USA by Les Winick

Strange happenings in the stamp trade

THERE are strange happenings in the stamp trade today. Prices on ‘better’ stamps are reaching new heights. The consensus seems to be that financial investors are spurring the boom on collectables. Many dealers remember the stamp craze of the 1980s when the US Zepps reached $10,000 and the important British colonies, in singles and sets, hit new highs for that era. Dealers tell me that ‘investors turned into collectors’ did not make out financially in the long run. The unknown factor is whether many, or any, of these speculators turned into philatelists. However, the auctioneers who catered to the world audience and the major retail dealers did very well financially during these ‘good times’. I have no record whether the many new auctioneers that opened shop during those heady times are around today ...

(Read the entire column in the November 2005 Philatelic Exporter.)