The Stamp Collection

Charlotte was impatiently waiting outside the front door of an old mid-century style home on a crisp Friday morning. The wait had been almost two hours, and she was finally next in line. Any minute she would be inside to see what treasures could be found. Charlotte was a bit angry at herself for not getting up earlier, what were other people finding before her? She was anxiously awaiting to see what was in there.

Finally, the door opens, and she is allowed into the estate sale. As Charlotte walks in, she sees a case of vintage gems and jewelry near the front. Antiques and vintage decor were on display throughout the living room. Colorful glass lamps, bronze sculptures, vases, and more were available for purchase. Charlotte is a bit of a bargain hunter, so this was stepping out of her usual garage sales and thrift stores. She hoped to maybe find a bargain somewhere in this grand house. On a display shelf, she spotted a pretty little vase and checked the price at the bottom. It was way out of her budget at $150. She sighed, “Not happening”. Room after room uncovered more unaffordable treasures. Maybe the pastry and coffee offered outside for $5 would be the only thing in her budget.

At the end of the hallway was a small office-like room with some less expensive items. There were a couple of bookcases full of old books. Tables set up against a wall with vintage postcards, LP records, sewing items, and other ephemera. Most of the other shoppers weren't interested in this part of the house, but it was perfect for her. She picked up a few art books at $3 each. Charlotte spent quite a bit of time here looking through all the old postcards. Vintage Las Vegas postcards of long-gone casinos were scattered about the table. She imagined going to Vegas at that time and how new and glamorous it once was. There were small clear plastic bags filled with old matchbooks and other odds and ends for $5 each. One of these bags piqued her interest. The bag was stapled shut, but visible inside were several old postage stamps, old envelopes, and a small black notebook. The envelopes had some dates from the early 1900s and possibly had some value. For $5, she would take a chance.

She got home and first unpacked the few art books. Her bookcases were filled with books Charlotte had purchased from various sales, but she managed to squeeze some aside to make room for the new additions. Then she opened the plastic bag with stamps and the black notebook. She laid them out on her kitchen table to see what was there. Stamps were on envelopes with dates ranging from early 1900s to the 1970s.

Upon opening the small black notebook, it revealed even more postage stamps. These stamps had been carefully placed in small clear little pockets affixed to pages. Notes were written next to each one. The handwritten notes were difficult to read, but many had dates listed that were legible. Some of the stamps in the notebook were older, from the 1800s. This was starting to seem like it could have some value, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.

How much could these stamps be worth? She decided to dig in and search online for possible values. The first stamp she found online has an illustration of the Mississippi River Bridge $2.00 postage. Written notes next to this stamp mention this one is from 1898. She found one had sold on an auction site for a surprising $415! She was able to find one other stamp in the collection that sold for close to $600. Could this little black notebook contain stamps worth $1,000 or more? She tried to look up more, but found there are several factors to determine stamp values. This was not something that could be easily determined just by searching online. An expert's help was definitely needed. During her research, she found an auction house in Los Angeles that had sold several stamps in a recent auction. Charlotte made an appointment with the appraiser two weeks later.

Upon her arrival at the auction house, the appraiser was stuck with another client. She could hear the conversation while she was waiting and it was so unnecessary. This client was telling the appraiser about their vacation, blah blah kept going on. Charlotte was so eager to find out what these stamps were worth, it felt like the conversation would never end. Finally, the client finisher her chit chat and it was Charlotte’s turn. She brought up the bag with the stamps and the little black notebook. First, the appraiser looked through the loose stamps and stamps on envelopes. There wasn’t much value there and he put them aside. But when he opened the notebook, she could see the look on his face. These were good, she could see it, his whole demeanor changed. He was looking at all the pages and reading the little written notes. He told her that there were some really valuable stamps in the notebook. “How much do you think they are worth?” she asked. He paused and told her that just looking them over quickly, he estimated the auction value to be between $10,000 and $15,000. Charlotte tried to contain her excitement, but she just started to smile and laugh in disbelief. She couldn’t believe it, her little $5 purchase could end up being so much more! She thanked him for the appraisal and agreed to place the collection in the upcoming auction.

The auction day arrived a couple of months later. Charlotte walked into the auction room and took a seat. So many items were up for auction. This was going to be so much fun to see. Some artwork was first and a painting sold for an amazing $100,000! That was the biggest sale so far. Charlotte was keeping in mind things to look for at the next estate sale. You never know what can turn up. She could see her lot was up next and was so excited to see what would happen. The auctioneer started her collection at $5,000. “Anyone, anyone $5,000?” the auctioneer asked. At first, there was silence and then a bid! A call-in bidder for $5,000 started off the auction. Then it went to $6,000, and another bid. The auction price went up to an unexpected $20,000 bid! “$21,000, anyone, anyone?” the auctioneer asked. Then she called the auction, “Sold, high bidder $20,000.” Charlotte couldn't believe that she just sold this little stamp collection in a notebook for twenty grand!

After the auction, Charlotte called one of her thrifting friends and told him about how she found the notebook of stamps at the estate sale and how much they sold for at the auction. She ended the conversation with, “That was the best $5.00 I ever spent. I’m glad I didn’t opt for the $5.00 pastry and coffee instead!”