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How do I value a stamp collection?

Sort it, find the stamps that carry most of the value, price those individually, and value everything else as bulk. That's how dealers approach a collection, and it's far faster than pricing every stamp.

1. Survey it. Count the albums, stock books, loose stamps and covers, and note the countries and date ranges.
2. Sort by country and era. Pre-1900 material and popular countries (the US, Great Britain, Germany, China) deserve the closest look.
3. Pull out the better stamps: early issues, high values, unused stamps with gum, complete sets and anything unusual.
4. Identify and price those individually, noting the condition of each.
5. Value the rest as bulk. Common used stamps sell by the lot, album or weight.
6. Add it up, then discount. A buyer pays less than retail, especially for common material.

How much is a stamp collection worth?

Anything from a few dollars to many thousands. Most general collections of post-1930 stamps are worth modest sums, while collections with early classics, complete sets and fine condition can be worth much more.

Catalogue totals overstate what you'll be paid. Dealers price in their costs and time, and much of a general collection duplicates what's in every other collection they're offered.

What adds to or reduces a collection's value?

Completeness, condition and popular countries add value. Damp, hinges on valuable unused stamps, tape, glue and sun fading reduce it, sometimes drastically.

• Adds value: complete sets, early issues, fine centering, original gum, well-organized albums and expert certificates.
• Reduces value: moisture damage and toning, stamps stuck down, tape or glue, heavy hinging on unused stamps, trimmed perforations and sun fading.

Don't try to improve a collection before it's valued. Removing stamps from pages, soaking or cleaning them can do more harm than good.

Do I need a professional stamp collection appraisal?

Pay for an appraisal when you need a formal valuation, for insurance, an estate or a donation, or when the collection is likely worth thousands. For smaller collections, several free dealer offers plus your own research usually suffice.

An appraisal and an offer are different things. An appraisal estimates value for a purpose, such as insurance replacement or fair market value, while a dealer's offer is what that dealer will pay today. The American Philatelic Society recommends getting more than one offer and never letting anyone pressure you into a quick sale.

Look for dealers who belong to an organization with a code of ethics, such as the American Philatelic Society, the American Stamp Dealers Association or the National Stamp Dealers Association.

Is there a stamp appraisal app?

Stamp identifier apps give estimates rather than formal appraisals, but they're very useful for finding the stamps that matter and totaling a collection's rough value before you talk to a dealer.

Knowing which of your stamps are scarce, and roughly what they're worth, puts you in a much stronger position when you ask for offers. See how to sell stamps and what to do with an inherited stamp collection.

What do dealers look at first when valuing a collection?

The pages and items that carry value: the earliest stamps, high values, unused sets, popular countries and anything in protective mounts. Then they assess condition and how much of the rest is common.

1. The overall scope: countries, date range, and whether it's a general or a specialized collection.
2. Key stamps: the known valuable issues for each country, and whether they're present and genuine.
3. Condition: toning, stuck-down stamps, heavy hinging and faults, which can halve the value or wipe it out.
4. Duplication: how much is common material they already have plenty of.
5. Resale effort: how long it will take to break the collection down and sell it.

Do the same survey yourself, with the better stamps identified and listed, and it's much easier to judge whether an offer is fair.