.... if you are a new collector to this wonderful hobby or  perhaps still learning about stamps as you build your collection. please tell me you have done some reading to  understand the basics, especially about the condition  of stamps.   Stanley Gibbons and Scott, the two catalogues I am familiar with,  have excellent material at the start of their catalogues  explaining stamp condition.  You can read plenty just from a google search.   Or you can read my website and details of my book  that covers this in so many ways.

Why do I write this? - because it upsets me when I see so much rubbish listed on internet philatelic portals. I pray no one pays money for some of what I see.  They are  literally throwing their money away on most of the material.

Yes there are space fillers for sometime more difficult stamps, and yes you might be happy with something that is less than perfect but do know the difference between rubbish and a spacefiller. 

In the future you might want to pass on your collection, or even think about selling it, or your family might want to sell it one day.  You or they are going to be one hell of a mad bunny when you find out what you have is junk.

It is not only in the image, read the details assuming there are some.    let the writing of the seller tell you something. 

Sadly in this day and age  anyone can list anything on the internet and even appear to be doing the right thing, but in my humble opinion  if they were 100%  genuine and really knew about stamps  they would put the stamp(s )in the bin. 

There are no quality controls when selling stamps on the internet. Only the quality control you decide.  You the buyer must be aware.  This is the reality about selling  and buying  I guess not only stamps but whatever on the internet.  

Publishing fake news and many other activities are either frowned upon, accepted as wrong or even punishable, yet listing stamps for sale that are wrongly described, poorly described, incompletely described, use whatever words you wish,   - stamps that are listed and even supposedly without a deliberate intent to defraud - although I would question that from  many sellers I read -   that is ok. 

It shouldn't be but it is.  Enjoy your  stamp collecting. There are 100s of us who care and who are stamp sellers you can trust.  Michael cddstamps.com 

click the image to enlarge for detail

 

Hello,   I know, I have not written for so long.  ..... not been thinking in writing mode...  just a coping mood at the moment. Then today I was  checking I had the correct Scott  reference for  some Machins we are listing in the store -   need to top up every now and again  and decided  that some nice, very clean mint Never Hinged Machins would do...... and  look what I found.  Doesn't it just restore the faith in human nature, NOT ... that someone could list these two.   same seller...........    an embarrassment to every collector and seller of stamps...  if you collect  garbage there are hundreds more to be had.

Ok, I know I am wrong...  it is not for me to call out what people collect, or what people sell.    But  seriously people, this is waste paper.

  enjoy your philately, how ever you do.  Michael cddstamps.com