Collecting postage stamps for charity

[Kiki-frog]

At work we cut the postage stamps off envelopes and save them up to give to charity. Does anyone know if the giant gold-coloured stamps that they put on parcels at the post office are also worth saving? Would anyone be interested in collecting them? They look pretty dull and are exactly the same whatever the value.

[tenrec]

I don't know, but I did wonder that too.

[boxtops]

They certainly are, kikifrog, as are postage labels. The charities collect them in bulk and sell them by weight to organisations which sort them for stamp collectors, often across the world - many people would like a large gold PO stamp in their collection. Some people collect franking machine marks, too.

[boxtops]

.. and PS the gold ones aren't all the same - they say A if they are for airmail post, for example.

[DTCwordfan]

If the RM carries on as it intends and the Chancellor'c charity donation cap comes in, it will not be long before it will be impossible to make a donation of the stamps or postage labels as they will exceed the limit.

[boxtops]

DT, can you explain that, please? I thought the capping only related to cash donations?

[DTCwordfan]

just a sardonic look at this issue of RM price increases....some folk have cynically said they will soon only sell 100 stamps a year!

[boxtops]

.. all the more reason to collect the used ones then, they'll soon become something of a rarity!

[DTCwordfan]

Could well be.....

[Kiki-frog]

Thanks, boxtops, that's really helpful. We'll start saving those as well then. I didn't realise that there were differences between them. Thanks again. x

[commoner]

Please try to cut well away from the stamp/label otherwise they are ruined....commemoratives are worth more to charities than the boring old definitives but even they can throw up the odd rarity...misprints etc....great fun for stamp collectors of a cold winter evening....sorting through kiloware as they sometimes call it.....I loved it until I discovered girls...mmm....

[petal54]

it's quite handy when letters arrive & the stamps aren't franked