Number Of Stamps Per Pound

I know I've seen this information somewhere before but can't place where at the moment. Hopefully someone can help.

For off paper lots of U.S. stamps, roughly how many stamps are there in a pound?

1. Mixed definitives/commemmoratives
2. Definitives/small
3. Commems/large

Thanks in advance!

Dale

Mixture = 2,000 per LB

Smaller stamps 3,000 per LB

The world's biggest ball of stamps from Boys Town was at the APS show in Omaha - 4,655,000 stamps weighing 600 pounds. That would imply about 7700 stamps per pound, presumably a mixture of small and large stamps. Not sure if there is a reason why that wouldn't be a reasonable estimate. One article says it was built around a golf ball. Don't know how the stamp ball itself was put together but presumably by licking the stamps.

Pounds? ...go metric !
Dis you know NASA (I think) lost a spacecraft once, having dual measuring systems, caused a malfunction and it shot off into deep space.

December 2003

Wrong Answer! I own it!






Mixture = 6,000 stamps per lb

Small = Could be as much as 8,000 per lb.

Stamps off paper I call 15,000 stamps per kg.

You can weigh 250 stamps and multiply to get your weight.

"1775mac" on 02/12/2012

On Paper, poorly cut = 80-100 per ounce
On Paper, close cut = 140-170 per ounce
Off Paper, large = 200-300 per ounce
Off Paper, medium or mixed = 300-500 per ounce
Off Paper, small = 500-600 per ounce

I do not see how 'on paper' calculations can be accurate. Not only is it dependent upon how 'close' it is cut but it is totally dependent on either single or double sided cuts. In other words, if the stamp was cut from the envelope with both the front and back paper still attached it would almost double its weight over one that was cut with just the front part of the envelope.

I never rely upon these estimates but rather do my own by sampling the mixtures myself (count out 200 stamps as a sample size, weigh, do the math).
Don

Great idea Don.

A big thank you to everyone who has replied. I was browsing on eBay last night and came across an off paper lot of two pounds of U.S. commems for a decent price. I pulled the trigger since the U.S. area of my collection is a bit on the thin side.

I was trying to get a ballpark idea of how many stamps this would be. Based on the estimate of 2-300/ounce for large, that would roughly be somewhere in the range 6400-9600. Should make for some fun sorting in the coming weeks.

Dale

Hi Don




Very true! How kiloware comes is not a precise science.

But we can look for detail in the kiloware listings description.

Example: "Single paper close cut." This is what the charities do to the wild harvest stamps on paper. It is a process that many different people have input to the finished stamp on paper size and surprisingly they all seem to not vary in the finished size by much.Stamp paper size seems to be consistent incoming for me from charities and auctions.

Another example: "Torn paper." Means damaged stamp with too much paper still attached to the stamp.I do not purchase this kiloware!

Another example: "Double paper large cut." Very poor amount of stamps per kg. Loose as much as 2/3rds of the stamp total per lot. Definitely do not buy this type of kiloware.

You have to be careful of cardboard, thick paper, tuff bags etc.Totally avoid this type of kiloware unless it is "high denomination" kiloware as heavy paper is common place.

The number of stamps per pound or kilo varies tremendously, as others have stated, depending on how close cut the paper is and depending on double thickness of paper vs single etc.
Sometimes you even find entire envelopes chucked in -- thats a lot of waste paper for a single stamp!
Also, I think long gone are the days when people donating to charity could be persuaded to make nice close-cut kiloware.
These days any kiloware you buy is likely to be a mixture of anything from close cut to wads of waste paper, and is best priced accordingly.
In any case, the actual quality of the stamps is much more important than how much waste paper surrounds them. Make sure any lot you buy comes with a good photo, and isnt purely 'fronted.' Better to pay for some good stamps and a lot of waste paper than double the mount of junk stamps