It may seem sad, but strangely enough this is one of the most frequent questions the Society receives. Sometimes it results from a member who has collected for a long time and amassed a large collection, but then died. Their relatives then approach the BSS and seek our advice on what to do.

The general advice is to ascertain how much the collection may be worth. The trade journals contain dealers who can value collections and perhaps undertake to purchase and dispose of them for the family. But prudence says obtain a few valuations first before opting to take this route.

Additionally, there are auction houses who can take collections and then sell them for you but of course, whatever the value realised, they will charge a percentage commission for acting on your behalf.

Finally, some members in the past have donated their collections to the Society, in which case we make them available to other members. Sometimes this is done through a first-come-first served basis, but more likely through an internal auction process. Whatever route taken, this is an issue that perhaps thought should be given to. 

When you start collecting this is a question you will almost certainly not ask, but as your collection swells and perhaps their value too, it might be that this is something you then need to seriously consider.

So what should you do? Well, firstly it will depends on how much your collection is worth. With a small collection of common issues that have not cost you a great deal insuring your collection may seem an excessive step. As the collection grows however, it may be that you find yourself with stamps that have a costly replacement value or, who knows, includes the odd item catalogued with a high price tag!

Home contents insurance policies (HCIPs) may to some extent cover your collection, but you need to check the policy details very carefully. HCIPs may also have provision for you to have specific items identified and insured, in which case, knowing the value of your collection becomes crucial.

In addition there are one or two insurers who specialise in stamp insurance. Indeed, the Bird Stamp Society uses a specialist insurer for its own Packet Service. If you want more details about these insurers then please enquire further.

It might seem excessive, but it is always a good idea to keep a record of your purchases. It can feel burdensome and over the top when you start and have just a few stamps, but as your collection grows – and it will – the creation of some sort of catalogue is highly recommended.

This doesn’t have to be too elaborate, but a simple listing of what the issues are, perhaps by country or species is helpful, along with their postal value, Stanley Gibbons catalogue number (dealers always quote these), their condition – whether they are mint, used, hinged, unhinged, damaged, creased, etc – as well as the name of the dealer and their date of purchase. Some might choose to indicate the price you paid for them, but values can always change.

If you start doing this at the beginning of collecting it becomes second nature and easy to do. It gives you an accurate sense of the size of your collection and, crucially tells you how many duplicates you have acquired. And yes, you will always find you have pesky duplicates!