We purchased this book to use to value our stamp collection. We spend DAYS going through everything, labeling the stamps by Scott Number and analyzing each unused stamp. (I felt the book was difficult to use.) When we were done, the valuation of our collection (mostly unused stamps from 1935 to 1980) was $3,000! We were ecstatic! However, when we tried to find a buyer, there are none. After talking with dozens of people, we learned that stamps are worth only their face value as US Postage! After much time and research and a dozen calls, the best offer we received was 60% of face value (and they really didn't even want the stamps under 10 cents). The only place that would buy them was a store that would use them for shipping -- and they would pay us just $300! I called the post office, and they confirmed this to be true. I asked if they would consider trading our stamps for forever stamps, but she said no. She said unless you actually had a very rare, typically misprint or error class stamp, it is only worth the face.
I found a man who *is* the local stamp collector guru, and he said that stamp collecting is a dying hobby. He said mostly only retired people are into it, and the US Post Office overproduced "collectable" stamps destroying the value. As collectors are dying, their collections are flooding the market. No demand and too much supply, you do the math.
The purpose of acquiring this book was to price my collection for sale. Instead I wasted a lot of time and energy. I think it is almost criminal that this book purports the accurate value of the stamps -- when there is absolutely no reflection in reality. According to the local expert, he does NOT think the market will ever recover for stamps. He suggested that we use the stamps for regular US mail. Guess what, that's what we are doing...
