Stamp Investment Tip: Manchukuo 1934 15f Rose (Scott #30)

In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria following the Mukden Incident ,

in which the Japanese military staged an act of sabotage in order to provide a pretext for war. In 1932, the Japanese formed the puppet state of Manchukuo, with Henry Pu-Yi, the former Emperor of China, as its head of state. Pu-Yi's life was the subject of the Oscar-winning film The Last Emperor.

A set of stamps picturing Pu-Yi and the Liaoyang Pagoda, printed on granite paper, was issued in 1934 (Scott #23-31). The key stamp from this set (and from the complete country, for that matter) is the 15 fen Rose (Scott #30), of which 100,000 were issued. The stamp is frequently sold individually, so not having the accompanying remainder of the set does not detract from its value. Scott values the stamp at $ 450.00 in unused condition and $ 200.00 for used.

Manchukuo stamps are sought after by collectors of both China and Japan. I recommend purchase of Scott #30 in either F-VF or better NH condition or F-VF+ Used.

Stamp Investment Tip: Latvia 1933 Pioneer Air Issue (Scott #CB21-24)

In 1933, issued a set of Airmail Semi-postals picturing early modes of flight (Scott #CB21-4,CB21a-24c). The set was issued in both perforated and imperforate form, in quantities of 7,420 and 6,210 respectively.

Both the perf. and imperforate versions of the set represent good prospects for growth, as the post-Soviet economies of the Baltic States continue to flourish. The set is of interest to both airmail and Zeppelin collectors, as the 30 +130 santimu value pictures the LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin hovering over Riga.

Stamp Investment Tip: Chilean Souvenir Sheets of the 1950s and Early '60s

Chile began issuing souvenir sheets featuring designs in conjunction with the issuance of some of its more popular stamps in the 1950s, and many of the these souvenir sheets are quite scarce. Printed on thick card stock, these souvenir sheets were not intended for postal use, and should technically be classified as souvenir cards or presentation cards. Nevertheless, Scott, the other catalogs, and collectors of Chile treat the items as souvenir sheets. Scott notes these issues after the listings for the related stamps.

The following issues, listed with printing quantities and Scott '10 Catalog Values, are worthy of consideration:

• C168Note -1953 Postage Stamp Centenary (515 issued- Scott notes but does not list a value for this sheet- it retails for $400-$600)

• C172Note - 1954 Railroad Centenary (Unknown quantity issued- $200.00 )

• C191Note- 1956 25th Anniversary of Technical University ( 2,000 issued - $ 110.00)

• C193Note - 1958 O'Higgins (3,000 issued - $ 60.00 )

• C194Note - 1958 National Philatelic Exhibition ( Unknown quantity issued - $ 48.00)

• C195Note - 1958 Savings Bank (Unknown quantity issued - $ 48.00)

• C213Note - 1959 German School Centenary ( Unknown quantity issued - $ 60.00 )

• C218Note - 1960 World Refugee Year (3,000 issued - $ 110.00)

• C220DNote - 1960 1st National Government-150th Anniversary (Unknown quantity issued- $ 30.00)

• C221Note - 1960 Rotary Conference (Unknown quantity issued - $ 60.00 )

• C221 Second Note 1962 Malaria Overprint on Rotary s/s (2,000 Issued- $ 30.00 )

• C247Note - 1962 Soccer (Unknown quantity issued - $ 12.00 )

Chile is considered the most "European" Latin American nation, and the proportion of stamp collectors within the population is moving towards European levels. Given a rapidly developing economy spurred by a government which implements sound economic policies, the future looks bright for this nation of 15 million. I expect to see continued increases in the values of better Chilean stamps and souvenir sheets.

Stamp Investment Tip: India 1948 Mahatma Gandhi Issue (Scott #203-06)

On January 30, 1948, Mohandas K. Gandhi, one of the greatest men who ever lived, was assassinated. On August 15, the first anniversary of India's independence, India issued a set of stamps depicting the Mahatma (Scott #203-06). About 230,000 sets were issued, and the set has a Scott '09 Catalog Value of $ 126.00.

In my opinion, this set is certain to rise in value. It has appeared on many buy lists lately, and may not be available for less than full Scott value. Several decades ago, before India's economic growth accelerated, an NH set could be purchased for as little as 25% of Scott.

A small number of Gandhi sets were overprinted "SERVICE" for Offical use (Scott #O112A-112D) in the following quantities, with Scott Catalog Values also given: O112A - 15,950

($ 45.00), O112B - 1,350 ($ 800.00), O112C - 250 ($ 2,100.00), O112D - 20 ($ 12,000.00). The catalog values given are italicized in Scott, indicating that reliable market information is unavailable, making it difficult to assign accurate values. A set of the Gandhi Officials sold for 38,000 Euros (about triple Scott) at a David Feldman Auction in 2007. Buying the less expensive lower values individually makes sense, but since forged overprints exist, require expertization as a condition for purchase.

Stamp Investment Tip: Israel 1952 Menorah Stamp (Scott #55)

Stamps of Israel are notable in that they are collected with "tabs," attached selvedge with additional information about the stamp. The first stamp albums for Israel contained spaces for the stamps themselves, but not the tabs. Consequently, collectors often removed the tabs before mounting the stamps in the albums. The late renowned stamp dealer Jacques Minkus produced the first Israel album with spaces for the stamps with their tabs, but unfortunately, the tabs were usually torn off the early issues. As a result, many tabbed Israeli stamps of the 1948-52 period are scarce.


In 1952, Israel issued a high value 1000 prutah Menorah Stamp, with emblems of the Twelve Tribes framing a menorah of the Second Temple. Informational tabs were printed on the bottom margin selvedge of each sheet. 350,000 Menorah stamps were issued, but the vast majority were used on packages, and most of the stamps with tabs collected mint were detached from their tabs. Hence, Scott values the basic mint stamp at $ 16.00 and the stamp with a tab at $ 250.00 . The stamp is very attractive and relates directly to Jewish history, as well as being a Religion topical. I highly recommend investing in the Menorah stamp with tab.


A caveat applies when purchasing tabbed Israeli stamps: the tab must be complete - often (as with the '52 Menorah stamp) the tabs contained two parts of selvedge. If the marginal part of the tab has been removed, the stamp is considered to have a "part tab," and is worth a slight premium over the cost of a basic stamp. Occasionally, ignorant or dishonest sellers will quote the catalog value for a fully tabbed stamp when offering one with a part tab.


Israel is considered one of the most advanced countries in the world in terms of economic development. As a technology powerhouse which leads the world in the number of scientists and engineers per capita, it also has the second largest number of start-up companies after the U.S.. Israel's main burden is having to spend much of its GNP on defending itself from some of its more bellicose neighbors. Should peace break out, trade will grow exponentially, and Israel could serve as a model for economic development in the Mid-East and much of the Third World. In that event, the better stamps of Israel and the Palestine Mandate will increase dramatically.


Israeli stamps are popular in Israel and among Jewish collectors around the world. Those interested in learning more about Israeli stamps should consider purchasing a Bale Catalogue, which classifies and values many items not listed in Scott, including forerunners, errors, varieties, machine-vended stamps, revenues, postal stationery, and booklets.

Stamp Investment Tip: Panama 1958 United Nations Souvenir Sheet (Scott #C202a)

In 1958, Panama issued a set of stamps (Scott #C199-202) and a souvenir sheet (Scott #C202a), commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the United Nations, which had occurred in 1955. Better late than never, I suppose. Both the set and the souvenir sheet are cheap (Scott Value for the Unused set is $ 4.05 ; for the Unused souvenir sheet: $ 5.25 ) and both had very low printings. Only 10,000 of the sets and 3,000 of the souvenir sheets were issued.


UN-related issues are popular among topical collectors, and I am convinced that they will become more popular in the future as the need for better, more powerful institutions of global government to deal with the world's massive problems is recognized. I believe that both the set and the souvenir sheet are excellent candidates for accumulation. It is impossible to know which presents a better prospect; for although the set had a higher printing quantity, it's likely that a far higher proportion of sets than souvenir sheets were used for postage.

Practical Advice: Preserving Your Stamps

Being made of paper, stamps are fragile collectibles, and preserving them in the condition in which you acquired them is essential to preserving the value of your investment. This is easier than it sounds, and does not require a degree in chemistry or physics. It does require an awareness of the main causes of damage to stamps, and a willingness to take steps to avoid them.

The main causes of stamp damage are: negligence in handling and storage,
moisture, acidity, and excessive exposure to light or extreme variations in temperature. Often, damage results from a combination of two or more of these factors.


Negligence is probably the worst of these threats, and it encompasses many different manifestations of ignorance and error. It may be said that most instances of a collector unintentionally damaging stamps are forms of negligence. Some of the following warnings may seem obvious to even most beginning collectors, but I'll go through them anyway:

• Do not write on the backs of stamps.
• Do not mount stamps by licking their gum and sticking them into albums.
• Do not use photograph albums with sticky pages to mount stamps.
• Do not use hinges to mount never hinged stamps.
• Do not break up multiples which may be more valuable as multiples, or soak stamps off of covers when they may be more valuable on cover.
• Do not immerse a stamp in watermark detector if the catalog warns that the ink may bleed if that stamp is immersed in it.

Excessive exposure to moisture can ruin a stamp's gum, or transform it into a meal for mold or insects. The best ways to avoid this threat are not to store stamps in damp environments or rooms in which flooding is a risk, and endeavor to keep stamps out of the rain.

Acidity poses both an internal and external threat. Some stamps are composed of paper which has a high acid content, and will turn yellow and brittle over the years if exposed to excessive moisture or light. In the vast majority of cases, this process can be avoided if the stamp is not over-exposed. Also, in the cases of used stamps and stamps issued without gum, much of the acidity may be removed by soaking the stamp in warm distilled water for several hours.

The external threats of acidity damage involve handling and storage. Always use tongs when handling stamps, because oils secreted from the skin have a high acid content. Stamps should be mounted using acid-free mounts in modern acid-free albums or stockbooks. They should be removed from old albums in which the pages are printed on paper which has a high acid content, so that the acid doesn't migrate to the stamps.


Excessive exposure to light should also be avoided, though fading probably will not occur unless there is extreme exposure to light over a prolonged period of time.

Extreme variation in temperature is another stressor, and should also be avoided. Storing a stamp collection in an attic which freezes in the winter and becomes an oven in the summer is a very bad idea.


All of these suggestions for preserving stamps are basically just common sense, and others that are equally valid may occur to you. It's best not to learn the hard way how a stamp may become more rare.