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old stamps from the 40s and 50s worth anything?

submitted by AugustineOfHippo2 to AskUpgoat 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 15:41:32 ago (+3/-0)     (AskUpgoat)

I have a box full of old letters with stamps on them from the 40s and 50s. They have all been mailed and have the postmark on them, but they are all in very good condition.
Are these worth anything, other than just using them as kindling?


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[ - ] HughBriss 3 points 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 16:19:58 ago (+3/-0)

Postmarked stamps have a lower value than mint stamps, but if you soak them off the envelope, put them together as a bundle on eBay, you'll be able to sell them. Their value will all depend on what they are. In the 40s and 50s commemorative stamps were very popular (and they were very attractive), but they weren't very scarce. The same with definitives (portrait stamps of presidents and the like). It also depends on whether they were part of a sheet or part of a vertical or horizontal coil. Look up comparables on eBay, and that should give you a good idea of their worth.

source: I'm a big ol' US stamp nerd

[ - ] Cunt 0 points 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 23:19:31 ago (+0/-0)

Soaking? I would have assumed a hair-dryer (or heat gun) to melt the glue, works for price stickers.

[ - ] Gowithit 2 points 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 16:15:47 ago (+2/-0)

I spent a whole morning pricing stamps from a box my husband found and the only luck I had was at most 60 cents for a 3 cent California centennial stamp..

So just in my opinion ..kindling

[ - ] spasswerk 1 point 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 22:51:45 ago (+1/-0)

Rather than soaking them off you should cut them out in a way that preserves the entire postmark. Not a huge market for stamps but still some folks collecting and someone will want them. An irreplaceable bit of history, not kindling.

[ - ] lord_nougat 1 point 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 21:56:51 ago (+1/-0)

Yes, they are worth something; whatever you can convince someone to pay you for them.

[ - ] PeckerwoodPerry 1 point 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 16:40:22 ago (+1/-0)

I use to have a shit load of stamps taken off of wermacht soldiers. They featured Bf-109s and tanks, as well as a few different ones with Uncle Adolf. My grandfather brought back a lot of war trophies, and before and after the war he worked for the post office. My father had literally thousands of stamps. My mother donated them to a convent when he died.

[ - ] lord_nougat 0 points 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 21:55:27 ago (+0/-0)

Wow. It is possible that our dads may have known, or at least known of one another at some point in their long postal service careers.

[ - ] rage 1 point 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 15:44:21 ago (+1/-0)

Yes. They're worth the posted list. If it's a 1c stamp, then you need to use 60 of them today.

I think the stamp collector crowd all finally died off around the early 2000s.

[ - ] Cunt 0 points 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 23:21:25 ago (+0/-0)

Pretty sure the whole point of a postmark is to say the stamp has been used and can't be used again.

[ - ] Redhairin 0 points 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 19:27:31 ago (+0/-0)

Depends on the individual stamp. There used to be a sorta 'blue book' of used postage stamps for collectors, but I don't recall the title. Try the library. Here's others:

The Official Blackbook Price Guide to United States Postage Stamps 2015, 37th Edition
2022 US/BNA Catalog (US BNA Postage Stamp Catalog
Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue 2022: Us and Countries A-B
Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers 2021 (Scott Catalogues)

[ - ] BoozyB 0 points 2.9 yearsAug 7, 2022 15:45:26 ago (+0/-0)

I'm guessing not much.
Do a search on eBay...vintage postage stamps.