Where to Buy Stamps: APS Stamp Circuit Books

Since I just wrote about the American Philatelic Society's StampStore, I thought I'd take a moment to cover one of the other stamp "buying venues" available to APS Members: One of the many ways I add to my collection is through "circuit books" from the APS. I find this can be a handy-- although sometimes expensive-- way to find new material.

What are APS circuit books? Well, once every few weeks I get a box of up to 10 books mounted with stamps for sale, from different APS Collector members. Because the APS is a large organization, I get to specify the particular areas I'd like to receive circuit books from. The name "circuit" derives from the fact that a batch of 10 books complete a "circuit" among 5-10 society members, before being returned to the central office.

The stamp selection I most recently received was a "General Scandinavia" circuit, and I thought I'd share what I found as it offers readers a sense of what might be expected. I'll also add a few notes about why I decided to keep the stamps I chose.

Book 1 contained 13 pages of Icelandic stamps and 3 pages with Denmark. I didn't find anything special in the Iceland area, but the three pages of Denmark had some surprisingly interesting items.

A very nice copy of one of the very early printings of the 12 øre Bicolour issue from Denmark. On closer inspection, the stamp looks like it might be from the very difficult 1st or 2nd printings, which can be very difficult to find in nice condition. Since these are valued in the Danish AFA Specialized catalogue at at least 400,- Danish kr. (US $68.00/54.00 Euro), the asking price of US $1.25 was quite a bargain.

A nice example of the 20 øre Wavy Lines type from 1912. The vast majority of the 13.7 million stamps issued are the normal "dark blue" colour. However, this was not the "regular" stamp, but the scarce "blackish blue" shade, only listed in Scandinavian catalogues.

It is difficult to make a scan that accurately shows just how dark the blue color is, on this, but to the trained eye of a long-time Denmark collector, the blackish-blue version stands out.

This particular stamp was also interesting to me because of the almost complete Copenhagen cancel.

The normal 20 øre blue has Scott value of US $0.80, but the blackish-blue is valued at 140,- Danish Kr. (US $23.50/18.50 Euro) in the AFA catalogue, so this was hard to pass up at just US $0.25.

Next in the book I found a presentable example of the 60 øre brown & blue bicolour Christian X stamp from 1919. Although listed as the "regular" stamp, I recognized this as the scarcer brown & ultramarine shade, and based on the color, I wondered if it might even be the rarer "dark" ultramarine.

The color of this particular stamp seems to cause trouble for many collectors. I see as many stamps with a "blue" center listed as "ultramarine," as I see "ultramarine" stamps listed as "blue." A stamp like this-- where there is a considerable value difference between the two shades-- is a good reminder to invest in a "color guide" which is available from a number of stamp supplies sellers. The Scott catalogue values the "brown & blue" version of this stamp at US $4.00, but even the least expensive "brown & ultra" version lists for 150,- Danish Kr. (US $25.50/20.00 Euro) in the AFA catalogue, so at US $1.50, a good buy.

Book 2 contained used Norway. Sadly, most of the better stamps were faulty, so I was just not interested. Among the newer cheaper stamps, there were no S.O.N. postmarks, so book ended up being a zero.

Book 3 contained MNH Faroe Islands-- but since I don't collect mint, it was of no interest to me.

Book 4 contained mixed Scandinavia. This is actually my favorite kind of book, as they are typically mounted by general worldwide collectors, so there is less chance the stamps have been gone over by a specialist.

What I found in this book was some rather uninspiring Iceland, some not very interesting Denmark... except for a nice copy of Denmark's first stamp, the 4RBS brown. This was a 4-margin copy of the Ferslew (1st) printing with a light cancel. As I am doing a plating study of this stamp, I'm always on the lookout for 4-margin copies without heavy cancels blocking the design. Although the US $19.00 price tag was at the upper end of what I'd normally pay, this was a very nice and clean copy.

Some stamps in this book made me wonder, though-- and got me to thinking a bit about what constitutes a "collectible quality" stamp. The book contained a number of stamps that would have found their way into my waste bin, but I guess some people find this quality to be an acceptable space filler. Still, asking 20% of catalogue value for an extensively damaged stamp hardly seems realistic.

Book 5 contained Finland, including some better classics. Sadly, the one stamp that caught my eye-- one of the large perf classic issues with a nice ULEÅBORG straight line cancel-- wasn't as nice quality as I'd liked to see, so I passed on it.

Book 6 was a very nice book of Denmark, the kind I really like to get because I can find enough stamps to offset the $8.00+ shipping/insurance fees that go with getting a box of circuit books.

First up, another 4RBS brown from the Ferslew printing-- this one was a very exciting find!

The stamp has a very visible plate flaw at right, as well as a double frame line at left, and lots of "double strikes" in the wreath at bottom right. This identifies it as plate I, position 19, also known as the "Pemberton double strike" stamp, named after the first philatelist to identify it.

This is a well-known classic Danish variety, known by most collectors in Denmark. However, not a "Scott listed" item. I do not have this variety in my classic Denmark collection, so I was very pleased to find it.

Although not wide-margined example, it was in acceptable quality with a reasonable cancel and the areas with the plate varieties clearly visible. The current catalogue value in the Danish AFA Specialized catalogue is 3000,- Danish kr. (about US $510.00/405.00 Euro) so the price tag of $10.00 was hardly important. Definitely the "find of the month," for me.

Next up, a presentable and lightly canceled 2sk blue imperf in a particularly dark shade-- probably the one known to Danish collectors as "dark steel blue."

Although there was only one official printing of the 2 skilling blue, a wide range of shades exist, and some are scarcer than others. The darker shades are the least common.

What also caught my eye about this stamp was a distinct "dent" in the left frame, near the top corner. At US $20.00, a fair buy, for a 4-margin copy.

Finally, an unused copy of the 8sk green imperf from 1857 with HUGE margins. Even considering the faint rust spots, a very good buy at $30.00, in this condition; you can actually see part of the next stamp at both the top and bottom. I will probably be sending this one to Denmark to get a certificate (along with the "Pemberton" 4RBS brown)-- just to make sure there's not a cleaned cancel hiding somewhere, since the seller was offering it as "used." The stamp had no gum, but it looked good to my eye.

Since I am not really into unused stamps, odds are I will either trade this stamp for something I would rather have... or auction it on eBay, at some later date.

Book 7 contained Greenland, with a heavy emphasis on mint, which I do not collect. Another zero.

Book 8 was another book of Iceland, this one with quite a few high value items. At first I felt hopeful but sadly, the quality was a bit dodgy, and I passed on several appealing looking stamps that turned out to have minor flaws.

Book 9 was more "mixed Scandinavia," but the book was mostly of common newer low value stamps, and I didn't spot any interesting plate flaws or cancels.

Book 10 contained the only Swedish stamps in the group, but almost everything was either mint or modern booklets, neither of which hold much interest for me. No sale.

Overall, this was one of the better groups of circuit books I have had in recent years, and I am very pleased with the seven Danish stamps I picked out.

I have been buying stamps from APS circuit books for over 20 years (and have sometimes been a seller, as well) and have found many worthwhile stamps, over the years. As a stamp buying "venue," I do recommend it although you may experience times of frustration when you find absolutely nothing in a package of books and realize that you just spent $7.90 for trackable shipping and $1.50 for insurance. But then next time you may find as many goodies as I just did, and it suddenly becomes very worthwhile.

Where to Buy Stamps: APS StampStore

The American Philatelic Society (APS, for short) is the primary organization for stamp collectors in the USA, but has a large worldwide membership.

Denmark 4RBS brown, Thiele printing

One of the services for APS members is the online "Stamp Store" where collectors can browse and add to their collections from among thousands and thousands of stamps listed for sale by other stamp collectors. As of the last time I checked in, there were over a quarter million philatelic items for sale!

Although the underlying idea is "stamp collectors selling to other stamp collectors," the APS StampStore is different from sites like eBay, Delcampe or Stamps2Go. Aside from the fact that you have to be an APS member to buy stamps (anyone can browse), the APS acts as an active intermediary between buyers and sellers.

What this effectively means is that listings are standardized, all have photos, and "the handling of money" is all done by the APS, rather than the buying and selling individuals. This makes the StampStore a very attractive option for those collectors who are concerned about the trustworthiness of individual online sellers. In addition, it allows for a uniform "return policy" to exist, so you can get your money back, if a stamp you buy turns out to be faulty or "not as described."

What kind of material can you expect to find? Well, the range is pretty broad, with almost every stamp issuing entity in the world represented. The value of the items tend to start at around a couple of US dollars-- mostly because of the minimum fees per item the APS charges to sellers. On the upside, I have seen items priced in excess of $1000.

Denmark 4RBS blackish-brown, Thiele II printing

Are there any downsides to using the APS StampStore as a place to add to your collection? Some might argue that the required Society membership (currently US $48.00 per year) is a "downside," but I really don't share that point of view as I believe membership in an organization that promotes awareness of stamp collecting as a hobby is a positive investment, no matter what.

For me, the primary downsides (pretty minor) are that the scans/photos are not always of the best quality, stamps in sets are scanned "as received" so not all stamps are necessarily visible in the photo, and sellers are not always very meticulous in accurately pointing out "problems" in their descriptions. The system may also be more challenging to use for non-US based collectors, due to the reliance on the US Scott catalogue numbering system. For example, if you live in Germany and depend on Michel, it might take a little detective work to figure out the stamps you're looking at.

As is often true with multi-seller marketplaces, pricing is inconsistent, but that's not the fault of the sales venue. You can find some excellent bargains, and you can also find a number of items listed by "dreamers" who seem to think 75% of catalogue value is "realistic" for a seriously defective stamp.

Denmark 4RBS yellow-brown, Thiele III printing

Overall, I have had positive experiences using the APS StampStore to add to my collections. On the few occasions where I've had to return stamps, the refunds have been prompt. I've been a buyer (but not a seller) for almost 10 years, and have added many nice stamps to my albums. The selections from the Scandinavian countries are usually fairly good, and new material seems to trickle in every month, although not in great volumes. Since I only collect used stamps, I don't actually see every new listing on the site, so your results might be quite different from mine.

The photos in this article are some classic Danish stamps that arrived in the APS StampStore this month, and promptly found their way to my office! The site is well worth checking out, and I hope you also decide to become an APS member.

Stamps, Valuations, Knowledge and "Fairness"

As stamp collectors, we tend to think of the primary "commodity" we spend our time with as "stamps" and things that relate to stamps.

We buy stamps; we swap stamps, and sometimes we sell stamps. At the foundation of our ability to make these trades-- with each other, and with dealers-- lies our core belief that any given stamp has a certain relative value.

After 45-odd years of involvement in philately, I increasingly have come to realize that much the foundation for trade-ability is-- as often as not-- knowledge, rather than "stamps."

20ø blackish blue. Value $20+ rather than 75c

For many of us, new stamps are added to our collections as part of a process of "treasure hunting;" that is, we go looking for (or at least are open to finding) the unexpected to fill gaps in our collections. And everybody loves a bargain!

From time to time, I attend stamp shows and bourses. Several times a month I will spend a few hours perusing eBay or one of the other online sales venues for stamps. Sometimes I visit dealers in the area; sometimes I buy lots from brick-and-mortar auctions; sometimes I am poring over a box of circuit books from the American Philatelic Society.

As often as not, new "treasures" come to me not simply because "there's a gap in my collection," but because I "found something" among the stamps offered for sale; something unexpected; something of value. For me, it is usually a rare postmark or a shade/printing of a classic stamp, or a variety/plate flaw of some kind. Whatever it may be, it tends to have a "value" that by far exceeds the marked sales price.

The "making a find" part came into play purely because I recognized something the seller did not. In other words, I was in the knowledge business.

This, in turn, invites consideration of the question of whether or not that makes me rather "mercenary" and whether or not it is "fair" to the seller that I am going to buy an item marked at $2.00, when I know it's worth $200.00. Let's pause and examine some different ways of looking at what might be considered "fair."

For one, the seller marked the item at $2.00, in the belief it was a "fair price," given his knowledge of the situation.

The HILLE postmark adds $500.00+ in value

For maybe 99% of his or her potential buyers, that stamp is "worth" $2.00... because they see the stamp as exactly what the dealer thinks he's selling.

My "other 1%" knowledge was not "free." Behind my ability to pick out a $200.00 variety lies not only 25 years of study, but probably a $1000+ investment in specialized literature.

What's more, if I were to turn around and "profit" by selling the stamp rather than keeping it it in my collection, unlike the original seller, I also have spent 25 years building the connections within the hobby the results in my being able to contact a collector who will pay me $200.00. The original seller doesn't have those connections.

So where does the notion of "fairness" lie, in these situations?

Just like a stamp has a "catalogue value," expertise has a "value." And expert knowledge typically "costs extra," regardless of your field. Your country doctor might-- or might not-- be able to heal some esoteric illness you have. A specialist-- for five times the price-- heals it in short order-- because he or she "invested" years and money in becoming a specialist. Is it "unfair" to your country doctor that he only gets $150.00 for an office visit, when the specialist gets to charge $800.00?

Is if "fair" to YOU, that you have to pay more? You could argue that it's not-- because you are "short the money"-- but in the end we all tend to get what we pay for.

My point here being that while our finding "a $200.00 stamp for $2.00" may look opportunistic and like we're getting "something for nothing," we typically have paid "a price of admission" (learning, time, experience, reference books) in order to get to a place where the transaction was even possible. Rather than viewing the situation as "unfairly taking advantage" of the seller, we can view it as "our fair reward for years of study."

Spring Stamp Auctions: Better Denmark on eBay, ONE CENT starts!

On occasion, I round up some of the better "odds and ends" from my duplicate stamp books, and then put them up for auction on eBay.

Denmark no. 6, catalogue $190.00

This week, it is stamps from Denmark that are up for grabs. As with all auctions I list, every lot is listed with good photos, and all items have a starting price of just ONE CENT, regardless of the stamp's value. For example, in the current group (48 auctions, in all) you can-- at least at the moment-- bid one cent on a presentable classic Danish stamp with a US $190.00 catalogue value, or a lot of older stamps with a combined value of over US $250.00.

Auctions end Sunday, May 20th, at around 22:00 Central European Time, 4:00pm US Eastern/1:00pm US Pacific time. 

Some folks think I'm a bit crazy for offering "perfectly good stamps" in such a way... after all "What if you end up having to sell a $100.00 stamp for 1 cent?" I suppose I just believe the stamp market to be intelligent enough to set a fair price for worthwhile philatelic material. I also don't believe that listing items on eBay at something that looks like a retail price has anything to do with running "auctions."  But that's just me. And yes, I have ended up selling a few stamps for one cent, in the course of my 14 years on eBay.

And yes, technically speaking, you could go place a minimum bid on every item and potentially end up with hundreds of dollars worth of stamps for less than a dollar.

AFA Postfærge 28x

Anyway, to return to what's up for grabs-- the focus is Denmark, there are 48 lots at auction, and the material runs from classic to newer. There are a few items from the Bicoloured issue, and then a nice group of constant varieties (plate flaws)-- some of which are quite scarce, and finally a nice group of Postfærge stamps.

Detail of AFA 28x, showing the plate flaw

The Postfærge stamps are in particularly nice condition and include a used copy of a scarcer variety. The 5 øre wine red "Wavy Lines" stamp is among Denmark's most common stamps, and even with the Postfærge overprint, it is still quite common. One of the better known "modern" stamp varieties in Danish stamp collecting is the "right lion with lump foot" plate flaw. Although tricky to find, it's not that rare, on the "plain" version of the 5 øre stamp. However, this variety is very difficult to find on stamps with the overprint, and there's a very nice copy available in this sale. This is the variety that also has colour in the bottom of the "K" of DANMARK. With a current AFA Specialized catalogue value of 400,- DKK (about 54.00 Euro/$69.50) this major variety is missing from most collections.

As with all my eBay offerings, there's reduced postage when you win multiple lots.

Bidding for these items is currently OPEN, but don't wait too long to go have a look at what's available. The auctions close on Sunday, May 20th at about 22:00hrs, European time; 4:00pm US Eastern/1:00pm US Pacific time. Here's a link to all the auctions, listed together. I hope you'll find a few moments to look at my listings and add an item or two to your Denmark collection!

Finally, I'd like to take a moment to wish everyone in the US a very Happy Mother's Day!

Taking my Stamp Collection "On the Road."

When I was a kid, stamp collecting was mostly quite seasonal.

Growing up in Denmark-- which is far north and has dark wet winters and bright clear summers-- I'd spend lots of time indoors from October through April, and working on my stamp collection was one way to pass time when it seemed like it was going to rain for three weeks in a row. As the days got longer and April gave way to May and June, we kids would spend more and more time outside, building tree forts, riding our bikes or playing football ("soccer") in the roundabout at the end of our street. Although we didn't exactly "put away" our stamp collections, the albums ended up spending more and more time on the shelf.

When school let out for the summer-- in mid- to late June-- we'd often head off to spend some time at the "summer house" (basically an overgrown cabin, away from the city). However, even though there might be rainy days where we couldn't be outside, I don't remember ever bringing my stamps. Most of the time, however, the weather was "too nice" to be sitting inside with stamps, and we'd end up going to the beach. And since it would usually stay light past 9:00pm, there really wasn't such a thing as working on the stamp collection "after dark."

It wasn't until my early 30's, when I started traveling quite a bit for work, and to attend workshops and conferences, that I started bringing some of my stamp collection along. I realized that on those occasions where I might stuck in a hotel room, or in some remote location, I preferred to occupy myself philatelically, as opposed to watching mindless TV or surfing the Internet.

I'm about to enter a period-- until late July-- where I will be gone quite often. As I thought about that, I realized that I will probably get more stamp "work" done while I'm on the road, as I will be spending quite a few days in hotels and at conference centers. I have lots to catch up on, and stamps from this winter that I want to get listed for sale online-- stamps are small, light, and easy to bring along; the only thing that will weigh me down would be stamp catalogues, but I will focus on one area for each trip.

Stay tuned for reports "from the road!"

Facebook Page for Danish Stamps

In this computer age-- where stamp stores are being replaced with web sites, and local stamp clubs replaced with online groups and clubs-- it seems only natural that we (as stamp collectors) should keep up with the times. After all, one of the best ways to get enjoyment from the hobby is to share ideas, pictures and finds with others.

Recently I discovered that Per Møller-- a fellow Denmark collector-- has started a group for Denmark collectors on Facebook. Although the group is pretty small still, it's nice to see a specialized group like this come together. Here's a link to the group:

"Danske Frimæker" on Facebook

Now, the group IS primarily conducted in Danish... but even if you are NOT Danish, you can still visit the group on use the Facebook "translate page" feature to get a pretty good idea of what is being said. There are a lot of nice photos of Danish stamps there, so a visit (and a Facebook "like") is highly recommended.

Scandinavian Stamps on Facebook

There can be few who would deny that we live in a technological age.

Whether you like it or not, computers, the Internet, online forums and social networking web sites like Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn have become "a fact of life" not some "passing fad."

Sadly, many philatelists "reject" these modern technologies, for any number of reasons... ranging from the point of view that "computers are killing stamp collecting" to simply not being interested.

Personally, I don't believe that we-- as stamp collectors-- can afford to sit idly by, if we hope to see the hobby continue to be enjoyed by future generations. It may be very true that we are collectors of something very "low tech," but we will need these "high tech" innovations and venues in order to reach the younger collectors of the future... people who grew up in an age where they have never experienced a world "without the Internet" or without Facebook and twitter, or without a computer and cell phone in every house.

There are those who would argue that "that isn't the way to get new collectors."

That statement can be both "correct" and "not-correct," at the same time. The statement might be 100% correct if you are a collector "of retirement age" and are looking to make contact with people within your peer group to interest them in stamp collecting. However, if you are more interested in "recruiting" new collectors from the age 10-30 set, a different approach is needed. As one friend eloquently phrased it "You have to meet people in THEIR comfort zone, not in YOUR comfort zone."

As part of "doing my bit," I have recently created a Scandinavian Stamps page on Facebook. It's a fairly simple page that affords users of the world's largest social networking site (as well as those who are simply searching the web) to connect with other collectors of Scandinavian stamps.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to visit... and to "like" the page, if you have a Facebook account!

Stamps from Denmark: Paper and Stamp Quality

As a specialist collector, I spend a fair amount of time sifting through "large lots" of stamps, often looking at 100's of examples of the same stamp... searching for plate flaws, cancellations and so forth.

It is important to me that the stamps in my collection are in nice quality and without faults, so one of the "steps" in my sorting process is to check the stamps for defects-- tears, thins, missing or "pulled" perfs, heavy cancels. Unless I am examining very valuable stamps, any with defects go directly to my "junk pile."

One of the earlier Danish stamps printed on hard white paper

Recently, I have been working on a large batch of Danish stamps-- part of a fairly extensive former dealer's stock, containing 1000's of stamps, and sometimes 100's of copies of each stamp. As I worked with these, I noticed how much influence the type of paper used has on the number of faults you find with any given issue.

For the most part, Denmark has used a fairly "soft" paper for issuing stamps. This meant that the stamps generally separated fairly well along the perforations, as a result of which the number of faulty stamps reaching collectors was fairly low. Certainly, some stamps would get damaged by people who handled them roughly, but the "defect rate" was manageable.

Around 1968-70, however, the Danish postal administration started to experiment with "invisible" gum (Danish water-activated gum to that point was typically "shiny" and slightly yellowish) and the type of paper used for printing stamps was changed, as well. The new paper was a very "hard" white paper. Why this particular paper was chosen, I don't know-- possibly because the new adhesive could better be applied.

In any case, this new paper was very "unforgiving," when it came to separating stamps so they could be used on letters. Unless you "pre-folded" several times along the perf line, most stamps would not separate neatly at the center point of the perforations, leading to lots of short and "pulled" perfs. For many collectors, a row of pulled perfs renders a stamp faulty, and "not collectible."

As an example of just how "bad" the situation got, this morning I found myself going through a few hundred copies of Denmark Scott no. 491/AFA no. 525, issued in 1972 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Danish State Railways (DSB)-- pictured in the photo above.

Faulty stamps on the left, good quality stamps on the right

Keeping in mind that this was a dealer's stock I was sorting-- so the stamps must have been deemed to be in at least some form of "collectible" grade-- take a look at the two piles of stamps in the photo, at left. They are of about the same size. The pile on the right are all in good condition, without any minor faults. The pile on the left? All have one or more short/pulled perfs, or small tears! The detail photo, below, shows the "typical damage" I found while sorting, although many were in much worse shape. As a stamp collecting youngster in Denmark, I even remember how you had to be "very careful" when tearing apart stamps to use on the mail, so as not to damage the stamps.

This particular "problem" is actually present with many Danish stamps issued from about 1970 onwards. Then, starting in about 1976-77, the paper formula was changed again as a result of which the number of faulty stamps declined. By the mid 1980's, the problem was not nearly as significant.

Common perf "condition" on Danish stamps from the 1970's

As an interesting aside to all this, most Danish stamps issued between 1968 and 1978 have very low catalogue values, with most being priced at the "minimum value" various catalogue publishers use. I sometimes wonder if these catalogue publishers are aware that whereas "lots of examples" of the stamps issued during this period exist, finding one in "nice used condition without faults" is not nearly as easy.

So what happens to my piles of defective stamps? I used to throw them away, but these days I actually give them to my ex-- who's an artist-- who uses them to create art projects... from laminated bookmarks with stamps, to custom made journal covers with a "postal" or "letter writing" theme, or even collages that feature stamps. I like this particular solution because it means that the stamps still get enjoyed for their designs and will live on as a "reminder of stamps," but they will not live on as faulty junk in actual stamp collections.

Of course, that's a personal philosophy not everyone shares. I happen to be a strong believer in something my father once told me about "faulty stamps," namely that "Common faulty stamps don't become valuable treasures, just because they age. In 100 years, they will merely be old common faulty stamps."

Happy collecting to all!