12/1/2011
PIMCO Founder Donates $8 million to National Postal Museum
William H. Gross, the founder of PIMCO and a stamp collector, has donated $8 million to the National Postal Museum to create a new 12,000-square-foot gallery that will be named in his honor. The new gallery, which will give the museum public space at the street level, is expected to open in 2013.
In addition to the financial donation, Gross will loan three extraordinary philatelic objects: A cover from the Pony Express service; a cover featuring the 10-cent George Washington stamp, dated July 2, 1847; and a block of four 1918 “Inverted Jennys.” .........Read the complete story here
8/1/2011
Installment Payment Plan Announcement
I am pleased to introduce our New installment payment program; Buy On Time. Payments may stretched out for up to Six months, No Interest.
The Buy On Time graphic  will display on stamps that are eligible for our Buy On Time program.
Here’s how it works: Click and you will be guided through four easy online steps. You will specify desired the monthly payment amount, term, due date and method of payment. We will create an Installment Payment Purchase Agreement and send this agreement to you via email, in .PDF
You Print, read, sign and return the agreement to us via US Mail, along with your first payment. We accept Checks or Credit Cards (MasterCard, VISA, Discover and American Express) for payments on our Buy On Time plan. Your purchase will be shipped to you (Free of any shipping charge), upon receipt of your final payment.
In the unlikely event payments are not completed, the first payment will be retained, any remaining payments will be refunded and the installment purchase agreement will be canceled.
Questions? Send us an email or give us a phone call at 214.458.0641
9/27/10
Steve Crippe resumes Full-time operation of gradedstamps.com
At the end of July 2010, Heritage Auctions, decided to cease operating a stamp division. This made me available to resume full-time operations of gradedstamps.com.
I am therefore, as one colleague described it at the Houston show last week, “back amongst the herd.”
I was recruited by Heritage in the spring of 2008 to help them re-renter the stamp market and moved from Tampa, FL to Dallas, TX to establish their stamp auction business. There are a number of aspects that served as obstacles to finding success with the Heritage stamp operation, chief among them was not being able to turn a profit or to see profit likely in the near-term. So, the company decided to cut their losses and shut the operation down.
It was an interesting experience. I learned some things, but in all honesty, I did miss the independence that I had grown accustomed to during the 10 years I ran my own stamp business. Not that I expected much independence in a big company like Heritage, however, I saw the opportunity to grow stamps in general and graded stamps in particular, which I viewed as a worthwhile trade-off.
Really Big News
I will not be moving back to Tampa, because…..last December, I got married! My lovely bride Kathy and I have put down roots here in Dallas, so we’re calling Texas home, along with our dog April, who is an Akita.
Something Else New
If you haven’t visited gradedstamps.com in awhile, you’ll find something new – 'Dealer Graded Stamps.'
Dealer Graded stamps were added to better serve a wide base of collectors and accommodate those stamps that do not warrant grading. Many of these stamps have Certificates, and as always, all purchases are fully covered by our 10 day Satisfaction Guarantee. This addition does not signal a shift away from stamp grading, but serves as an addition to our business by offering a wider array of stamps to our existing and new clients.
So - I am Back! Please let me know how I can be of service.
Best Regards,
Steven D. Crippe
www.gradedstamps.com
214-458-0641
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7/1/08
Steve Crippe Joins Heritage Auction Galleries as Director of Philatelic Sales
Heritage is pleased to announce that Steve Crippe, founder and President of GradedStamps.com, has joined their staff as Director of Philatelic Sales.
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Steve started collecting stamps at a young age. He developed an early affinity for stamps with production mistakes after his own purchase of a miscut booklet at a Post Office window in the 1960's. His interest in the fascinating sub-specialty of Errors remains strong to this day, and he is recognized as one of the leading experts in this fascinating field.
After 25 years of Circulation Management experience at The Seattle Times, Steve retired from the newspaper business in 1999 to launch a full-time, rare stamp business, initially selling stamps to collectors through sales booths at major stamp shows across the USA. Quickly recognizing the power of the Internet, he soon developed a custom-software website dedicated to the sale of rare stamps, migrating virtually all his business to the online venue by 2004.
Steve was the first national-level stamp dealer to embrace third-party grading, introduced to the stamp market in late 2002 by Professional Stamp Experts (PSE). His leadership in this "new stamp market" was noticed, and followed by other dealers, and then ultimately, by stamp auction firms, who also began offering graded stamps to their clients.
He is a current member of the American Stamp Dealers Association, American Philatelic Society, United States Stamp Society, Error, Freaks and Oddities Collectors Club and the Florida Stamp Dealers Association.
"Philately is an area we're anxious to get back into," said Steve Ivy, Co-Chairman and CEO of Heritage, "and we're confident that Steve's drive, ambition, experience, and standing in the stamp collecting community will help us attain a leadership position in this exciting area very quickly."
GradedStamps.com will move its operations to Dallas, where it will continue under Steve's direction.
3/27/08
1930 Graf Zeppelin Set
$100,000+ Sales Transaction
PSE “Best Set of 2007” Award Winner
(includes Scarsdale $2.60 Graf Zeppelin)
Steve Crippe, owner of gradedstamps.com LLC, Tampa, Florida, has announced completion of an important Sales Transaction involving The Westchester Collection - Graf Zeppelin Airmail Set.
In February 2008, Professional Stamp Experts of Newport Beach, California awarded the Westchester Collection -The Best Airmail RegistryTM Set for 2007.
This Three-stamp collection consists of C13, C14 and C15, with the Ex. Scarsdale C15 PSE Graded 100 Jumbo Never Hinged pictured above - the crown jewel of the three stamp set.
In early 2007, one of my clients; a serious collector of American stamps, asked for my assistance in helping him assemble a complete US Airmail collection – in the highest Quality, Condition and Grade possible.
I have been working with this collector in pursuit of his goal for a little over a year now. He has amassed over 50 US Airmail stamps, in the Grade of PSE GEM 100.
[A complete US Airmail collection is comprised of 132 stamps, so he is well on his way to achieving his goal]
The Airmail collector has requested that I do not disclose his identity, beyond saying that he is a business owner who lives in the Midwest.
In 2007, he asked me to make contact with the owner of the Westchester Collection and see if the Graf Zeppelins were available for sale.
Westchester wasn’t interested in selling when I first contacted him. There was some on and off communication over the next several months, but nothing came of it.
This year, just after the PSE Registry Awards were announced, my client asked me to contact the Westchester Collector again.
The Westchester owner was receptive to discussing a potential sale of the Three Graf Zeppelins! After some price negotiations back and forth, we had a deal. The exact amount of the transaction is being kept confidential, but the sale amount was in excess of $100,000.
gradedstamps.com is pleased to introduce this spectacular Airmail collection - including the Graf Zeppelins - on behalf of the collector, and to provide a special showcase for this outstanding collection on our website.
[Link to Airmail collection]
For Additional Information Contact:
Steve Crippe
214.458.0641
1/23/07 Steve Crippe completes purchase of Award-winning PSE Set Registry. The Finest Set collection of 1923-1926, Perf 10 issues; [#581-591 ], that Mr. W.S. of Indiana spent FOUR years building, will soon be offered for sale on gradedstamps.com
In announcing 2006 Set Registry awards , Mike Sherman, President of PSE had this to say about this set: "Talk about a tough set. This incredible group is made up almost entirely of Superb 98s, and no Scott No. in the set has a population higher than four in 98. To date, PSE has certified a total of only two stamps that could raise the rating of this set; one Scott No. 583 and one Scott No. 589. Virtually unimprovable."
4/1/06 Steve Crippe purchases PSE Set Registry award-winning, Finest Set collection of Kansas-Nebraska Overprint issues from W.S. of Indiana.
12/5/05 Record $6 Million Stamp Swap - NY Times article
12/8/04 - Read Linn's Stamp News article on Graded stamps. |
