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.
For Additional Information Contact:
Steve Crippe
813.223.1973
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
12/17/04
We're pleased to announce the launch of a NEW website - devoted strictly to Error's Freaks and Oddities. This is THE place to find EFO's. We invite you to visit:
12/9/04
One of the most widely recognized and sought after stamps in Philately; the Inverted Jenny; 1918 24c Airmail with Inverted Center. Within a week of being offered for sale here on our website, the stamp was..  -- on stevecrippe.com --
12/8/04 - Read Linn's Stamp News article on Graded stamps.
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