... but it is seriously moribund. Try to sell anything other than rare postal items and see what you can get for it.

Stamps from the 30's and 40's can be BOUGHT for less than face at most stamp shows. Most First Day Covers cannot be sold for the face value of the postage on them, much less what it cost to buy the envelopes.

Other than key stamps, even plate blocks sell for only a slight premium.

I know, because I have thousands of stamps and more thousands of covers that I have tried to sell at several stamps shows. Most dealers won't even look at them. The vast majority of my covers, by the way, are in pristine condition, cacheted by major manufacturers (Art Craft, Artmaster, Cover Craft, etc.) and many are "combination covers" (in addition to the new issue stamp, I put related earlier stamps on them).

Or, look at eBay, where you can readily buy lots of hundreds of covers for 10 to 15 cents each. I have thousands of dollars tied up in this stuff and have no hope of getting back even what it cost me. I bought most of these in the time period 1968 through 1974. Can you imagine what the chips would be worth if I'd spent it on them instead?

BTW, I quit collecting when the postal service went nuts with new issues.

----- jim o\-S