For broadcast on CBS Radio Network stations
February 14-15, 1998:

Collect for fun, not fortune.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries

Whenever I give a talk about stamp collecting, especially
to kids, it's a sure bet someone will ask "What's the most
expensive stamp you own?"

By now, you'd think I'd have an answer ready, but the fact
is, I really don't know. I collect stamps that I like.
That's their value, not how much I could get if I sold
them.

Expensive stamps are more likely to go up in value than
inexpensive material. That's true for ALL collectibles,
not just stamps.

Of course, it's great when something I bought cheap goes
'way up in value -- just as it's disappointing when
something I paid a lot for drops in price. 

New issues from the post office usually aren't a good
investment. Yes, this past fall, a certain type of Bugs
Bunny sheet skyrocketed...but who knew? And most people
never had a chance to buy them, because they weren't
sold at post offices.

But most new stamps DON'T go up in value. In fact, the
more popular an issue, like Elvis or Princess Diana, the
less likely that it'll be a good investment.

And that's stamp collecting this week.

I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News.


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