Postage stamps for collectors are undoubtedly one of the very best mail-order products to handle. They are readily available, easy to store, easy to package and easy to mail. There are, however, a few facts which are extremely important that I would like to discuss at this stage.
Philatelists or Stamp Collectors are very quality-conscious people. Stamps must be handled with the greatest of care because nobody is going to buy your stamps if they are in any way damaged. Very little indeed is needed to tender a stamp useless in the eyes of a collector. A saleable stamp must be collectible – this means that it must be in perfect condition with complete perforations; it must be clean and with no marks and there must be no creases or tears.
Collectors prefer well-centered stamps. This means that the design area should not be touched by the perforations and it should be exactly in the middle of the stamp. Most collectors prefer to collect mint stamps in post-fresh condition. An unmounted mint stamp is a stamp in the condition it was in a post office book of stamps. To many collectors the gummed side is as important as the front. They do not want the gum to be disturbed in any way. Pre – stamps were usually mounted onto the album page by means of a peelable hinge. This is usually not the case today.
A mint stamp that has been hinged or mounted usually sells for far less than an unmounted mint stamp. This is particularly true when it comes to modern issues. Stamps that are more than 50 years old were usually hinged and that is their normal condition. Old mint stamps that have pristine gum are normally worth quite a lot more than hinged stamps. The relation between a hinged and an unhinged stamp is sometimes incredibly big.
I would like to suggest that you start with unmounted mint stamps until you have learnt more about which stamps are acceptable in mounted condition too. The same high quality standards are valid for used stamps as well. Collectors of used stamps prefer circular
postmarks. The postmark must not be smudged.
It is of vital to keep these quality standards in mind. If your stamps are of inferior quality people will stop buying from you. On the other hand, if you provide good quality stamps to your customers and if your prices are right they are to remain with you for as long as you can deliver new stamps to their collections.
moses zaccheaus - a writer, author, publisher, philatelic, numismatic teacher and internet marketer
http://moseszee.webs.com/apps/blog
http://moseszee.blogspot.com
This article may be reprinted FREE OF CHARGE on the condition that the contents of the article and the details in the Resource Box remain INTACT.
Philatelists or Stamp Collectors are very quality-conscious people. Stamps must be handled with the greatest of care because nobody is going to buy your stamps if they are in any way damaged. Very little indeed is needed to tender a stamp useless in the eyes of a collector. A saleable stamp must be collectible – this means that it must be in perfect condition with complete perforations; it must be clean and with no marks and there must be no creases or tears.
Collectors prefer well-centered stamps. This means that the design area should not be touched by the perforations and it should be exactly in the middle of the stamp. Most collectors prefer to collect mint stamps in post-fresh condition. An unmounted mint stamp is a stamp in the condition it was in a post office book of stamps. To many collectors the gummed side is as important as the front. They do not want the gum to be disturbed in any way. Pre – stamps were usually mounted onto the album page by means of a peelable hinge. This is usually not the case today.
A mint stamp that has been hinged or mounted usually sells for far less than an unmounted mint stamp. This is particularly true when it comes to modern issues. Stamps that are more than 50 years old were usually hinged and that is their normal condition. Old mint stamps that have pristine gum are normally worth quite a lot more than hinged stamps. The relation between a hinged and an unhinged stamp is sometimes incredibly big.
I would like to suggest that you start with unmounted mint stamps until you have learnt more about which stamps are acceptable in mounted condition too. The same high quality standards are valid for used stamps as well. Collectors of used stamps prefer circular
postmarks. The postmark must not be smudged.
It is of vital to keep these quality standards in mind. If your stamps are of inferior quality people will stop buying from you. On the other hand, if you provide good quality stamps to your customers and if your prices are right they are to remain with you for as long as you can deliver new stamps to their collections.
moses zaccheaus - a writer, author, publisher, philatelic, numismatic teacher and internet marketer
http://moseszee.webs.com/apps/blog
http://moseszee.blogspot.com
This article may be reprinted FREE OF CHARGE on the condition that the contents of the article and the details in the Resource Box remain INTACT.
