody locally to consult with though .

I’m sure I will have a similar problem when my dad gives up collecting. He has albums full of stamps and shoeboxes more full. Mostly from 60–70’s when he collected. And last 4 years he focused on a very narrow niche of California covers that were carried on steamships. Postage from the old west from San Francisco up the delta to stockton then Sacramento was often marked with the boat name. There are collectors of it like him but it’s gotta be a pretty small community. I have no interest in it other than yeah it’s interesting history.

Any local stamp collector groups in your area that have a show once a year ? Often local coin shops will dabble in stamps or know people. Unless you have some very choice single pieces, Selling as a lot is likely best way to go.

If I had Elon money I’d buy pony express covers. The collection on display at the Wells Fargo historic room on Montgomery in SF is worth a fortune.

Side note if you are ever stuck in the financial district in SF for an hour, the museum is free at 420 Montgomery street. Worth the stop if you are into old west stuff.

IN the late 40"s my father started working for the Post Office starting out as a window clerk and started collecting mis-print stamps / mis-cut sheets / and some special release stamps.... Retired from postal service in the 70"s and had a large collection but the collection was lost in 2016 due to a major flood that destroyed the house and all contents. ............ drill sgt.

As with most 'Stamp Collectors', I have an objection to the $200 cost, but...

Oh wait, wrong forum. Nevermind

You can down load an app on your phone that will value your stamps for you.