Using old postage stamps

jason_z

Hi,

I know that there have already been threads on using unfranked postage stamps but I couldn't find information on my particular questions. I've been given a lot of unfranked stamps by my father - hundreds of them - and have been using them to post my eBay and Amazon sale items for a while without problems. However, I have two types of stamps that I don't know whether I can use:

(1) Stamps with an added halfpenny value, e.g. 11-and-a-half pence. Do two of these make 22p., or 23p.?

(2) Stamps marked 37+1. I've never seen these before - not sure if they are worth 37p or 38p.

I know these are small values but I have a lot of stamps and the halfpenny ones are getting more and more noticeable as I've been avoiding using them! And having asked at the Post Office and then googled, both unsuccessfully, I'm now very curious as to where a definitive answer might be found. Anyone know? Obviously I am worried that if I get it wrong, parcels might come back to me due to insufficient postage! :eek:

Jason

custardy

jason_z wrote: »

Hi,

I know that there have already been threads on using unfranked postage stamps but I couldn't find information on my particular questions. I've been given a lot of unfranked stamps by my father - hundreds of them - and have been using them to post my eBay and Amazon sale items for a while without problems. However, I have two types of stamps that I don't know whether I can use:

(1) Stamps with an added halfpenny value, e.g. 11-and-a-half pence. Do two of these make 22p., or 23p.?

(2) Stamps marked 37+1. I've never seen these before - not sure if they are worth 37p or 38p.

I know these are small values but I have a lot of stamps and the halfpenny ones are getting more and more noticeable as I've been avoiding using them! And having asked at the Post Office and then googled, both unsuccessfully, I'm now very curious as to where a definitive answer might be found. Anyone know? Obviously I am worried that if I get it wrong, parcels might come back to me due to insufficient postage! :eek:

Jason

ask RM on Twitter
Have you checked the value of selling them as collectable stamps
just thinking they maybe worth more than face value

marking_bad

Don't ask on twitter, twitter have been known to give out bad advice, call them up and speak to someone who isn't a work experience kid.

custardy

marking_bad wrote: »

Don't ask on twitter, twitter have been known to give out bad advice, call them up and speak to someone who isn't a work experience kid.

What advice was that?

campdave

In your example, you add the half pennies together - 23p. If you used a single 11.5p stamp, it would be worth 11p

In the second one, it;s worth 37p for postage - the +1 was a donation to charity.

zerog

Are they unfranked stamps or unused stamps? It is illegal to reuse stamps that have not been franked because the postman couldn't bother. (Incidentally, my PO has started franking all stamps very carefully, when they used to just chuck everything in the mail bags)

Generally postmen have better things to do than add up pennies... also, arithmetic skills of post office staff vary widely! For SD I now pay 2p and use 1st/2nds. Some people know it's just adding 5s and 6s at the moment, while once this guy had to get out a calculator from the manager, thought he was being clever by multiplying £1.10 by the number of 1st and 2nds and then adding the remaining 1sts on, but he just confused himself 3 times.

worbikeman

jason_z wrote: »

Hi,

I know that there have already been threads on using unfranked postage stamps but I couldn't find information on my particular questions. I've been given a lot of unfranked stamps by my father - hundreds of them - and have been using them to post my eBay and Amazon sale items for a while without problems. However, I have two types of stamps that I don't know whether I can use:

(1) Stamps with an added halfpenny value, e.g. 11-and-a-half pence. Do two of these make 22p., or 23p.?

(2) Stamps marked 37+1. I've never seen these before - not sure if they are worth 37p or 38p.

I know these are small values but I have a lot of stamps and the halfpenny ones are getting more and more noticeable as I've been avoiding using them! And having asked at the Post Office and then googled, both unsuccessfully, I'm now very curious as to where a definitive answer might be found. Anyone know? Obviously I am worried that if I get it wrong, parcels might come back to me due to insufficient postage! :eek:

Jason

custardy wrote: »

ask RM on Twitter
Have you checked the value of selling them as collectable stamps
just thinking they maybe worth more than face value

1. Stamps with added half p are worth only the whole number value so ignore the half p as it is no longer legal tender. 11 and a half counts as 11p
2. The added 1p was a charity donation so ignore it and count only the larger amount.

Stamps are a collectable commodity and as such are traded on the open market like any other.

Decimal mint postage stamps have little or no collectable value more than face, not even unused presentation packs, prestige booklets, miniature sheets, etc. which originally retailed at more than face value.
Ask for DECIMAL MINT POSTAGE at any stamp shop they usually have packets made up into £50 or £100 which they sell at around 70% FACE VALUE depending how much you buy.
Stamp fairs and local dealers do the same, I have bought at 50% face but you may have to haggle or buy in bulk or trade your own collection. Find your local Philatelic Society and make enquiries about local stamp dealers.
This is for unused stamps MINT WITH FULL ORIGINAL GUM, not counting the half p's!
Unfranked stamps without gum are not legal to be re-used I don't recommend or condone it.
Selling your collection you might get 50% face if you are lucky but more likely less.

I am a stamp dealer, so anybody with any stamp-related questions I am more than happy to help:D

cestlavie

Oops I've been using some old 70's type Halfpenny stamps to create 1p etc. now I wonder if envelopes ever got to their destination. Stamps weren't worth selling and I thought that they wld be legal... My money saving may have caught me out.

marking_bad

custardy wrote: »

What advice was that?

Their advice on saying it's ok to add recorded to a freepost address, when I have had it confirmed by telephone and senior post office staff that it's not ok.

Twitter should not be trusted for anything, companies don't spend huge amounts of money on training staff for it. Look at Liverpool Football Club recently, and the bother they have got into over inappropriate songs.

Twitter is great for following friends and celebs, but for practical, informative advice? No.

custardy

marking_bad wrote: »

Their advice on saying it's ok to add recorded to a freepost address, when I have had it confirmed by telephone and senior post office staff that it's not ok.

Twitter should not be trusted for anything, companies don't spend huge amounts of money on training staff for it. Look at Liverpool Football Club recently, and the bother they have got into over inappropriate songs.

Twitter is great for following friends and celebs, but for practical, informative advice? No.

well I have never had incorrect advice over the telephone.......
At leas with Twitter etc you can have written proof of whats advised

jason_z

Many thanks for all the replies, especially workbikeman for the detailed reply.

Sorry for being vague about the unfrankedness but they are also unused - that is what I meant. My father did indeed try selling them on to a dealer, and met with what workbikeman describes - they are worth less than their face value, so it's better to use them as postage. I tend to post 2-4 times a week, so I'm getting through them. Interesting that you also seem to say that I could buy more this way from a stamp shop, if I ever needed to - buy old unused postage stamps in bulk and one can save on postage in the long run.

Jason