Q: I am looking for a local stamp collector or a stamp collector shop? I have 2 books full that I am trying to sell and dont know how to go about finding out how much they are worth. Thanks,
A: I know of two shops catering to stamp collectors in the Indy area. There might be others, I suppose. But I would definitely try to get at least two people to look at your collection, both for the extra knowledge and because a single person might overlook a valuable stamp. Here are the shops I know about. Diamond, which is inside "Antiques and More," is more coin-oriented, but they deal with stamp collectors as well: The Stamp Shop 614 Massachusetts Ave # 102 Indianapolis, IN 46204 (317) 631-0631 Diamond Stamp and Coin 3440 N. Shadeland Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46226 (317) 356-9980 http://www.diamondstampcoin.com/ Please keep in mind that most collections have very little value to professionals. When I was a kid, I loved to fill my stamp books with beautiful stamps from countries in exotic locations, but those stamps are literally a dime a dozen. If you try to sell them now, you might not be offered anything at all, or you might be offered an amount that seems insulting. On the other hand, if you DO have something valuable, make sure you do some research to know the real market before you take any offer. Especially if there are a lot of stamps involved, the best way to do that research is to look at Linn's, which is the weekly newspaper of the stamp collecting hobby. They will have copies of Linns in the Stamp Shop; it might even be in the public library. Or, you can subscribe at their Web site, www.linns.com. Anyway, Linns carries all sorts of ads from buyers and sellers. As I said, if you have a valuable stamp, it's worth checking to see what buyers elsewhere might be willing to pay for it. I hope this helps, and may you have a pleasant surprise with your collection.