Appraising stamps

• Rarity
• Quality
• Authenticity

Value of postage stamps: rarity

Rare stamps are worth real money. It is therefore important for you to know whether your stamp collection might contain rare stamps, errors, proofs, specimens or covers. Do you have postage stamps with full intact gum (mint) from before 1900 in your possession? There is a good chance that these stamps represent good value. Rarity concerns a limited print run, but is also about how many stamps survived until this day.

Quality of old postage stamps

Old stamps of excellent quality represent more value than damaged items. That is why our philatelic expert looks at the condition of the stamps with focus on their perforation, gum damage, discolouring etc. A stamp with a tear or fold is worth less than the same stamp if it were in perfect condition.

During the appraisal attention is paid to all details, because our expert also checks, for example, whether the original gum is still present. This is a sign that the stamp has not been in circulation. Mint, rare and perfect condition stamps have the greatest value.

Authenticity and provenance of rare items

The authenticity and provenance affect the value of rare stamps and postal items. During the appraisal process, research is sometimes needed in this regard. This not only reveals any previous owners, but also whether the item has been sold before and for what price it was sold.

Corinphila maintains a unique and large archive. The information of top philatelic items from, for example, the Netherlands and colonies is available to us. Corinphila Amsterdam has created a family tree of valuable stamps and covers and can trace back the provenance of rare items since the early 1950s. This information also benefits you as consignor when selling stamps through our auction.

Unique archive

Dr. Albert Louis (1925-2013) was a well-known collector and expert in the Netherlands and the founder of our precious archive. This archive currently consists of 32 boxes with contain a wealth of information. The top items from Dutch classical philately are included. An image of each item is available with information about its history, such as where and when the pieces were offered.

If a stamp or cover in the meantime has been repaired or if there are known defects, we can compare to the descriptions of previous auctions with it. These card indexes play a major role in determining the value of rare stamps. They also form an important source for determining the value of stamp collections. You often see our archive mentioned in the description of stamps.

Process of determining the value of postage stamps

Please feel free to contact Corinphila Amsterdam to have the value of your stamps determined free of charge. We would like to invite you to our office in Amstelveen or we will come to you. It is also possible to make a preliminary estimate remotely. In that case, you send us photos by e-mail or WhatsApp so that we are able to make an initial assessment.

• Appraisal in our office in Amstelveen
• Appraisal at home
• Provisional valuation via email or WhatsApp