Finding postage stamp collection buyers today can be very challenging, especially for those that are not familiar with the hobby or the philatelic market place. Unfortunately, the days of the local stamp shop, where one could easily take a collection for appraisal, are long gone. Philately, in the 21st Century, has primarily evolved into an internet-based hobby. For people that may not be familiar with navigating the internet, this can be a very scary proposition.
This website does not buy, sell, or appraise stamps or collections.
However, I get many requests for advice on how my site visitors can sell
their stamp collections. As an aid to site visitors, I am
providing links to the websites of major stamp buyers that regularly
advertise in the American Philatelist Magazine and in Linn's Stamp News Magazine.
Mailing
a postage stamp collection to a dealer for appraisal can be expensive. When
soliciting an appraisal, one should consider that most postage stamp
dealers are over-stocked in modern stamps, those issued after 1935, and
they have very little customer demand for them. These stamps are
usually appraised at face-value, or in some cases, they are not counted
in the appraisal at all. Some dealers actually "sell" large lots of these modern commemorative stamps for as little as half of their face-value.
The majority of dealers are most interested
in classical or early modern postage stamps that have greater customer demand and that
they can quickly sell for a respectable profit.
The website
links shown below are those of the two largest buyers of worldwide
stamps and stamp collections in North America. They are both
high-volume retailers that would have interest in basic collections, as
well as more advanced collections.
Mystic Stamp Company
(Worldwide Stamps & Collections)
Dr. Robert Friedman & Sons
(Worldwide Stamps & Collections)
The website
links shown below are those of dealers that specialize in particular subjects or countries or that specialize in high-end worldwide stamps and collections.
In some cases, if your collection is valuable enough or extensive enough, the dealer will travel to your residence to evaluate the collection.
"High-end", as it is used here, is usually defined as stamps or stamp collections that have a wholesale market valuation ranging anywhere from $5,000 to about $5,000,000.
CITY STAMP MONTREAL
(High-end Worldwide Stamps & Collections)
Eric Jackson
(U.S. Revenue Stamps & Collections)
Gary J. Lyon Philatelist Ltd.
(High-end Worldwide Stamps & Collections)
Gary Posner, Inc.
(High-end Worldwide Stamps & Collections)
Henry Gitner Philatelists Inc.
(U.S. Stamps & Collections)
MARKEST Stamp Co.
(High-end Worldwide Stamps & Collections)
Richard Friedberg Stamps
(U.S. Revenue Stamps & Collections)
Return to Selling Stamps from Postage Stamp Collection Buyers