Many people have been collecting stamps for many years. If you are new in this hobby, then the question is same: How do you really know the value of your collection? There are many ways to know about the value of the stamp collection, you can search for Dealers in your local yellow pages. Another thing is to be noted that the prices a dealer offers a collection for is not the same that the dealer himself would pay for the collection. And if you are going to sell your collection, an online auction may be better option for you.

You can also determine the value of individual stamp. To do this, first consider some facts such as the country where the stamp comes from, if stamp is in used or not, the condition of the stamp, how old the stamp is and the availability of the stamp. These are some conditions which are used to determine the value of a stamp. To know about the value of the stamp, it is important to be sure about the country from where the stamp comes from. All the stamps contain the name of the country from where they are issued in their own language such as Britain uses the monarch’s silhouette.
In finding the value of the stamp, the condition of the stamp does make a difference between a stamp in good condition versus very fine condition that can mean the difference of 10 to 70 percent of the stamp value. To determine the condition of the stamp the points are-centering the picture, dimension and intensity of the cancellation, rips in the stamp, repairs in the stamp, scratch mark and color fading. If the stamp is in good condition, you will receive the maximum price from a dealer.
When it comes to the value of your stamp collection, you have to be very careful. Notice if the stamp has been used or not. You can also get the age of the stamp very easily, as for US postage stamps. Generally, the higher face value postage stamps are, newer and the age of the stamp can also be determined as postage stamps rate, for example, a stamp with a face value of 22 cents are usually from the period of nineteen eighties when postage was 22 cents.
To know about the rarity of the stamp is a little bit difficult. The stamps which were release for a limited time or the ones with higher unusual face value fall into the category of rare stamps. The stamp with a picture of a biplane printed upside down from US Airmail is the rarest and most valuable.
The details about the stamp such as the country of origin, general date and condition of a stamp, a stamp guide can be consulted. There are so many companies which print the stamp price guides for each country in the world.