Due to the demand of many clients, I have decided to add some information on the value of stamps. The value of a stamps is determined by the popularity (or demand) on one hand and by the availability on the other hand. Some stamps are not very rare, but highly in demand, so their price will be high. Other stamps might be quite scarce, but not very popular, so their price will be relatively low. In most catalogues, the values of the stamps are indicated. However, the 'real' value of a stamp is often much less (Most of the stamps can easily be bought at 50 % of the catalogue value or less). Instead of giving real values, I have decided to use the following scheme:
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon |
*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare |
'vc' stands for stamps that can be found in great quantities in every dealers stockbook. They can be purchased at say Euro 0.05. 'c' stands for stamps that are not that common, but with a little patience they can still be found easily. Stamps with 'RRR' are really top rarities, most collectores can only dream of ever posessing any of these stamps, the prices of these stamps will go above three digits in Euros (if you can buy them for less, they are either badly damaged or plain forgeries!). The above scheme will enable you to compare two stamps with each other.
The value of a stamp can be greatly affected by its quality. A stamp with tears and smudges will generally be only worth about 10 % of a nice stamp. Be aware of this when you buy rare stamps!
Note that small differences between stamps that look alike, can make a huge difference in the price. A rare watermark or perforation can make the difference between a common stamp and a rarity. Such price differences can be observed in the stamps of many British colonies.