Are there any guidelines where gutter pairs would have any premium value vs. the individual stamps? I would assume for modern-ish MNH sets (ex. 1970/80s Cocos Islands) there would not be much?
I am debating whether to separate pairs to fill album spaces vs. re-buying the missing sets as singles.
Back in the late 1970s, gutter pairs were the thing. You could almost name your price if you were selling them. At that time, I couldn't keep them in stock. Since then there has not been much of a demand for them. They will still bring an added premium, but I'm not sure how much of a percentage that would be any more.
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 07 Feb 2021 06:02:00am
re: Gutter Pairs
" ... gutter pairs were the thing ..."
As my mom would describe such things "the Cat's Meow...."
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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 300 categories 07 Feb 2021 09:38:32am
re: Gutter Pairs
"I ALWAYS take the gutters and other selvage over singles and pairs."
Yeah, but that wasn't the question.
The question is: "Will you pay more for them than you would two sets?"
As Michael points out, in the late 70's, early 80's British gutter pairs were hot (don't ask me why), especially "traffic light" gutter pairs - an entirely speculative market based on "somebody" coming along later and wanting them enough to continue to pay increasing premiums. Since most of that stuff is now trading at postage values, the premium is now essentially zero.
You may find someone willing to pay a small premium because they like it, but there is no "market".
Roy
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 16 Feb 2021 09:03:03am
re: Gutter Pairs
" ... As Michael points out, in the late 70's,
early 80's British gutter pairs were hot
(don't ask me why), ..."
Shucks, and I was just about to ask you why.
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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
After the gutter pair craze ended, the next craze was for "specimen" stamps of new issues. Such stamp sets sold for double and more of catalog value for the regular stamps. Now that has long since ended, and such stamps are selling at about the same price for regular stamps for the specimen stamps issued during that time.
A few other "crazes" that drove up prices for the associated stamps were the result of market manipulation, resulting in jail time for the culprits in the first two mentioned next. This is included stamps of the Ryuykyu Islands (late 1970s and early 1980s), and the Europa issues (1990s, if I recall). Even the Gulf States "wall paper" issues got hot when a sheik declared that he wanted to buy all he could of those stamps (in MMH condition).
Often a country becomes "hot", and prices skyrocket. When the furor is over sometimes the prices don't go down that much if at all. This includes People's Republic of China, Russia and India. Some Latin American countries recently saw a boost in prices, such as Uruguay and Ecuador.
Enjoy the crazes, but be careful about paying too much for the stamps.