How to estimate the cost of stamps

When in the hands of a man far removed from philately, stamp comes, he involuntarily thought that this piece of paper can be for someone of great value. However, not every, even a century mark is really a lot of money.

Instruction

1. The easiest way to estimate the cost of the badge postage is to contact the appraiser. Usually services of such a specialist is paid and range from 3 to 10% of the catalogue value of the stamps, which rarely coincides with the market. If you want to be absolutely sure, it is better to resort to this method. But only if you take your time and you have no time to evaluate yourself. Otherwise, in order to understand cost brands, you should know a few basic criteria.
2. Carefully inspect the brand. Unlike coins, stamps have some value only if they are perfect condition, even if age brand more than half a century. In other words, if a postage stamp has wrinkles, it has blemishes, bruises, broken teeth, in the vast majority of cases these brands absolutely cost nothing. Even if the list price of stamps will, for example, 500 roubles, it will cost not 5, not even 1 ruble, which is nothing.
3. If you have an uncanceled postage stamp of the USSR 60-80s of the last century (no stamps, and other signs of cancellation for reuse), and its condition is very good, the price of this brand is usually not more than 3-10 rubles. Blocks of this period will cost 20 to 50 rubles and above.
4. Another option to determine the value of postage stamps – find it in the catalog. Stamps of the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and modern Russia are described in various catalogs. You can use them in large public libraries in your city.
5. In addition, on the Internet there are discussion forums, where you will be able to help to make evaluation. Sign up on one of themwww.filatelist.ru, www.forum.philatelie.ru www.forumuuu.com etc.), scan your stamps and put them on the forum with a request to help assess their value.