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Cashing In.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

Looking to sell a stamp collection? We asked an expert for tips. Wayne Gehret has been
a full-time stamp dealer since 1977… and a lifelong stamp collector.

“Lost my first college roommate because I had too many stamps in the dorm room.  :03

Gehret is one of the most active buyers in the business. He says selling a collection
to a professional isn’t hard.

“Don’t spend a whole lot of time organizing your things.  We know what we’re looking
for, we know what pockets have value” :06

He warns it’s important to have realistic expectations.

"It’s kind of like when you go out to dinner, if you buy a steak for $19, it’ll only cost
the restaurant four or five dollars, so you need to bear in mind that the dealer needs
to make a profit.”  :10

Many collections from mid-century consist of mint U-S stamps, and they didn’t hold their
value.

"Most stamps from the post office in our country from the 1940s, 50s and 60s were
three,- four-, five- and six-cent stamps and today they’re still worth three, four,
five and six cents — or maybe even less.”   :11

Neither did mid-century first day covers.

“The modern first day covers are really good, but again, the first day covers from the
30s and 40s are more plentiful so it’s a supply and demand thing”   :07

What ARE dealers looking for?

“The most important thing in stamps these days is like anything else, it’s China, China,
China. There’s a billion Chinese, so it’s simple supply and demand: You’ve got fewer
goods and more people” :10

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting,
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

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