We would be happy to assist you with appraisals of stamps, postal history or covers, postal stationery, accumulations and collections. It is seldom the case that an appraisal is a formidable task or involves a lot of cost. Simply email (20thonline@comcast.net) or telephone us (719-598-7307) to discuss your needs. 

Purpose of the Appraisal

Appraisals are needed for a variety of purposes, such as to settle estates, to determine the replacement value of a collection for insurance purposes or to determine market value, so that a stamp collection or other philatelic property can be sold. Appraisals may also be necessary to support insurance claims, when stamps are stolen or damaged.

Replacement value normally refers to the cost of buying similar material at retail prices from stamp dealers, auctions or from other collectors. This is generally the value needed for insurance purposes by collectors and, in some cases, by dealers.

Market value normally means the price that might be reasonably expected if a collection is offered, substantially intact, for sale to a dealer, who would break it down for resale at retail prices. The market value generally pertains in settling estates or when a collector wishes to dispose of a collection. Market value is usually less than replacement value because a dealer must cover overhead expenses and hopes to make a profit. It may also be the proper measure of value for insuring a dealer's stock of stamps or settling claims involving the stock, depending on the terms of the insurance policy. 

How to Proceed

Send us an email or call by telephone (719-598-7307) to initiate discussion regarding an appraisal. We will be happy to walk you through what needs to be considered. Basically, we need to understand why you want an appraisal, the general size of the collection to be appraised and whether or not it is necessary to travel in order to conduct the appraisal. We will ask you if most of the collection is well-organized (for example, in albums) and what countries were collected.

Incidentally, it is generally not a good idea to put a lot of effort into cataloging a collection or making a detailed inventory prior to discussions with an appraiser. Rather, let the appraiser tell you what information would be useful to expedite the appraisal process.

Related Costs

Frequently, the objective is to eventually dispose of the collection by sale to a dealer, for instance, or through auction. The cost factors include time and, possibly, travel costs.

We generally suggest taking a quick look at a collection before attempting to quote a cost for performing an appraisal. In our experience, not more than a few per cent of the collections we are asked to appraise involve significant cost for appraisal fees.

Usually, a one or two volume stamp collection can be appraised in relatively little time. If only local travel is involved, then the appraisal cost should be nominal, say in the $50-$100 range. We normally waive the appraisal cost, in cases like this, if we are successful in purchasing the collection, but would charge a nominal fee if the collection is to be offered to other dealers or will be disposed of through auction.

An appraiser will expect to be compensated for time and travel for lengthy, detailed appraisals, such as might be dictated by court order, by the bulk of an estate, or when especially valuable stamps must be appraised, where identification and condition are significant factors. In this case, we would negotiate an appraisal fee based on the work entailed.