One of the most common questions I get is how to determine the value of or dispose of a stamp collection that someone has inherited, been given or bought at a garage sale. Here's some basic informlation that applies no matter how you got the collection.

The value of a collection depends on what’s in it, of course. A collector who has put a lot of money into a collection by buying the best and most expensive material he or she can afford over several years will probably use an auction house to get the best price. A person who collected by clipping stamps from the current mail will probably not have much chance of selling that way because the stamps will all be common and not worth the auctioneer’s work to prepare the lots. That leaves other collectors and dealers for such material. Dealers must pay below catalog values, or current retail values, so they can make a profit when they resell. Other collectors might or might not be willing to pay full retail, depending, again, on what’s in the collection.

Here are some ideas:

1. The county has two stamp stores, Kett’s Koin Kastle in Oxnard and Conejo Valley Stamp and Coin in Westlake Village. You might visit one or both of them to get a general idea of what the stamps might be worth. There are also some dealers who work out of their homes. Send me an e-mail if you need their names.

2. You could visit any of the clubs I list at the end of my column to see if anyone is interested. Stamp clubs always welcome visitors, and almost every club has some people who would be willing to look at a collection and give you some general comments on its value: Go find an auctioneer; wouldn't you like to keep working on it?; do you know a kid who'd like to start?

A more detailed examination or, say, an appraisal for insurance, will require a fee. If you're concerned that someone is just trying to get your valuable stamps quickly, get several opinions.

3. You could visit one or more of the shows I list in the column to get ideas from several dealers in one place. If you have a specialized collection, look for a dealer who is selling that kind of material. A specialist in Latin American countires will recognize good material from those countries faster than a specialist in German stamps.

Several Web sites offer ideas about how to sell or otherwise dispose of collections. Here are links to some I know of:

The American Philatelic Society http

The American Stamp Dealers Association. This page contains several downloadable pamphlets on the topic.

The Virtual Stamp Club:. This page is for people who just inherited a collection but also has some general information about how to sell or otherwise dispose of one.

If you want to try your hand at coming up with a value, see my earlier posting on catalogs, but understand that if you've never used one you're likely to have some problems at first. And you'll have to learn about perforations and watermarks, among other things.

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