Beware Cancelled Remainders!
I scanned through over 2,500 St Helena items on Delcampe today, and one of my pet peeves re-surfaced. I made mention of this on my Facebook page, so my apologies for repeating myself!These stamps from St Helena (1896 SG51 and SG52) have catalogue values of £30 and £60 respectively
However, the cancellations make them virtually worthless. The diamond grill in violet is a remainder cancellation done in 1904, and the stamps were cancelled solely for sale to collectors. This cancel was never postally used.
There are dozens of stamps with these cancellations for sale. Catalogue prices are being quoted, and hefty prices being asked. Do NOT pay high prices on Ebay, Delcampe or anywhere else for any stamp from St Helena with this cancellation!
This is similar to one of my personal pet peeves.
ReplyDeleteAt the turn of the century The Netherlands issued a nice set of three rectangular health commemoratives with funds to go to maintain TB clinics.
Eventually they went off sale and remainders were cancelled in bulk with a neat clear January 31st, 1907, Amsterdamcircular CDS.
Postally used copies sell for a ten to twenty dollar range, or at least they did the last time I checked. Remainders were listed at the minimum replacement; 20-25 cents.
But being remainders is not the peeve. Nor is it that newbies fail to read the fine print in the catalogs under the listing.
It is when knowledgeable dealers try to pass the remainders off at the premium price. Esecially when I happen to bring their mistake, politely, of course, to their attention and they apologise and remove the remainder set from their display book, but when I return two or three weeks later, there they are priced at the inflated price, again, and perhaps six months later, again.
That is when I have loudly indicated that the dealer is a cheat and after the police arrive, I get asked to never darken that dealer's door again. But at least I dampened the dealer's day.
Charlie Jensen,
Lecanto, Florida
Hi Charlie, I couldn't agree with you more. I've just been told the story of a major UK stamp dealer (yes, THAT one), who remaindered thousands of Rhodesian stamps with forged postmarks in the early 1900's. They have no catalogue notes in their catalogue re this!
ReplyDeleteDealers should know better, and I admire your tenacity, and your comment "after the police arrive" brightened my morning!!
That explains why so many BSAC stamps occur CTO-"used" with original gum. I just did not know that it was The Dealer who also issues The Catalogue...one is allways learning!
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