Forget this weekend's Diamond Jubilee, for investors looking to make returns from stamps and other memorabilia it is Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
Investors looking to make returns from stamps and other memorabilia it is Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee – back in 1897 – that is likely to produce rich pickings.
It was during Victoria's reign that stamps, in their modern form, were introduced. The Penny Black is perhaps the most famous stamp of this period, but, because it was mass-produced and has remained a favourite with collectors, it has relatively low value.
But some stamps produced to commemorate Victoria's Jubilee are worth significantly more. Surprisingly, the British Post Office (as it was then known) did not issue any of its own stamps. However, a number of other organisations and charities did issue commemorative stamps as a means of fund-raising (although these couldn't be used for postage).
According to Stanley Gibbons, the stamp dealer, eight territories of the British Empire issued stamps to mark the occasion. One of the most collectable is the Canadian set. A full set at the time cost just over $16, but today it is likely to fetch nearer £3,000.
Part of the reason for its value is that the set had a fairly restrictive sale, not least because the cheapest stamp (priced at just half a cent) could not be bought separately. As a result they were not particularly popular at the time.
Canada wasn't the only country to issue Diamond Jubilee stamps: collectors can also pick up examples from Barbados, Mauritius, the Australian colonies (as they were then) and the Leeward Islands. The stamps from the latter were noted for using the word "sexagenary" (of 60) to mark the occasion, rather than the more commonplace "jubilee".
Interest in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee will leave many asking whether it is worth buying the commemorative stamps today, in the hope that they might increase in value in future.
But philately experts caution against this. A spokesman for Stanley Gibbons said: "These stamps make a lovely memento of the occasion, but are unlikely to produce a significant financial return, simply because they have been mass produced."
Rarity and quality are the two key factors that will drive up prices of stamps (and any other collectable). In recent years, "premium" stamps – as measured by Stanley Gibbons' GB250 Index – have proved to be a good investment, delivering average compound returns of 13.4pc over the past 10 years.
But these general trends can hide quite significant price differences between individual items: not all stamps will have risen by this amount, and many may have fallen in value.
As with other collectables, it's the top end of the market that sees the biggest price rises, because it's the rarest and highest-quality items that attract collectors.
These items are often very expensive, so investors need to have significant knowledge and enthusiasm and be sufficiently wealthy to invest in such items.
For example, this year the stamp collection of Sir Humphrey Cripps, the former Velcro chairman, was sold. It included two Post Office Mauritius "Penny Blue" stamps, which sold for £1m. This was an impressive gain, but the stamps had cost £29,000 in 1972.
For the majority of people interested in philately, stamp fairs, exhibitions and the internet remain the easiest way to start a collection. The National Philatelic Society, which runs its own website (ukphilately.org.uk), suggests starting to collect "thematically". Unless you find a very rare and valuable single stamp, collections are likely to have greater value.
The current celebrations could be a good place to start, with other stamps marking royal births, marriages and jubilees. Some people build collections around personal interests, such as sports, animals or aeroplanes.
"Make friends with the dealers – more are specialising in thematic items and are keen to help you find the more elusive material," the website advises.
Characteristics to prize include stamps without a perforated edge. Perforations did not appear until 1854, before which stamps were cut from their sheet with scissors.
As ever, quality and condition are all. Stamps are "graded" to describe condition and value. Grades run from "superb", where the stamp is considered perfect in all respects and the finest quality, to "poor", where perforations cut into the design and the stamp itself may be torn or damaged.
"Superb", "very fine" and "fine/very fine" are worth collecting, but "fine" and "poor" are not.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/9305696/Collectors-eye-up-Jubilee-stamps.html
Investors looking to make returns from stamps and other memorabilia it is Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee – back in 1897 – that is likely to produce rich pickings.
It was during Victoria's reign that stamps, in their modern form, were introduced. The Penny Black is perhaps the most famous stamp of this period, but, because it was mass-produced and has remained a favourite with collectors, it has relatively low value.
But some stamps produced to commemorate Victoria's Jubilee are worth significantly more. Surprisingly, the British Post Office (as it was then known) did not issue any of its own stamps. However, a number of other organisations and charities did issue commemorative stamps as a means of fund-raising (although these couldn't be used for postage).
According to Stanley Gibbons, the stamp dealer, eight territories of the British Empire issued stamps to mark the occasion. One of the most collectable is the Canadian set. A full set at the time cost just over $16, but today it is likely to fetch nearer £3,000.
Part of the reason for its value is that the set had a fairly restrictive sale, not least because the cheapest stamp (priced at just half a cent) could not be bought separately. As a result they were not particularly popular at the time.
Canada wasn't the only country to issue Diamond Jubilee stamps: collectors can also pick up examples from Barbados, Mauritius, the Australian colonies (as they were then) and the Leeward Islands. The stamps from the latter were noted for using the word "sexagenary" (of 60) to mark the occasion, rather than the more commonplace "jubilee".
Interest in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee will leave many asking whether it is worth buying the commemorative stamps today, in the hope that they might increase in value in future.
But philately experts caution against this. A spokesman for Stanley Gibbons said: "These stamps make a lovely memento of the occasion, but are unlikely to produce a significant financial return, simply because they have been mass produced."
Rarity and quality are the two key factors that will drive up prices of stamps (and any other collectable). In recent years, "premium" stamps – as measured by Stanley Gibbons' GB250 Index – have proved to be a good investment, delivering average compound returns of 13.4pc over the past 10 years.
But these general trends can hide quite significant price differences between individual items: not all stamps will have risen by this amount, and many may have fallen in value.
As with other collectables, it's the top end of the market that sees the biggest price rises, because it's the rarest and highest-quality items that attract collectors.
These items are often very expensive, so investors need to have significant knowledge and enthusiasm and be sufficiently wealthy to invest in such items.
For example, this year the stamp collection of Sir Humphrey Cripps, the former Velcro chairman, was sold. It included two Post Office Mauritius "Penny Blue" stamps, which sold for £1m. This was an impressive gain, but the stamps had cost £29,000 in 1972.
For the majority of people interested in philately, stamp fairs, exhibitions and the internet remain the easiest way to start a collection. The National Philatelic Society, which runs its own website (ukphilately.org.uk), suggests starting to collect "thematically". Unless you find a very rare and valuable single stamp, collections are likely to have greater value.
The current celebrations could be a good place to start, with other stamps marking royal births, marriages and jubilees. Some people build collections around personal interests, such as sports, animals or aeroplanes.
"Make friends with the dealers – more are specialising in thematic items and are keen to help you find the more elusive material," the website advises.
Characteristics to prize include stamps without a perforated edge. Perforations did not appear until 1854, before which stamps were cut from their sheet with scissors.
As ever, quality and condition are all. Stamps are "graded" to describe condition and value. Grades run from "superb", where the stamp is considered perfect in all respects and the finest quality, to "poor", where perforations cut into the design and the stamp itself may be torn or damaged.
"Superb", "very fine" and "fine/very fine" are worth collecting, but "fine" and "poor" are not.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/9305696/Collectors-eye-up-Jubilee-stamps.html
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