So what determines the value of old postage stamps? Well that depends on normal market forces – supply and demand. Supply and demand not just for the individual old postage stamps but for stamps in general.
What affects supply? The age of the old postage stamps do because not many of them are likely to have survived. Also the higher value of old postage stamps tend to be rarer because not many of these would’ve been bought in the first place.
The really high value of old postage stamps comes from real scarcity. This often is a result of errors. There actually aren’t too many old postage stamps in circulation with errors on them because they are stopped as soon as they are notice.
Over the last few years investors have been looking at making money away from traditional investments. This has seen them move into the collectables and antique market. It has also seen them drawn to old postage stamps and as a result the demand has increase.
If you buy anything then you want the condition to be good. In fact you want it to be great. The same goes for old postage stamps. This means that you need to know how to store them correctly so that they don’t lose their value.
Whether or not the old postage stamps have been used also influences their value. Believe it or not sometimes if the old postage stamps have been used then they may be worth more.
What kind of cancellation stamp has been used? Is it something different from the ordinary stamp? If it is then it is likely that to be worth more than old postage stamps cancelled with the standard cancellation stamp. This is very important to think about in the First Day Cover market.
So now you know to think about both the supply and demand of old postage stamps to try and obtain their value. If it has a high demand and high supply, like they do for special events like a royal wedding, then they are less likely to be worth as much in the future. Remember as well that the popularity of old postage stamps changes over time too.
Nigel has a renewed passion for old postage stamps. He inherited this passion along with his first stamps albums from his Grandad. If you would like to learn more about the http://www.oldpostagestamps.net/value-of-old-postage-stamps/value-of-old-postage-stamps-2 then go to his blog.