Inherited a stamp collection? How to value it

An inherited stamp collection is one of the most common ways people discover philately — and a moment full of questions. Is grandad's collection worth thousands, or is it mainly a keepsake? This guide covers what really determines value, how to get a quick estimate yourself, and how to upload the collection to our system for assessment.

First things first: don't rush

• Don't throw anything away — covers, letters with period postmarks and souvenir sheets can carry value too.
• Don't remove stamps from letters or albums and never clean the gum — damage can cut the price dramatically.
• Don't sell piece by piece blindly — a collection's value is often made by a few exceptional items that are easy to miss.

What determines a stamp's value

• Condition: mint never hinged (**), hinged (*) and used (#) — the difference can be an order of magnitude.
• Rarity: common post-war stamps were printed in millions; value comes from rare issues — overprints, airmail provisionals, rare perforations and plate flaws.
• Complete sets are worth more than single values, and covers with period postmarks can beat the stamps themselves.

Quick orientation: our online catalogue

Use our tools and the online stamp catalogue — stamps are ordered by Pofis numbers with Michel, Scott and Stanley Gibbons references, and the price levels come from real sales and auctions, not inflated catalogue prices.

How to upload your collection for assessment

• 1. Create a free account — registration takes a minute and comes with a 100 CZK welcome credit.
• 2. Open My Collections in your account and upload photos. Photograph whole album pages — AI recognises up to twenty stamps per photo, crops each one, identifies it and saves it to your collection.
• 3. Review the value estimates based on our real sales data.
• 4. Or use the Znamky.cz Android app and shoot stamps directly with your phone.

Want to sell right away?

Open the Selling & advice section in your account. In the "I want to sell" mode, add a short description and photos — we buy stamps, whole collections, banknotes and covers, with a fast and fair payout. Or switch to "I want advice" for an independent expert appraisal by Znamky.cz: an in-person inspection or an online video call at CZK 3,000/h, plus travel by location for visits (Prague CZK 1,500, Central Bohemia CZK 3,000, elsewhere by agreement — no travel cost for video calls).