The South Korean Stamp Scene (Part 11)

Articles

What follows is an update on my article of 1996 about the investment potential of South Korean stamps. In 1972 (when stamps were touted as investments) Linn’s Weekly Stamp News and others started “Investment Suggestions” which is now called the “Tip of the Week”. In about 1980 Linn’s began a “Trends of Stamp Values” which purported to be the “retail” values of stamps. Linn’s stopped their “Trends” in October, 2000 and the last “Trends” for South Korean stamps was Nov. 1, 1999. I used the Scott catalogs from then on which gave a relative value of the stamps. The Scott are from the 2008, 2018, 2019 and 2020 editions. (Values are in US$ and all stamps are Mint-Never Hinged. Ex 92a).

SCOTT # C35-8

TIPPED Oct. 7, 1991

SCOTT # C39-42

TIPPED Feb. 3, 1992 and Mar. 2, 1992

SCOTT #90 (Tipped both NH and LH-NH values below)

TIPPED June 1, 2020 (First Korean stamp tipped since 2012-see below)

This concludes the re-do of my 1996 article. Some observations are that in the years of 1984 through 1996 the stamps of South Korea were popular and worth the investment potential. In 1999 the popularity waned, as most of the “tipped” items were reduced in value by about 30%. Currently Linn’s says “The market for Korean stamps is inconsistent. The market for classic post-World War II stamps is strong for stamps in unused hinged condition and in mint never hinged condition…prices for stamps from other periods are all over the map, from about one-third of Scott catalog value up to more than catalog value. Study the market carefully before buying.”

Tagged

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.