5 comments about Top Dollar Paid!: The Complete Guide to Selling Your Stamps.

1. I recently inherited my father in law's stamp collection. My wife wants to sell it, to raise some much-needed money. I bought a current Scott catalogue and determined that one of the U.S. plate block albums is "worth" $350. My wife was told by a stamp dealer that he will only pay about 10% of catalogue value. That would make the album worth $35.
   
   I read Top Dollar Paid. It says that only certain stamps are good investments. Those are the stamps that were already rare and highly priced collectibles when they were first purchased.
   
   In other words, if you go into a stamp dealer and buy a 3 cent stamp for $500 because it is rare, that is exactly the kind of stamp that is a great investment. It is the type of stamp you can leave to your children or grandchildren, and its value will rise as the years and decades go by.
   
   But if, when your father or grandfather was a child in the 1930s or 1940s, or (God forbid) in the 1950s or 60s, he went into the post office and bought mint stamps, plate blocks, or sheets, and had a beautiful and complete collection, all of those old and pretty stamps are worthless. If all you want is the cash for them, use them for postage. They aren't worth a damn thing. If you bought a hot dog in 1963 you wouldn't expect to sell it for $50 today would you?
   
   There are interesting anecdotes in this book. There's the Hungarian boy who hoped to sell Hungarian stamps in the U.S. at a profit. (No way!) There's the author's meeting with Gerald Ford and his stamp collection. There are stories of stamp collection owners who try all the tricks that you yourself would have thought to try, and just where those tricks got them.
   
   I'm glad I read the book. Now I think I'll just add some of my father in law's stamps to my own collection. After reading this book, I would guess that the collection I inherited might sell for $100. Big deal.
   
   The moral of the story is .... your stamps aren't worth a thing. This is the worst investment there is. Put your money under your pillow and you'll be better off.
   
   Before reading this book, I figured that stamp dealers will generally low-ball you and buy your valuable collection for peanuts unless you know the value of it yourself. After reading this book I understand that stamp dealers have incentive to tell you what your collection is really worth to them, and make a fair offer, but it's going to be a small fraction of what you expect, because stamps are a God-awful investment.



2. This book does two things well:
   
   1) How Stamp dealers go about determing how much a collection is worth.
   
   2) Keeps you entertained by showing the human qualities of both the dealers and the sellers. The latter are usually the heirs of the collector. They are almost always non-collectors and have some very interesting misconceptions.
   
   It is funny and sad to see the reviews complaining they wanted the book to tell them how much their collection is worth. Mr. Dalz repeatedly tells you exactly how much a collection is worth. It's worth what the dealer can pay for it. You need an appraisal by someone who knows both stamps and the market.



3. I'm not planning to sell my stamps - but this book has saved me money by giving me some insight into what kind of stamps will never be worth the time or money spent on them! I also love Datz's vignettes of life in the stamp trade!



4. Funny anecdotes, but where is the beef? Undoubtedly this writer is an authority on stamps, but very little of that knowledge emerges in the book. The title therefore is misleading.



5. I would like you to put a description of what these books really tell. I am looking for a book that tells the value of the stamps I have.

5 comments about Scott 2010 United States Pocket Stamp Catalogue (Scott U S Pocket Stamp Catalogue).

1. I have avidly collected stamps for 40+ years and also travel to many regional stamp shows. This pocket catalog sure beats carrying around a full size Scott catalog when at the shows. With ever changing annual stamp values, this small pocket catalog accurately keeps you in the ball park when you need to know a stamp's value in short order on the road. This is a must have pocket stamp catalog for the serious collector. Love it!



2. After finding a stamp collection on the attic, and not knowing where to start, the Scott U S Pocket Stamp Catalogue has been very helpful. It has full color stamp illustrations, and Scott Catalogue numbers for thousands of U.S. Stamps. It also gives you a general idea what they are currently worth. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in U.S. Stamps.



3. With the price of the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers having now reached $80, collectors on a budget need a quality, affordable alternative. This catalogue is it. High-quality color illustrations of each U.S. postage stamp, along with prices for all major varieties make it the next best thing on the market to the specialized catalogue. Unlike the slightly lower-priced Blackbook price guide, the Scott pocket catalogue lists Newspaper stamps and carriers' stamps, and its listing of airmail and semi-postal stamps is up to date. The catalogue's only real drawback is a relatively tight binding, which makes using its checklist feature a little difficult. In this one respect only is Blackbook superior. If Scott were to print future editions with a spiral binding that enabled users to read the catalogue without having to hold it open, it would be perfect.



4. Very handy checklist for US stamps, plus up-to-date pricing from Scott. Highly recommend this for the US collector.



5. This is a very helpful book in identifying Scott numbers for US stamps and providing catalog value.

No comments about The Official Blackbook Price Guide to United States Postage Stamps 2011, 33rd Ed ition.

4 comments about Scott 2010 Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers (Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps).

1. This is a must for anyone collecting United States Postage for a hobby or for a business. Great descriptions and up to date pricing.



2. Beautiful book, color pictures. Great to get every 10 years or so, as it is expensive.



3. One of the best on the market. Well worth the price even for a stamp 'accumulator' like me. Highly recommend



4. If you collect U.S. stamps, the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers is the single most important book you can add to your philatelic reference library. Covering everything from the earliest postmaster provisionals to beer stamps and postal stationery, the catalogue contains a wealth of information.
   
   The careful eye will catch occasional mistakes. For example, on page 206, the footnote under the Columbian issue souvenir sheets contains inaccurate numbers when referring to known essays. Other issues have incorrect data regarding perforations. These errors do not generally interfere with the catalogue's usability.
   
   If you have purchased a Scott Specialized Catalogue within the past couple of years, you can probably safely skip this one. Values for the vast majority of stamps have not changed significantly. If, however, you have never bought a Scott Specialized Catalogue, or if your copy is showing its age, the 2010 edition is a vital purchase.

1 comments about Scott 2010 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue: Countries of the World G-I (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 3 Countries G-I).

1. Excellent stamp catalog for the serious stamp collector. Beautifully printed with all color images of the stamps except a very few of the oldest stamps from some countries. (It's the only game in town, so it better be good). Everything in life just gets more expensive all the time and the Scott Catalogs are no exception. I have Scott Advantage, but could not get it throught Scott because I waited too long and they were out of stock in Vol. 3. Amazon's price is no bargain, so Scott Advantage is the way to go. I rated this a 4 because of the price.

1 comments about Scott 2009 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue: United States and Affiliated Territories, United Nations, Countries of the World A-B (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 1 Us and Countries A-B).

1. What can be said? This is the bible of appraising and identifying US stamps. The only complaint is that it is much more all-encompassing than previous editions, but this reference manual is not that many more pages. The result is that the print is pretty fine.

1 comments about Scott 2010 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue: United States and Affiliated Territories, United Nations, Countries of the World A-B (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 1 US and Countries A-B).

1. It can feel like you need a masters' degree to understand all the notations in the Scott Catalogue, but once you get the hang of it this thing is INCREDIBLE. It's no wonder it's so expensive...it's in a class by itself.
   
   [...]
   
   Be prepared to spend a lot of time hunched over, trying to compare stamps to the pictures or figure out how "bister" differs from "olive yellow".

1 comments about Scott 2008 Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers (Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps).

1. Book is great, just what I needed to complete the project I was working on. Priced right and I am happy to have found a source so quickly.

2 comments about Warman's U.S. Stamps Field Guide: Values & Identification (Warman's Field Guides U.S. Stamps: Values and Identification).

1. This is not a book for a serious stamp collector, or even a serious beginner. It does have great color pictures, a very basic introduction about how to find stamps, a chronological listing of when the stamps were issued, and a price guide. So why did I give it only 2 stars? Because, aside from the pictures, it's really not much of a resource and gives no hint about where to find more detailed information.
   
   The standard reference for collectors of US stamps is the "Scott Specialized Catalog," which is revised and reissued every year. It's a pretty hefty tome and it's price reflects that. But it is THE authoritative catalog for United States stamps. It gives each stamp a number, and virtually all serious US stamp collectors use those numbers in buying and selling stamps.
   
   Scott also smaller pocket catalog catalog of US stamps. This has far more information than the Warman's "Field Guide" and uses the Scott numbers. It's a far more versatile and universally accepted source than the Warman's guide.
   
   If you're really interested in collecting United States and want a basic, inexpensive guide, go with the Scott pocket catalog, not this one. You'll get more for your money.



2. Warman's U.S. Stamps Field Guide is the essential guide you need to assess your stamp collection, whether you are an expert or just starting out. This little guide covers almost every stamp from the beginning (1847) through 2008. It also includes airmail postage from 1918-2007. There are also over 900 beautiful, full-color photos that help enhance the look and feel of this pocket guide. The advice on what to collect, how to collect, and where to find stamps is very helpful if you're a beginner. Featured are stories about the first stamps, the 2-cent reds, the Elvis stamp, and the "upside down" Jenny to name a few. Its ease of use and convenient size make it the perfect carry-along guide to flea markets, stamp shows, auctions, and estate sales.

No comments about Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue 2010: Countries of the World C-F (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 2 Countries C-F).