Stamp Values Peaked in 1981 -- Where Do They Stand Now?

[@glennkendall8621]

Thank-you for doing this Ted. As you say, the true vale of philately is in the learning and exploration, and not in the financial reward. But it's useful to see that the stamp market has been stable in recent years (at least in nominal terms, as others have pointed out). Also, as I become more selective and specialized in my collecting habits, I would observe (in a completely non-scientific way) that prices for higher value issues from several countries have, if anything, increased a bit over the last 4-5 years. All the best...

[@tedtalksstamps]

Sure, there are still quite a few stamps that continue to increase in value. Even during the Great Depression there were companies that continued to prosper and whose stock prices increased - Coca Cola, Proctor and Gamble, AT&T.

[@chrislovesstamps]

Hey Ted. Thanks for the video. Interesting topic that I don't think about. I can recall your 'first' video about this topic. Thanks for the video.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thanks Chris.

[@Horsa-sr8oz]

I assume these numbers are not inflation adjusted which would indicate a slow value degradation. One experienced auctioneer split the market into 3 brackets re catalog. Sub 2k, between 2k and 20k, anything above 20k. He stated that these markets moved separately in his experience as they affected different groups within the hobby. Great presentation, thank you.

[@danielgolden2478]

I’m glad to see that the index has more or less stabilized in recent years as opposed to continuing to drop. Great video Ted! As a side note, I just put your Christmas card in the mail yesterday. I hope it gets to you before you move! Happy Stamping!

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thanks, Dan. We’ll have mail forwarding for a while, so we should get it.

[@kozzackkelt]

Thanks for another interesting video...... the enjoyment value and the educational value of Philately have, at least to me, greatly increased since I retired a few years ago. Its fun to rediscover treasures I obtained in the past as I am organizing this 35+ years of stamp / philatelic accumulation.... To me, like anything else, if you go into it for the fun of it and generally don't worry about "whats it worth," there is great value in that.

[@tedtalksstamps]

The same is true for me since retiring.

[@fareast_de]

Absolutely. In the Western hemisphere, stamps got a price peak in 1980/81 due to high inflation rates in the 1970s. Same with precious metals like gold and silver. Then we got a crash on the philatelic markets in America, Europe and even in Japan, and the prices for standard items never really recovered. With three exceptions: PR China and the "Tiger States" in South East Asia since the 1980s and, with some restrictions, Russia since the 1990s.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Yes, the price increase for the stamps of particular countries hinges a lot on an increase in the middle class population as people come to appreciate and collect their own stamps.

[@andybusard6694]

Nice work with a spreadsheet!!!

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thanks, Andy.

[@markhoerner2354]

Thank you for your hard work and knowledge. Have run into a valuation issue that is not addressed fully that I can find, and that is the issue of original gum vs re-gummed mint stamps and how to identify (generally) both. Since it affects so called value when buying and I have noticed spotty or inconsistent declaration on sales sites. Would appreciate you weighing in on this issue or directing me to one of your older videos. Keep doing what you do.

[@Rangersly]

Very interesting video! Maths give me a headache. So thank you Ted for doing the all leg work here. I'm not surprised that stamps values have gone up after 2021. If anything, I would have expected an even bigger jump. Covid, with all the lockdowns, gave a lot of people free time and not much to do while staying at home. This was a time where a lot of people discovered or rediscovered stamp collecting. I'm sure you also noticed a big boom of channels about philately on the old Ytube at in the same period. And, as you pointed out, only a couple of values brings the index down in 2024. All the rest is pretty much the same. So, I would say a pretty stable situation.

[@chrislovesstamps]

I certainly rediscovered stamp collecting. So indeed, I would've expected a bit of a jump too.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thanks, Rangersly. Glad you liked it.

[@markhoerner2354]

I started collecting again (after a 50 year break) and thought it would be cheaper…. Then started pursuing QE commonwealth stamps. Experiencing a notably competitive and non- elastic market. Especially in mint high denomination ( or any). US stamps I don’t bother with because of over grading specialization.

[@josepha9313]

There is a sentimental value to stamps as well...hold a Franklin-Washington postmarked Brooklyn NY Dec 1915, wondering if it was freezing cold or snowing that day when the person mailed his or her letter...

[@tedtalksstamps]

That’s true.

[@Colecionismos]

Hello from Portugal. I use my portuguese Afinsa catalogue from 2002, is as if the time stood still in portuguese philately. Thank you for this great video.

[@GreatStampAdventure]

Hi Ted, thanks for another interesting video for which you did some substantial work, and which gives so much information. I love your videos! It was interesting to see what happens in the stamp market. Although monetary value of stamps does not indicate the joy of the hobby, as you said, it is interesting to note the money your stamps in your collection is "worth". Congratulations on your new forever home! It is an important step to reach after having to move so many times.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thank you so much Charnie. I appreciate your taking the time to leave your comments. It means a lot to me.

[@jeffreyhalvorson31]

Thanks for another video Ted,. A couple things to mention. Catalogue values are a horrible way to value a collection. Except for the few high value items that sell in major auctions, the cat value does not represent retail. I use Facit for my Scandinavian collections, Michel for my German, and Stanley Gibbons for my BC collections. Facit incudes English translations. Michel doesn't but it can be followed easy enough with little effort. All are high but Scott is the worst. I remember when Linn's had a column with actual retail values. It was one of their most popular columns but was discontinued in the mid to late 80's, I don't recall the exact year. Also, given the high inflation we've seen in the lst four years, unless charts to make comparisons are adjusted for inflation, they don't tell a true story. A stamp that had a $100 cat value four years ago and remains around the $100 area now,, is actually worth substantially less today.. If you bought if for $100 then, and sell it for $100 now, you've lost money. Everything sells for more now so if it remains the same, it has lost value. Good luck on your move. I've moved enough to know that it is a hassle. Thanks again. I'll keep on following you. I do like your vids.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Anybody with a couple of days worth of experience buying stamps knows that cv does not equal retail prices. But they are a useful gauge of relative value. They simply cannot accurately reflect real world prices because of the dreaded death-spiral. Dealers want to sell at a discount to cv. When the catalogue updates their "values" to this discounted price, the dealer will now discount their prices against the discounted cv's. Repeat ad infinitum and eventually evrything will be valued at zero. I'll also disagree about Scott being the worst. I can't tell you how many times I've checked Scott values against sales listings that quote Michel or SG values and found Scott to be 30 to 50% less. And yes, inflation is a factor, but a stamp index, just as with the Dow Jones or S&P 500 indices, is not meant to adjust for inflation. These indices are simply snapshots of points in time. It's up to the reader to make their own adjustments. What inflation gauge do you use. What is your initial reference year? If you bought your stamps in 1981, you made the worst possible "investment." If you bought at the market low in 1991, not so bad. One more thing: These recurring arguments vis a vis inflation and, "You've actually lost money on your stamps," make the presumption that stamps are being purchased only as a monetary asset for the sole purpose of selling at a higher price in the future. I haven't lost a penny in stamps, just as I have not lost money in buying books, cd's, or in eating out at a restaurant or going out to the cinema. That's because none of these discretionary purchases were made as monetary investments, but, rather, investments in my own pleasure, education, and well-being. When I look at the stamp chart, I don't think, gee, inflation has eroded the monetary value of my collection, but rather, great, with my income growth (which has outpaced inflation) over those years along with my increased discretionary spending power, I have an opportunity to fill spaces in my collection which I could not, previously.

[@CoinsAZ]

👋 good episode

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thank you CAZ.

[@voneschenbachmusic]

Very interesting to see the index updated. Are the indexes using adjusted values to take inflation into account? I wonder if Scott is actually tracking stamp prices - their staff seems too small these days to do much more than add the new stamps to the catalog each year. I wonder if eBay sold listings could be used for more accurate data... not sure if Hipstamp has similar functionality for sold listings. Another great video Ted - Congrats on your new forever apartment in Funchal!!!

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thanks. The stamps were from index, just as with the Dow or S&P stock indices are just snapshots of the values at that point in time. Scott does not continually track all stamps. Only a few countries get the full treatment. When you read the articles in Scott Stamp Monthly announcing the new editions they often say something like, “In this edition we completed a comprehensive evaluation of the stamps of _____.”

[@serga76.bodrov]

good afternoon. I think the price reduction for stamps depends more on the amount of demand and on the number of collectors interested in them. and now the economic situation allows few people to spend extra money, including hobbies.

[@tedtalksstamps]

You're absolutely right.

[@peterglynn5181]

we love you , Ted Talks Stamps.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thank you so much.

[@Wol-gx6qj]

Hello ted, is your forum down? I am just getting a message that says temporary error 502. This is happening with other proboards hosted foums too, so I am wondering is it an issue from my side or are you having it too?

[@tedtalksstamps]

No problems as far as I can tell. I was logged in 12 hours ago and again 3 hours ago.

[@Wol-gx6qj]

@@tedtalksstamps Yeah, the issue is fixed now, I think it was about 8 or 9 hours ago

[@Creek54]

You have another Bluesky follower. I also dumped twitter.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Cool. I'll see you there.

[@repenney]

One measure of the stamp market is this fact: membership in the American Philatelic Society peaked in the 1980's, and has seen a steady decline since. When will it bottom-out? Perhaps AI can give us a hand.

[@2realesazul]

I appreciate you doing all this work Ted but will point out a) the constant disconnect between catalogue values and retail prices which seems to be widening, with cat values maintained more or less flat while sale prices continue to go down. and b) cherry picking a small number of individual pieces does not reflect the collecting market. "We're about the same as 10 years ago" is not the reality in my opinion. I think we need other KPIs, such as APS membership, local and national shows (number of shows, attendance, number of exhibits), volume of transactions at online sites, etc.

[@rsmith8365]

I joined Bluesky pretty much for the same reason. Way too toxic.See you there!

[@tedtalksstamps]

I’ll look for you.

[@oldhab7890]

Great market for collectors. I remember and participated in the craziness in the late 70s and early 80s. I am so glad we aren't in a market run by speculators and "flippers".

[@tedtalksstamps]

I remember those days. In particular, I recall Swiss semi-postals being in a speculative frenzy. In the same copy of Linn’s you could find sales ads for them as well as buy ads offering higher prices. And this was for low priced sets in the $2, $3, and $4 range. Crazy times.

[@oldhab7890]

@@tedtalksstamps Ryukyu Islands is the one I remember

[@heatherward553]

Dont give them no ideas. Mann y peepls broadcast the wrong shit

[@kenarromdee3730]

Umm, you have to adjust for inflation. 688 in 2024 is equal to about 297 in 1991 dollars and 180 in 1980 dollars.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Umm, no. An index is simply a snapshot of a particular value at a particular point in time. Neither the DJIA or S&P500 indices are adjusted for inflation when they are reported. It is not, nor is it meant to be, an economic analysis of purchasing power (unless the chart is specifically calculated to show that), of which inflation is only one factor. What about wage growth? Shouldn't that be factored in also? In the numbers you give, price inflation is 2.32X since 1991 and 3.82X since 1980. However, wage growth has been 3.05X since 1991 and 5.32X since 1980, handily outpacing inflation. Use the index for what it is, a snapshot in time, and utilize it as just one tool to use in whatever analysis you wish to make about the stamp market.

[@FilipeLemos1964]

👏👏👏👍👍👍💪💪💪 🥰

[@tedtalksstamps]

Thank you.

[@olivermiller2013]

Personal I don´t care much about the worth of stamps. This is overrated anyway in 90% of the collections. The outcome in your video didn´t surprise me because there are not many price changes. Even on the auctions with popular stamps. It is stable. One changed the last 20 years a lot: Modern stamps are very often nothing worth anymore. You talked a bit about German stamps and if you look for stamps from 1955 - 2002, you get them for very small money. In the 1980s it was total different and there were some of them which were very expensive. But if you look for older stamps it is quite stable and there are people out there looking for them. It is still not easy to get a good collection in good quality. People look for specialities far more than in the past. This is one main topic which changed. Getting "rich" with stamps is near impossible. You have high fees at ebay & Co. and in auctions it is the same. If you buy something for 100 EURO it costs you with everything around 135 - 140 EUROs and the seller gets if he negotiates good 90 EUROs and if he has normal fees 80 EUROs. Nothing to earn there or you are the lucky guy seeing something the seller and the auction house does not see. Overall it´s not about money it´s about stamps.

[@adamhuffman3354]

Yea there’s a ton of material out there on the market. It’s a collector’s dream because they’ve become so affordable. High catalog value issues are often just a few bucks.

[@tedtalksstamps]

Yes, the whole idea of collecting stamps with an eye on price appreciation is misguided. Every item imaginable has a collector base (no matter how small) and has its particular rarities and high-dollar pieces. That doesn't mean one should start collecting any of those things with the hope of making money off of them in the future.

[@joannewolfe5688]

Bluesky: sorry, but I would never use a forum that blatantly advocates censorship. While it's unlikely that stamp posts would be censored, the fact that ANY posts are censored will keep me away. One of the inherent privileges of being American is free speech. When we cannot speak freely, we are headed for totalitarianism. Having lived in such countries, I assure you, you do not want to go there. I'll continue to watch your vids but will not see you on Bluesky.