Scott A. Shaulis

Quality US stamps at competitive prices

P.O. Box 549

Murrysville, PA 15668

724-733-4134

scott@shaulisstamps.com

www.shaulisstamps.com

Member of the APS

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Did You Know?

 

My pricelists include information about US stamps. Some of it is general information. Some of it is very specific to a topic or certain stamp issue. I am a firm believer that knowledge is an important tool in stamp collecting. It only seems appropriate that I bring you tidbits of information that you might not otherwise know. These tidbits are geared more towards the novice to intermediate collector. As new pricelists are produced, I include the information from that list on the website so that the information lives on long term. Click on the links below to pop up a new window.

 

Stamp Identification. These links offer help in identifying US stamp issues.

How to identify the Farley issues

How to identify hard versus soft papers on the large Banknote issues

Identifying Special Delivery issues

Identifying the Franklin Head stamps

Identifying the One Cent Franklin and Two Cents Washington heads

Identifying the 2¢ Washington 1894-98 issues

Identifying the 3¢ Washington Head

Identifying the 2¢ Washington Head

Identifying the Fourth Bureau Issue, the 1922 Series

Identifying Scott #1622 and #1622C

Identifying US Airmail issues

Identifying Scott #1338

Identifying Postage Due issues

Identifying the Black Hardings

Identifying Scott #10 and #11

Identifying Scott #1, #2, #3, and #4

Identifying Scott #1898A and #2228

Identifying Scott #2128 and #2231

Identifying the Flag Over the Porch issues

Identifying Scott #17, #36, and #36B

Identifying the 2¢ Washington, Fourth Bureau Issue

Identifying the 3¢ Washington 1851 Issue

Identifying the offset printed Washington heads

Identifying the 5¢ Jefferson, 1856 issue

Identifying Scott #118 and #119

Identifying the 90¢ Large Banknote issue

Identifying the $1 Oliver Hazard Perry issues

Identifying the 29¢ Tulip stamps

Identifying the 24¢ 1861 stamps, Scott #70 and #78

Identifying the large and small hole varieties

Scott #2283

Identifying the 33¢ Flag and Skyscraper issues

How to detect real perforations

How to identify which grill is on a stamp

How to identify Scott #500

 

General Discussion. These links include information about a wide variety of topics. Listed in order by date written

Summer 2007

Check Your Cancellations on Early US Stamps

What album should I use?

What does catalog value mean?

Centering and condition

Demand is everything

Fall 2007

Hints on using eBay

How a dealer operates

Investing in stamps

Opportunities for learning

There is nothing left for me to collect

Winter 2007

Stamp Collectors Against Dodgy Sellers

Shades on early US stamps

Suggested books for reading

The market for Superb stamps

What is tagging?

Who is a stamp dealer?

What is an item really worth?

Spring 2008

Some stamps are easier than others to fake

Common Myths

Introduction to Precancels

How to find watermarks

Careful with mint, no gum stamps

Summer 2008

Why are some cheap, used stamps so difficult to find?

Miscut postal cards are not always errors

Collecting Postal Stationery beyond the Scott catalog

The future of philatelic books

Investing in stamps, again

Fall 2008

Why are some Scott numbers not in the catalog?

A challenge for mount manufacturers

What is a plate variety?

The importance of business people in our hobby

When You Have Something To Sell

Winter 2008

How to make money in stamps

Why do stamps maintain their value

Why are there more modern errors on stamps?

Spring 2009

Finding a valuable stamp in a mixture

Thoughts on self adhesive stamps

What are paste up pairs?

What are perfins?

Summer 2009

Opportunity or trouble on the horizon?

What is an EFO?

What is an Essay or a Proof?

Rare but cheap

Commercializing stamp issues

Fall 2009

Stamps that smell

Philatelic ethics

Lighten up

Using up nondenominated stamps

Digital exhibits

The end of philately

Winter 2009

What are albinos?

Inexpensive way to detect original gum

Why the different perforations

What are gum breakers?

Tight margins on early US issues

Spring 2010

Should the USPS continue to issue new stamps?

eBay woes

What are exploded booklets?

What is discount postage?

Investing in stamps, again!

The state of the hobby

Summer 2010

Microwaving self-adhesive stamps

Seen on eBay

What is an expertizing certificate?

Scott #1927

Finding Used stamps

Changes in coil issues

Fall 2010

New investment opportunities

Limited editions

Using modern commemoratives

A lesson in buying expensive albums

How NOT to collect modern mint stamps

Closing small post offices

What are bullseye cancels?

What's the difference between the Earliest Known Use and the First Day of Issue?

What is a turned cover?

Why are so many early stamps faulty?

A good choice for a perforation gauge

How often should I buy a stamp catalog

Winter 2010

Becoming a stamp dealer

Boasting about stamps

Legitimate certificate of authenticity

Colonel Green

Dying Breed?

What are my favorite stamps?

Go fly a kite!

Highest prices paid, not here

The economy and stamps

Timeless advice

Spring 2011

Primer on Grilled stamps

No more definitive stamps?

What is a contemporary cancel?

Used stamps that have gum

Wet versus Dry printings

Over versus under inked stamps

An affordable rarity?

Why I'm different

Determining the color of a stamp

Using nice stamps on packages

Seeing your stamps up close

Summer 2011

No more cancels?

Topical versus Thematic collecting

Influences on me as a dealer

Prices for booklet pane stamps

The Parcel Post issue

An appraisal scam

What is your collection worth?

A dud and a homerun

Flat plate printed plate blocks

Overrun Nations plate blocks

Fall 2011

All junk is not philatelic

How many collectors are there?

Looking for a collector in Michigan

Offers I can refuse

Moving to online only publications

The people you meet

Special Handling stamps

Ways to store stamps

Tearing apart panes for plate blocks

Turn your clock back 100 years

Obtaining new issues

Winter 2011

Service Inscribed Stamps

Check your copies of Scott #1686-1689

What is a new error worth?

Living Persons on US stamps

The Stamp Fulfillment Center

New postal card format

Bad experiences with other stamp dealers

Realistic Expectations

Airmail stamps

Auction versus retail

Stamp Collecting is about the journey. Enjoy it!

Spring 2012

Should you collect blocks or strips of stamps?

Collector tastes

Steve Jobs

Connecting the dots

Follow up to dealer article

Dropping customers

Incomplete USPS mint sets

One step at a time

Other containers for storing stamps

Right direction for the USPS

Wrong direction for the USPS

Dealing with self adhesive issues

Unintended consequences of the Forever stamps

Summer 2012

Scott #500 fact

Centering on the 1851 and 1857 issues

Scott #2132 and 2134

Another bad idea from the USPS

Another dropped customer

Why catalog value doesn't matter

Delivery problems at the USPS

Express Mail stamps

Guaranteed Lowest price

Pen cancels

The future of philatelic literature

Be polite when sealing envelopes

Identifying stamps on cover

The straightforward approach

Take the money and run

Use stamp tongs, not tweezers

Value versus price

What's next?

Fall 2012

Stitch Watermark

Watermark fluid and thins

Melting down gold stamps

$8000 and counting

Flat plate versus rotary press printed stamps

Big versus small stamp dealers

Answering questions from customers

Separating strips of stamps from folded booklets

Does position matter on setenant issues?

Pencil marks on the margins of panes of stamps

Catalog value of postal stationery

Exhibit Frames

Scrambled Indicia

Another dud and a homerun

Honoring a living person

Before there were expert committees

Imagine No More Lies

Winter 2012

Blind Perforations

Why Catalog values can be misleading

Pedigree Stamps

ex-Pavlina and ex-Johnson

Hidden treasures

Truth in advertising

Plain and simple

Giving up trade secrets? Never!

Scott #1214

Changes in First Class Postal rates

Cancelled To Order versus Precancel

Spring 2013

Investing in stamps

Dealers don't soak stamps

Beware of the phantom selling price

Response to ex-Pavlina and ex-Johnson

A difficult phone call

An odd phone call

An investor called me

What to do when you find a very valuable stamp?

Finding low denomination stamps

The USPS blew a golden opportunity

Overpaying postage

Errors, Freaks, and Oddities

Mounting booklet panes

Imperforate uncut press sheets

The end of Official Stamps, again

Summer 2013

Tricks of the trade

The price of common stamps

How to collect common stamps

Credit Card Moment

Mister and Misses

Stamps on eBay

How not to mount your stamps

Stamps aren’t for everyone

Pushy Collectors

Using stamps will cost more

$10,000 and counting

Send more lists, please

You’re the first to see this, honest!

Plate Blocks of Scott #774, 796, and 836

Fall 2013

1959 series Postage Due Plate Blocks

Other Scott numbers that share the same plate number

The Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog

An offer I could refuse

Color me skeptical

How long is a lifetime guarantee?

Who did I buy stamps from?

Incognito rate changes

Define “a lot of stamps”

Imperforate press sheets

My writing style

Ashes to ashes and dust to dust

eBay experiences

When to travel to see a collection

Winter 2013

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

My customer list

Credit card moment

Contradiction

Collection, Mixture, Stock and Accumulation

Linerless coils

An investment that didn’t pay off

Price increases due to Forever stamps

Another problematic dealer

Coil waste issues

Spacing varieties

Change of Design

The fax, and nothing but the fax

Inspiration

Quality does not equal perfection

Anyone want to collect stamp magnets?

Where is stamp dealing headed?

Spring 2014

Tough to find plate numbers

Demand for cut squares

How to save money, maybe!

To hinge or not to hinge? That is the question!

Staple holes

Design errors

Interest increasing in Bureau precancelled stamps

Right side up Jenny

Harry Potter

USPS in disarray

Biting my tongue

What about pricing though?

Philatelic writing

Advantage, customer

Dealer complaints

When customers hand me a pink slip

Dealers don’t buy based on sympathy

She tried to stamp him out, literally!

Update on the Imperf Press Sheets

Science fiction?

ESP

The use of superlatives

Is the craze of graded certificates over?

Summer 2014

The risk in obtaining a certificate of authenticity

Can I expertize stamps for you?

Expertizing by computers?

Buddy, will you buy my stamps?

Facsimile cancellations

Inventory management

Passion

Why aren’t all stamps inscribed “Forever”?

Reality TV for Stamps

A picture is worth a thousand words

More Deceptive Advertising

One more deceptive tactic

Selling at a percentage of catalog value

Two more eBay Experiences

Artist Signed Duck Stamps

Philately is but a speck in time

American Stamp Dealer and Collector

Scott #2400

Fall 2014

Negotiating an offer

Dealers who travel to see your stamps

Using setenant self-adhesives on your mail

Color Missing or Color Omitted?

The best collection I ever handled

British Guiana 1¢ Magenta

Stamp Collecting isn’t dying, but it is changing

Who is a stamp dealer?

Where the discount postage market is headed

We are all philatelic curators

Paying for a stamp

Every stamp is faulty

I’m not an axe murderer

What is the retail price?

What is your collection or accumulation worth?

The sympathetic sales pitch

Don’t go it alone

Computerized inventories

Winter 2014

USPS mobile franking?

Stamps are increasingly irrelevant

What if there were no more stamps, ever!

Protecting your collection

Scott #1732-33 plate blocks

Scott #1345-54 plate blocks

I’m not a fool!

Making the seller happy

What happens to a loved one’s collection?

Service first and then we’ll discuss the upsell

When the Scott catalog is underpriced

How much is it to mail this item this time?

Used boxes

USPS packaging

A sad story

Bathtubbing

Modern die cut varieties

Spring 2015

Goodbye Dave

No more used US stamps?

Secrets Revealed

Certifying faulty, valuable stamps

Autographs are worth millions, right?

Is it time to issue CTO US stamps?

The 20-80 rule

How not to place an order

Auction versus retail sales

The USPS got it all wrong

Rolling over in their grave

Buddy will you buy my stamps, déjà vu.

Are there any famous stamp collectors out there?

Album supplements

eBay protection has changed

Philatelic websites that go nowhere

Free advice on pricing

Scott #1548 plate numbers

Why you should collect worldwide stamps

What is a souvenir sheet?

The next phase, approvals

Summer 2015

One of the best sales I ever made

Stamps keep you young

Should I collect full mint panes of stamps?

Stamps that will increase in value and give you a profit

Selfish motives for price predictors

A collector who got taken

Showing interest in the customer

My 90-10 rule

A valuable Elvis stamp

Set aside sentimental items

Luck or preparation?

I’m bullish on the stamp market

How to build a stamp collection for a child or grandchild

Results of the Circus souvenir sheet

Am I going into the new issue business?

Scott catalog recognition

Storing press sheets

Full panes that are missing selvedge

Fall 2015

Discount postage

The end of gummed stamps stamps is near

The end of sets of definitive stamps

How long is self-adhesive good for?

Canadian goof

Another good example

Measuring Success

Another deal that I could refuse

Why I don’t do stamp shows

The Lady Cotswolds Missionary Find

Hope lives because you can’t prove a negative

Unusually high reserve prices

A missed opportunity at a semi-postal

You’re on your own when selling on eBay

I’m still not a fool!

Don’t trust glassine envelope markings

Scott #523 or #547. An unexpected ending!

My Do Not Reply list

Social Media

Winter 2015

What stamps are faked?

Altered stamps are not always pristine

Discount postage doesn’t apply to all stamps

What constitutes a complete design?

Stamp collecting is a hobby with residual value

When is a hinged stamp considered NH?

When is a NH stamp considered hinged?

How much money does a dealer make?

How long does an appraisal take?

The importance of quality

What a mess!

The difficulty in determining the centering of multiples

Spring 2016

A collection that fell short

Who do you trust?

The end of a FDC era

Changing tastes

Investment advertising

Big spenders

Buy high and sell low

Sorry, but I’m no longer interested

A folksy story

Customers in the approval business

A day in the life of a stamp dealer

USPS window workers will become obsolete

USPS and drones

How not to store stamps

Everyone loves something for free

The philatelic vortex

In with a bang; out with a whimper

The philatelic bucket list

Summer 2016

A customer that I do not need

The service stinks!

What is controlled mail?

Howard Davis

Cornering the market

Cornering the market, part 2

What are Tête–Bêche stamps?

Buying at a low price

Transparency

USPS Press Sheets

The dog ate my homework

Zip Code club follow up

Third copy found of Scott #85F and it slipped through my hands

An amazing story

A wonderful phone call

Do not shun knowledgeable collectors

All collectors welcome

Your APS membership number

A new fake on the horizon?

The real price of a stamp

Price is what you pay, value is what you get

Catalog quirks

Location of international stamp shows

An exhibit of album pages

Fall 2016

This lady is First Class all of the way

Women in philately

It’s all in the numbers

Why are my stamps turning brown?

A real banana split!

Your choices are very limited

The first and last transaction

Where did the die cuts go?

Philatelic Reality TV

Surprises are bad for business

Another stolen #C3a is found

Stealing and selling rare items

Do not follow the pack

Homework follow up

Life memberships

Philately is not for the lazy person

Altered, Fake, Reprint, Counterfeit, or Reproduction?

Counterfeit computer vended stamps

The USPS is missing the boat again

Can someone produce fakes today?

Glad to be of help

Another amazing collection

Does this stamp have gum?

Winter 2016

Age has nothing to do with value

Reorganizing the Scott catalog

He’s back!

When small dealers matter

An old club member

New book by Pat Herst

Richard Novick

Joe Brasch

Quantity or quality?

Remote sellers

Generic letters

Remembering Dave

Not valid for postage

Scare Tactics

Removing old stamps from covers

Forensic Philately

What else do you need to know before you buy?

Soda Fountain plate blocks

Stamp separation tip

My situation is not unique

How to kill a tree

Mail delivery problems

Spring 2017

Finding Forever stamps in the catalog

Are you ready to talk?

My odds and ends collection

Fake News

Inspiration

Motivation

A condescending phone call

$100 face value stamps selling for $1500

Air mail

I am not your target customer

Give me a way to contact you

Scott #242 full pane

Can I touch your hair?

Do not scare away the customers

Some alterations are acceptable

Even USPS workers are unhappy

Where would Superman change clothes?

Reel them in!

Cornstarch

Fishing expedition

Here we go again

49¢ again

How to foil the post office

Is this cover philatelic in origin?

You do not need my phone number

I struck gold!

An auction with no bidders

References

Are Indices becoming obsolete?