WHERE TO BUY STAMPS AND COVERS:

WHERE TO BUY STAMPS AND COVERS:
THE BEST SOURCES…

The stamp collector has numerous venues available where stamps can be purchased. Some are directly within the philatelic marketplace...while a few are outside the mainstream of the hobby. Before discussing the places where stamps are purchased, here are some interesting facts about commercial philately that are, in our estimation, virtually unique among all collectible hobbies...

The first thing any philatelic buyer should do is join the American Philatelic Society (P.O. Box 8000, State College PA 16803), the 56,000-member, century-old national organization for philatelists. Because incoming members of the APS must pass a basic credit check (generally, giving the APS a major credit card account number will suffice), membership in this Society is a valuable possession. Once an individual holds membership in the APS the door to philatelic commerce is open to him.

All philatelists and commercial dealers in the hobby know that, when a buyer presents his APS membership number prior to a transaction, his credit worthiness has already passed muster with the Society. Because of this a very important trust factor enters into play. For instance, in what other hobby can you write to a dealer asking about his commodity and then have that dealer send you, on approval, a selection of items that could well be worth many thousands of dollars? And in what other hobby is there a national organization that, if one does not live up to his purchasing commitments, he can be expelled from that organization? (Expulsion from the APS can, in essence, render a philatelist helpless to make any further credit transactions within the stamp marketplace.) An incoming member of the APS must sign onto a widely-publicized Code of Ethics which serves as a guide to all philatelic buying/selling transactions.

Basically—and for many decades—the philatelic hobby has existed on a rock-solid foundation of trust between buyer and seller. Certainly there are a small number of hucksters and con artists who prey upon buyers/sellers in the stamp hobby, but the disciplinary policies (from both the APS and all philatelic print media who maintains rules their advertisers must follow) within this hobby constantly locate and root them out.

In addition to the APS there is the American Stamp Dealers Association whose membership qualifications are very similar in restrictions to the APS. The ASDA, whose membership roster includes over 800 stamp dealers in this country and in many foreign lands, is very quick to discipline any member dealer who does not follow their Code of Ethics. Their website contains a full listing of their member dealers and links to many of their websites.

Traditionally, philatelists who conduct transactions within the mainstream of the hobby (i.e., dealing with reliable, established dealers and collectors who maintain membership in the APS and ASDA) can rely on the authenticity of items being bought and sold. This offers a kind of peace of mind that is generally not prevalent in other hobbies...nor in many other commodity markets.

So the primary source for the purchase (and disposal) of stamps and covers are the dealers and collectors who belong to one or both of these two organizations. We highly recommend that, in order to assure that you are dealing with a reputable, well-established firm, you seek to deal only with commercial firms who are members of one or both of these groups.

Here is a synopsis of various
sources you should consider:

Internet Sources. As this book goes to press the number of commercial philatelic sites on the Internet’s World Wide Web is fast approaching 2,000. There are three essential methods for reaching these websites: 1) If you know a stamp dealer’s URL (Universal Resource Locator) address, simply key it into your browser to bring up the website. 2) Once on the web, use your browser’s "search" feature to go to one of the search engines on the Internet; i.e., Yahoo, Infoseek, etc. In the "search for" box, enter the words "stamp collecting" and the search engine will bring up a sizable listing of links to various dealer sites. 3) Go to the stamp dealer listings at the American Philatelic Society website where you will find a large directory of dealers who not only belong to the APS, but who have websites as well.

As we mentioned above, the largest commercial website on the Internet is the large global electronic stamp exchange offered by StampFinder. Here you will be able to browse through (and purchase from) hundreds of thousands of stamp and cover offerings from multiple dealers. It is also important to mention that StampFinder, itself, is a member of both the ASDA and APS. StampFinder also offers a number of services that aid the collector and dealer in selling material.

Advertisers In Major Philatelic Periodicals. The print media in the hobby are very careful about what dealers are allowed to advertise in their publications. Therefore, you are generally safe in seeking to deal with any firm that offers material for sale in them. For instance, if you combined all the advertisers seen in the pages of Linn’s and The American Philatelist (monthly, and for only members of the APS), you will see the ads of practically all of the most active and reputable stamp firms in the country. As we said before, by following the ads in these periodicals one can track the current values of past and present stamps of most major stamp-issuing countries.

Auction Firms. Since a large number of stamp dealers actually acquire much of their stock by purchasing at auction, you will generally be able to buy stamps at auction at the most attractive market (and sometimes below market) values. A wise philatelist will subscribe to the auction catalogs of at least several key auction houses—and follow the Prices Realized closely as the auctions take place. It would also be a good idea to spend some time learning about the process of buying (and selling) stamps and covers at auction. This can be accomplished by joining a philatelic organization and becoming acquainted with other collectors who use the auction route for acquiring material.

Local Stamp Clubs. Most cities and towns in America have one or more local stamp clubs. The American Philatelic Society (P.O. Box 8000, State College PA 16803; telephone: (814) 237-3803; email: info@stamps.org) has more than 700 local chapters around the country and will be happy to put you in touch with the club in your area. Members of these local clubs are always selling and buying all sorts of philatelic material and many such groups even have regular auctions at which members can acquire material.

National Specialist Organizations. The APS also maintains a system of affiliated organizations, each of which is devoted to the stamps of a particular country or type of philatelic material. For instance, the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, an APS affiliate, has members who specialize in the stamps and covers of 19th century United States. By joining one of these groups you can get "plugged in" to any specific area of philately that you wish to pursue. Maintaining membership in any stamp organization opens many doors for the philatelist—from being able to get any kind of valuable information, to actively buying/selling/trading among members.

Local and National Stamp Shows. The philatelic periodicals constantly publishe schedules of stamp shows taking place across the country. These are the most active market venues for the buying and selling of stamps and covers. Among these shows are 35 events that are classified by the APS as "national stamp shows". These shows are generally quite large and it is there you will find many of the most important and prominent commercial firms dealing in philatelic material.

Advertising Yourself. Once you are fairly well-versed in the philatelic marketplace, you might consider running a classified "Buying Stamps" ad in your local newspaper. It is surprising how many people interested in selling philatelic material will actually check such ads before they go anywhere else. This field is generally dominated by the commercial philatelic firms who run such "buy" ads themselves...so in some ways you would be competing with established dealers. In addition, when material is purchased through this method, one generally ends up having to buy entire collections and accumulations in bulk. Some wise collectors do this, remove the most important material from the collections, then run another ad to sell the remainder. Before doing this we recommend that you become acquainted with someone else who has experience in using this buying method. A lot of time is involved—and there are some risks.

TIPS FOR PURCHASING
PHILATELIC MATERIAL

Essentially, your chief goal is, of course, to purchase your philatelic material at the lowest possible prices in comparison to established market (retail) values. How does one accomplish this? Here are some important tips to keep in mind:

A Word About Expertizing. Two non-profit organizations in philately operate what is known as an expertizing service (the American Philatelic Society’s American Philatelic Expertizing Service, and the service run by the Philatelic Foundation, Inc.). When stamps and/or covers are submitted to these organizations, a concensus opinion is rendered on them by a body of established experts. This opinion is stated and printed on a special "expertizing certificate" issued by these agencies. By doing this with the more important material in one’s collection, a certain kind of "pedigree" is established and, when the certificates are kept (as they should always be) with the actual stamps/covers, they follow the material whenever and wherever they go from that point on. Such an expertizing certificate is a very important quantity to the buyer of philatelic material. By obtaining them for your important material you will be solidifying and stabilizing their authenticity and value for the long term.

Condition Reigns Supreme. You should always purchase only stamps in the best possible condition. Material in less than the very best condition will, in the end, appreciate little in value. By reading the philatelic periodicals you will soon see that much is written about how the absolute finest material traditionally has risen in value over the years—and continues to do so. By excellent condition we mean, for instance in the case of an unused stamp, a stamp that is mint with original undisturbed gum, rich and fresh in color, and virtually perfectly centered. And in the case of an important stamp (say, one that is above $100 in value), it should always be accompanied by an expertizing certificate. If such a stamp does not have a certificate, then your purchase of that stamp should be contingent upon either the buyer or seller obtaining an expertizing certificate before the sale is finalized.

Authenticity. Again, the expertizing services are important to the buyer—for a good number of important stamps (and covers, too,) have been doctored. For instance, a perfectly-centered, wonderful copy of the $1.00 Trans-Mississippi Issue of 1898 (Scott No. 292) can appear to be completely mint with original gum...when in fact, an original light cancel has been carefully removed and the back of the stamp totally regummed. Even the most experienced philatelist can sometimes fall prey to the tricksters. The best protection is the services of the highly-respected expertizing agencies.

Careful Examination. A 10X magnifying glass should be your number one tool. When considering the purchase of a stamp use the magnifier to meticulously examine every square millimeter of it. Look for any kind of flaw, gum disturbance, torn or missing perforation, etc. Another tool is a handy ultra-violet light which can bring forth flaws (or removed cancels) that may not readily be seen. Just like carefully poring over the financial statements, annual reports and Standard and Poor’s data on a given corporate stock investment, a potential stamp purchase should be gone over with a fine tooth comb.

The Market Price. How does the price of the wonderful-appearing stamp you are considering purchasing compare with the currently-available market price for that stamp? One must wonder about a particularly low-priced stamp (in comparison to its market value) and ask the question, "Why is this stamp priced so low?" Could there be something wrong with it that is not readily apparent? It is at this point that an expertizing certificate becomes vitally important. Certainly, if all factors in play are positive (excellent low price, expertizing certificate, etc.), a stamp could be an excellent buy.

Look For Opportunities. Unusual as it might sound, a dealer or collector looking to quickly dispose of a collection of stamps (or even a small holding that cannot be regarded as a full collection in the normal sense) might price the property at an exceedingly attractive price. Sometimes the price on the sum of the parts is much, much lower than one might purchase the stamps on an individual basis. For instance, inside a nice collection of unused 19th century United States stamps priced to sell at only $4,500, could be 15 or 20 important, even mint, stamps which, if priced out separately, might bring three times that amount when sold individually. This is certainly an investment possibility! Watch for such holdings to be offered at stamp shows—for at the bigger events, these opportunities are almost always there.

Keeping Track. No matter the type of collector you are—whether involved in philately for love and/or investment—you should always keep adequate records of your purchases. Carefully record the date, purchase price, and source of your purchases—together with a complete description of each stamp/cover purchased. You might even back up your records by photocopying stamps and/or covers (or scanning images of them into your computer). These are not only good records for the investor who wishes to record his portfolio, but will also serve well for insurance purposes. Additional places in your record book should be reserved for your comments on what happens in the market to the values of stamps/covers you’ve purchased in the past.

Insurance. Finally, remember that your normal homeowners’ insurance does not adequately cover the potential losses one might experience with a stamp/cover collection. Most individuals are not aware of this. However, there is a specialized insurance provider who caters specifically to the collectible market and such insurance for all kinds of potential losses is very inexpensive. This agency will pay a claims loss based on your actual cost of purchasing your stamps—and a written inventory of your collection is not required except for items valued at above $5,000 each. For information, contact: Collectibles Insurance Agency, P.O. Box 1200, Westminster MD 21158, or by e-mail at info@collectinsure.com Website: www.collectinsure.com

Stamps Malaya bernilai Tinggi di Ebay

Salam ...

Hari nie aku cuti , tak berapa sihat . so aku amik masa free nie la untuk cerita pasal setem-setem terbaru aku. Setem terbaru aku nie masa time malaya . time masa Straits Settlements 10 sen Malaya 1923-1948. Masih baru dan datang dalam Block of 4 x 4 negeri. nie photo aku snap.





Yang kedua pula setem paling lama / antik yg aku ada iaitu setem tahun 1896 kesultanan Johore . ia koleksi dari 1 sen hingga 1 Dollar time tu la . set ini agak mahal iaitu kalau bercop dalam 800 usd ikut cataloge value. nie photo tu aku snap utk tatapan korang. yang nie aku ada tak cukup full collection.





dan yang baru sampai hari nie , setem labuan full set iaitu tahun Jan 1880 - 1882 As type 1 but Wmk. Crown CC. dab setem labuan tahun 1902 ful set juga .. kedua2 set nie milai cataloge dalam 200-300 usd. nie aku




snap utk korang tengok. itu le untuk kali nie . Next post aku akan upload ctaloge nilai setem-setem malaya.

my latest stamps collection

here my latest stamps collection



very rare stamps


and




my straits settlement 1910