Thousands of Stamp Dealers

The largest determinant in rising stamp prices is not the number of collectors in the hobby but the number of stamp dealers. After all, very few collectors ever acquire more than one of an item whereas dealers typically stock as many stamps as they can afford. My unscientific estimate is that the average dealer customer of ours has philatelic material worth ten or twenty times what the average collector has and spends similarly far more on philately. So today’s Merrill Lynch Bank of America report is good news for stamp prices long term http://mediaroom.bankofamerica.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=234503&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1521693&highlight= .According to this report 24% of affluent men (defined as having $250,000 of investments) plan to start some sort of business of their own when they retire. When you consider how many Baby Boomers will be retiring soon, this increasing number of people who become part time stamp sellers will soak up an enormous amount of philatelic inventory and bodes very well for stamp prices.