Collectors of postal markings are liberated from such things as
CONDITION and other
hang-ups of collectors who seek the finest example of a stamp. Postal marking
collectors are concerned with the quality of the mark and barely notice the stamp's
condition. Thus, postal marking collectors can exhibit with pride some of the
rattiest looking stamps. Indeed, a stamp's bad condition can reap rewards for the
postal marking collector because the seller will often be familiar with stamp
condition as a pricing factor but be unfamiliar with a postal marking's rarity. I
once bought a used and tattered Scott No. 38 for 25¢ from a dealer who thought I was
crazy to spend even that much. It is my one example of Kaluaaha 238.02 and the only
strike recorded on Scott No. 38. Two weeks later, a dealer offered me $500 for the
stamp and when I turned that down, offered me $750 and then gave up trying. On the
other end of the spectrum, a transaction for a postal marking among two
knowledgeable participants can yield values way off the chart from the perspective
of catalogue value. When a used $1.50 stamp sells for $2,500, there is more to the
story than condition.
Some TERMS are seen often in relation to postal
markings. Postal marking collectors judge quality in reference to clarity, strength and
completeness of the strike (a strike is the impression of the mark). An
SON and clearly readable strike of a scarce or rare mark commands the
strongest price. What is SON? It means "socked-on-the-nose," a dead-on hit
with the marking device so most or all of the mark is visible. Clearly readable
means the ink strength makes the mark readable without the help of a magnifying
glass and the strike is crisp and clean - not blurred by smudging or smearing. An
"on cover" strike (one on the original envelope) is preferred by some and
attracts more value if the full mark is clearly readable. Other terms encountered
are "cto" (cancelled to order) and "favor." These terms mean the strike was added for
a philatelic reason.
Catalogue value is helpful for PRICING common postal markings. Starting first with
the common markings, the catalogue value for a used stamps necessarily assumes it
bears some kind of a postal marking. Therefore, catalogue value and stamp condition
should control the price for a stamp with a common postal marking. The one
difference is that stamp collectors value a lightly canceled stamp more than a
heavily marked stamp and postal marking collectors are the opposite. For a mark
with a 9 or 10 rating, I would expect to pay nothing extra for the mark. For a mark
with a rating of 7 or 8, I might pay a slight mark-up for a clearly readable SON,
but stamp condition still is a large factor in price. For a 5 or 6 rated mark, the
added price for a clearly readable SON increases and stamp condition decreases as a
price factor. For a clearly readable SON of a 5 rated mark, one might expect to pay
$30-$50 over catalogue unless the stamp is falling apart.
Moving to the scarce marks, the quality of the mark takes control of pricing and
condition of the stamp becomes much less relevant. In this zone, marks are tough to
find and even lightly struck marks become valuable. Among three or four strikes of
the same mark on the same kind of stamp, the closest to SON and clearly readable
will command the higher price but one is rarely presented with choices, particularly
for 2 rated marks. For a clearly readable SON of a 4 rated mark, one should expect
to pay in the neighborhood of $50-$75 above catalogue. When one drops to a 2 rated
mark, the price could be as high as $150 above catalogue. As the strike quality
drops, the price drops dramatically for scarce marks.
For the rarest marks, the questions often are how much is a buyer willing to pay and
how much will it take to pry the piece away from its owner. Some marks are so rare,
you are delighted if you have even a faint partial strike you can identify
unquestionably. There is no convention such as "catalogue value x 100" or
"catalogue value plus $200" to guide the postal markings collector among the rare
marks. Here you are on your own and you can forget stamp condition, catalogue value
and, to a less extent, even the condition of the strike.
