Tomorrow a stamp dealer from Penticton (an hour south of us) is coming by to pick up my stamp collection. He will evaluate and sell it. It’s a very reputable dealer. I could have sent the notebooks, and he would have paid half the postage, but it turned out he was going to be here before our departure. So this is much better.
These are stamps my first husband and I acquired through the mistake of a Good Samaritan. We were in NYC, totally lost. We pulled over, spread out the map, and pondered. A kindly gentleman knocked on the driver-side window and offered help. He pointed out our route, and we went on our way. A couple of turns later, someone honked insistently. “Hey, there’s something on the roof of your car.” We stopped and found an envelope full of stamps, clearly from a dealer. We sent them to the NYPD. That was back before Internet so we didn’t think to reach out to philatelic groups. We did try to contact NYC stamp dealers but got no response. A year later the NYPD contacted us to say no one had claimed the stamps, and they would send them to us. My ex did a thorough job of cataloging them and learned they were worth more than $2000.
Fast forward more than three decades. My ex gave the stamps to me. I’ve carried them around and rarely looked at them. No one’s going to want them in Australia, and they can’t be sent with our shipped goods. Fortunately, there is a reputable dealer in Penticton. I filled out the form that asked for provenance and was honest that we did not buy them and that there is a slim chance someone is still looking for them. I sent her the inventory, and she instantly recognized there are some very valuable stamps among them. (BTW, stamps aren’t a big money maker for investors, but there are some very rare stamps in the collection.) So he will evaluate and sell them. Naturally I would be delighted to receive some money for them, but what I would like even more is a story. I would love it if the child or grandchild of the stamp dealer learned of the stamps and asked for them. That would feel like a full-circle story, which is ever so much more satisfying than money.
Crossroads - Cathryn Wellner 