Bill Evans was a already an avid collector when he started coming to our auctions some thirty years ago. He was of Hungarian descent and gravitated towards Hungarian philately. He became particularly interested in a specialized area of Hungarian philately called Hungarian Occupations – hundreds of different stamps issued in the aftermath of WW I for various […]
Sadness on the Auction Floor Read More »
The most basic decision that most collectors make is whether to collect stamps mint or used. In the very earliest stages of collecting either will do and, at the very highest stages, finances often force either to do. But most collectors start saving both and then gravitate to one or the other. The decision comes
Of the major world wide powers in the philately era (that is since 1840) the least imperialistic has been the United States. Great Britain and France had between them hundreds of imperial philatelic entities. German was a big player and even Italy, which had more of an appetite for conquest than the digestion, had fifty
If philately were an academic discipline, there would be several basic elements of understanding that stamp majors would have to master before moving to graduate level courses. High on this list would be a basic understanding of printing methods. There are many methods of transferring ink from plate to paper (and, now, even the word “plate”
Engraved and Lithograghed Read More »
There are two basic difficulties with getting stamps expertized by third party expertization services-time and expense. The Philatelic Foundation and the PSE take several months which, for all but the most valuable items, makes it difficult for dealers to use and irritating for collectors. Then there is the expense. Certification fees (including expenses) of $100
The German area, as collected by the Michel catalog is the most diverse and complicated collecting area in the world. The Michel Germany specialized catalog and the Gansachen (that is postal stationery catalogs) of German and the German Area run nearly 4000 pages and list and price nearly one million stamps and specialty pieces. A
Germany and the Michel Catalog Read More »
Collectors of United States stamps in the 1920-1950 period had a dilemma. The days of varieties were gone. The papers and printings of the Bank Note issues which span over 80 major Scott numbers were over as were the wild early days of the Washington-Franklins that spawned nearly 200 major numbers. Stamp issuing policy was
The biggest mistake newer dealers make is the inventory trap. They go out, buy some stamps and begin to resell them. Generally, they get very good prices for some of the things that they offer (“very good” defined as far more than they expected), good prices for some material, weaker prices for more and no
Be Careful Building Inventory Read More »
Last year over 150 billion gallons of gasoline were consumed in the United States. That works out to about 500 gallons for each person living in this country. At a national fleet average of twenty miles a gallon the average American drives 20000 miles per year though this is skewed by truck usage which stocks
How Green Is Your Hobby Read More »