Don’t Count on Wedding Issue for Long-Term Gain

Question: My topic in stamp collecting is British royal wedding issues. Do the Princess Anne (1973) and Prince Charles (1981) wedding sets have good potential for price increases in the long term?

Also, I am thinking about assembling a set issued for the 1935 Silver Jubilee. Considering that most stamps in this issue catalogue for more than $20, does this set have investment potential?--R.K.

Answer: If anybody could see the future, they would quickly become quite wealthy. The stamps that you mention are popular issues, but they are not my first choice for serious long-term investment. These stamps were issued in sufficient quantities that they are not what we would call rare.

I think they deserve a place in a comprehensive collection of 20th-Century British stamps, but for the long term, who knows? The Silver Jubilees are probably more popular to collect in Great Britain than they are here, and I believe that the recent Prince Charles, Lady Di and similar issues have been overpromoted.

Q: I would like to learn where to send for upcoming new U.S. commemorative issues. With four grandsons to keep alert, I would like to introduce them to the fun of collecting. The local post office is of no help. Can you be?--T.B.G.

A: You can get on the mailing list without cost if you write to Philatelic Sales Division, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. 20265. This office issues illustrated brochures of available U.S. stamps and will sell them by mail if you can’t get them locally. It also offers a first-day-cover service at a small fee.

Q: Shortly after World War II, I was in Brazil where I bought several sheets of commemoratives showing a picture of the Rio de Janeiro post office. The denominations are 5 and 10 cruzeiros. What are these worth now?--M.C.

A: You have the more valuable members of a set of seven stamps issued to honor the Fifth Postal Union Congress of the Americas and Spain in 1946. Catalogue values are $4.50 for the 5 cruzeiros, $5 for the 10 cruzeiros stamp, per mint stamp. So your panes (sheets) are worth something.

Q: How can I verify whether a stamp dealer in a foreign country is legitimate and ethical?--R.A.

A: This is hard without trying a few sample orders to see what kind of service and value you get. There is an organization that many foreign dealers belong to, and you could write to them and ask if they are aware of the dealer you are investigating. Enclose an American dollar to help pay for their reply: Philatelic Trader’s Society, 27 John Adams St., London WC2N 6HZ, England.

Q: A pen pal in the Philippines sent me a set of stamps illustrating President Aquino and other subjects, including a parade and the military. Do these have value?--T.N.

A: Issued in May, 1986, this set is too recent to be of great value: 85 cents mint, 43 cents used for the set of four.

Q: I have a green and black U.S. Internal Revenue stamp with a picture of a man labeled “Fairchild,” and the words: “Distilled Spirits Excise Tax, $20,000.” Am I going to get rich?--E.A.

A: Not from selling this item. Your stamp was issued in 1950 to pay revenue for distilled spirits. These special revenues were discontinued nine years later.

High face-value revenue stamps are not always worth much in current market value. Yours might sell for about $20.

Q: Has the United States ever issued a 2 1/2-cent stamp? My fellow workers in the office say no. I say yes because I remember seeing one some time in the 1950s. Who is right?--D.K.

A: You are. The 2 1/2-cent Bunker Hill Monument stamp was part of the Liberty series. It appeared in pane (sheet) format June 17, 1959, and as a coil roll Sept. 9, 1959. The regular-issue stamp honored the Revolutionary War battle of Bunker Hill (actually fought on Breed’s Hill). The design shows the 1776 Massachusetts flag in the background. The purpose of the stamp was to pay special rates, which, of course, have risen in the intervening years.

Q: I have a plate block of four of the Iowa Territory commemorative of 1938. What is its value?--R.D.

A: Current Scott catalogue value is $9 for the plate margin number block; actual retail value may be half of that.

Krause, a member of several national stamp-collecting organizations, cannot answer mail personally but will respond to philatelic questions of general interest in this column. Do not telephone. Write to Your Stamps, You Section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.