Purchasing Collections

We are always actively pursuing collections, rarities and groupings for purchase. Outright purchase provides immediate payment, and in the case of voluminous properties, removal of the material. When the decision is made to sell, certain parties, most typically the wife is anxious to reclaim the study or the dining room for less philatelic pursuits. We offer fair and competitive prices for material and have resources for immediate payment.

We understand how difficult selling a collection that took years of love and passion can be. When building a collection, the resale value is not often the primary concern and when the decision is made to sell the collection, attempting to ascertain the value of the collection becomes a source of much anxiety. A quick and complete sale allows the collector or their family to move on with other pursuits.

A seller who is very conversant with both their material and its market value, who enters into the process with a firm idea of the price they wish to achieve will be most satisfied using the outright purchase to liquidate the property. In our experience, these are likely to be Philatelic Dealers or specialized collectors; very few of the sellers we see fall into this category.

Most sellers are not certain of the true value of their collection and solicit offers from as many companies as possible. While we will be happy to participate in this exercise, we encourage individuals in this position to contact us for a free consultation. Consider that the individuals from whom you are requesting offers are professionals looking to maximize their own profit on your collection; honest advice and counsel is not in their best interest.

We will provide you with guidance to help you learn about your material and its value, but we caution you that given the number of variables, this can be daunting and a source of frustration. Misidentification of items and their condition can cause great variations in value.

One of the most common mistakes we see with novice philatelists is confusing the catalogue value with the market price. Only on a rare occasion will a stamp realize the catalogue value on the open market. Often times with more recent collections, the best use of the material is as postage. This material is called referred to as “face”, and often times a seller will be offered only a small fraction of the value printed on the stamps.

Contact us first, before you start using “Inverted Jennys” to mail in your absentee ballots or looking at that Ferrari you are going to buy when you sell your collection.

Settling Estates – The auction process can take several months depending on the material. Sometimes keeping an estate open can be costly and an outright sale allows an estate to be finalized.

Small Collections – Often collections that have a low value will not perform well in a live auction and any possible difference between the purchase offer we will make and the price you MAY realize at auction does not warrant the effort to auction.

Collections with Questionable Items – Collections with a large number of lower value items that may be forgeries, repaired or altered may leave too much variation in the value of the items for any purchaser to make a high offer. The cost and time involved to obtain certificates, especially if a high probability of “bad” certificates exist. Selling this type of collection outright is the most economical.

Large “Face value” collections – Generally these types of collections will sell for a percentage of the value irrespective of how they are offered. A quick transaction is often the best solution for the client.

Often customers are forced to trade off immediate payment with maximum profit. If you find yourself torn between your immediate cash needs and a desire to maximize profits, contact us, we offer creative solutions including advanced payments and partial purchase plans.