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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;gsalexan, post: 1847581, member: 24274&quot;]As a collector of both stamps and currency, I would agree. And I think it&#039;s due to some key differences in the how each is viewed by the public.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stamps represent a promise of service -- the delivery of mail -- while currency is a form of credit for any transaction. The service offered by the US Postal Service is clearly obsolete in many ways; you don&#039;t need a stamp for an email. Consequently, mint stamps haven&#039;t even held onto their face value -- there are just too many out there to be used. Dealers are currently buying mint stamps at 50-60 percent of face and selling at 85-90 percent. So people with inherited collections are discovering they can&#039;t even get what they thought was the cash value. Why would anyone want to collect something like that?</p><p><br /></p><p>Currency doesn&#039;t have that PR problem. Inflation aside, a dollar bill will always get you a dollar&#039;s worth of whatever you&#039;re buying. So the trust in the basic value of a note is solid. In the mind of the general public that&#039;s the real difference. Stamps are just bits of paper, currency is safe. Beginning collectors need that perceived sense of permanent value. Offer kids $1 in mint stamps from 1957 or a $1 silver certificate from the same year and guess which one most would pick.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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