Up-date: due to the recent BTC price fluctuations, the library is now 1.5 BTC, only until the end of the year.

Here are some pictures:

I am selling my extensive library of scripophily-related literature for Bitcoin. For 1 Bitcoin, to be precise.

Scripophily is basically the hobby of collecting printed bonds and share certificates. Those of you who are not familiar with it can read more about it on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripophily . It has been around for at least 50 years now and, during this time, a rather significant number of books, periodicals, auction catalogues, etc. have been published on the subject.

My library is by far one of the largest in the world, both in terms of volume and in terms of scope. There are way over 1,000 different items including scores of auction catalogues, handbooks, runs of periodicals, pamphlets, etc., spanning several decades of scripophily-related activity worldwide and also quite a number of different languages, besides English.

Compiling a detailed list of all the items in this library would end up generating labour costs worth more than 1 Bitcoin, so I'm afraid I can't do that. I can provide, however, some photos (the library is now arranged on shelves in a clean and modern storage facility) and a more detailed listing of the main titles included, as well as the runs of periodicals and auction catalogues inside. In case anybody is genuinely interested, just reply here or PM me.

Viewing of the library could also be arranged, at its current location (Frankfurt area, Germany).

As far as shipping is concerned, we are talking about pretty much a small van full of books. I could deliver the library myself anywhere in Germany for a small flat fee (something like EUR 200 or so). I could also deliver it to most other European countries in the West/North/Centre/South-West of Europe, also for a flat fee (expect something in the region of EUR 500, depending on the location). Shipping to any other location, like the US or Asia, is of course possible, however I really can't estimate how much that would cost.

Quick up-date: the cover is now listed on BitPremier as well.

https://www.bitpremier.com/7-collectibles/3046-major-chinese-philatelic-rarity

Thanks for the message and the support, much appreciated! It is true that there are many hobbies out there more popular than philately at the moment, especially amongst young people, however there is some promising activity happening in stamp collecting as well, I am happy to report. The run-of-the-mill stuff is not doing great, just because the number of small collectors worldwide is not what it used to be 30-40 years ago. However, rarities are actually doing quite well and there is a constant flow of new people entering the business, primarily as collector-investors. Some of them are actually quite young and most of them are "mature", usually in their 40s and early 50s.

During the past ten years or so, the undisputed star of international philately has been China, with the Chinese buying back their treasures, many of which had been locked up in collections in old Europe (and, to a lesser extent, the US) for the past 100 years or so. Needless to say, it has to do with their economic growth. Same story with India and the same thing happened with Russian philately in the mid-90s, when the oligarchs emerged on the international scene and started buying back Russian history. That helped stabilise the market for Russian philately at a very high level, where it remains to this day.

Having said all that, I too fear that this Chinese rarity won't attract much attention here but, on the other hand, most buyers in the major philatelic auctions in Hong Kong are in their 30s and 40s, usually from mainland China. Surely some of them must have some Bitcoins...

For sale is one of the greatest rarities of Chinese classic philately, in the form of one of the most important Large Dragons (i.e. China's first stamp issue) covers (which is a philatelic term for 'letter') in existence. It is the only known cover bearing ALL THREE VALUES OF THE LARGE DRAGONS ON THE FRONT, together with a foreign stamp. It was sent in 1889 from Peking to Munich, Germany, through the French Post Office in Shanghai, and it is franked with a 1 candareen green, a 3 candareen red and a 5 candareen yellow respectively, as well as a French 25 centimes stamp, all applied on the front of the envelope (contrary to the normal practice of applying the Chinese stamps on the reverse of the envelope and the foreign stamps on the front, in case of letters sent abroad). Furthermore, this 1889 cover represents a very late usage of the Large Dragons stamps, thus adding to its importance and rarity. Also adding greatly to this cover's prestige is its' perfect quality, which makes it the ideal investment item. A Peter Holcombe certificate of authenticity accompanies it, as well as impeccable references in the specialised literature.

Arguably the most important philatelic book on the postal history of China's Large Dragons is James B. Whang's "A Comprehensive Illustration on Covers of Chinese Large Dragons" (Taipei, 1997). The book is in fact a very comprehensive census of the vast majority (over 95%) of Large Dragons covers still in existence (356 in total). This particular cover offered here is, of course, listed and illustrated in the book on page 542, position 328 in the census (relevant scans have been included below). Studying all of the covers listed in James B. Whang's book confirms beyond any reasonable doubt that this cover belongs to the 'TOP 10' most important of them, if not the 'TOP 5'.

Many of the Large Dragons covers in existence have been offered and sold at public auction during the past decade. The main reason behind this is the phenomenal 'boom' in the value of Chinese philately during the past 10 years or so. With sky-high results, consistent and constant growth and massive levels of interest from investors and collectors alike, all over the world, Chinese philately is proving to be a very wise investment and this is most evident in case of rarities. All of the major philatelic auctioneers of the world, and especially the philatelic auction houses in Hong Kong, keep realising huge prices for significant Chinese rarities. One a many Large Dragons covers have been sold at auction during the past decade for prices in excess of HK$ 4,000,000 and above.

This cover is a true gem of Chinese philately and would greatly enhance even the most advanced philatelic collection or the most carefully selected investment portfolio. And, besides all this, the pride of ownership it brings with it is supreme (which can't really be said of intangible assets, which cannot be physically enjoyed or exhibited).

The price is $350,000 paid in BTC or ETH exclusively. Other cryptos might be accepted, depending on the state of the market at the time, however prospective buyers should inquire in advance.

The seller could (and would very much prefer to) deliver the cover personally in most countries of the European Union (including some Western/Northern European countries which are not EU members, such as Switzerland or Norway), as well as in Hong Kong. This service is, of course, free of charge for the buyer. For any other location, please inquire. Shipping by FedEx is possible only if the transaction takes place via BitPremier.com (where this ad should be listed very soon), as they offer their own escrow service.

The seller is a professional full-time philatelist, philatelic dealer and consultant, as well as a philatelic expert on worldwide classic stamps and postal history, based in Germany. He has 12 years experience and is specialised in building philatelic investment portfolios and exhibition collections.

Pictures:

Thanks a million - I did use the Search function before posting, but I couldn't find that one, for some reason...

I was wondering whether there is any list of all the Bitcoin debit card providers out there at the moment (needless to say, I couldn't find one). I am not that bothered about privacy, so I don't mind having my name written on the card, however it must bear the logo of one of the major companies like Visa or MC, so I could use it without any problems anywhere. The only offer I have found so far and which sounds decent is the one from ANXPRO. Has anyone had any experience with them? Does it work properly, as advertised? What sort of exchange rate are they using when converting the BTC into US$? I would imagine it should be to their advantage, but to what extent? Any other similar options available on the market? I would be grateful for any feedback and experiences pertaining to this matter. Thanks and cheerio!

I can offer medium and high-value classic stamps, covers (which is the technical term for letters with stamps on them) and philatelic collections against Bitcoins (although I would accept Primecoins (XPM) as well). I shall not list any specific item for sale in this post, however I am going to try to give you a general idea about the products and services I can offer, as well as the advantages of high-value philatelic items as an investment.

I am a full-time professional philatelist (i.e. expert and consultant) and stamp dealer, having been in the business for more than 8 years already (based in Germany). In the meantime, I have become one of the most active and well-known stamp dealers in the world (philately isn't a gigantic world - however it's growing very quickly), and my reputation in the "real world" can easily be checked upon. I specialise in classic philately, with an emphasis on rare items. I currently serve as advisor to some of the greatest collectors of the moment and I rely on extremely solid technical knowledge, as well as a profound understanding of the market and a vast network of connections in the business, and thus I can advise on either collection-building at the highest level (i.e. for exhibition or simply for personal enjoyment) or buying stamps as a potential investment, or finally simply buying stamps just for the fun of it. Whatever the case, there is nobody else offering top philatelic items against Bitcoins. Amongst all other collectables, stamps tend to be the most valuable in respect to their actual size (there are many stamps and philatelic items which fetch huge prices on the market - yet they are still just very small bits of paper) and the industry is growing at a very fast yet very solid, sustainable pace. And it has done so for the past 20-30 years.

Also, there is another point I would like to make, which is: it is not uncommon in most parts of Europe, the US and probably in some other parts of the world as well, that many households own some sort of stamp collection, usually inherited from the grandparents, built-up over the years, assembled by a child years ago, etc. In almost all of these cases, such collections are virtually worthless. HOWEVER, on the other hand, some of these collections are easily worth tens, hundreds of thousands, or ever one or more millions (of whatever currency). The sale of such property at auction is not taxable in many parts of the world (provided that the same "lucky owner" doesn't come up with a 1M stamp collection every year...). Should one decide to sell his grandfather's collection, or indeed even the collection one has assembled for the past decades, at auction and should it turn out to be worth a lot of money, well, good for him...

I travel extensively across Europe, meeting up with clients, business partners, attending auctions and sourcing fine philatelic properties for sale. Therefore, chances are that I would be easily able to meet up with any serious potential client from most parts of Europe, and any transaction could be completed in person. As far as clients from any other parts of the world are concerned, secure and insured shipping is certainly not a problem, considering my international clientele, and I am ever so happy to escrow, provided that we can find a secure and reliable escrow service with which we both agree.

The reason why I am not listing any specific items here is because I would prefer to first see whether there is any interest for philatelic items within the Bitcoin community, and then work out what sort of things any potential buyer would be interested in (i.e. only collections or only single items or both, any particular country or area (or worldwide), buying as an investor looking to sell the portfolio at auction in the near/mid-term future, or just building up a great collection for fun, etc.), so that I could offer the suitable items to the right clients. Anyway, as a general rule of thumb, I try not to deal in items which are cheaper than EUR 500 per item (whatever the item is - single stamp, collection, etc.), and thus items priced from approx. 1 BTC upwards (at the current rate) is what I can offer.

I shall be looking forward to hearing from anyone interested, and we'll take it from there. Answers here or via PM - I'm sure the Prime-Minister will let me know...

I am a full-time professional philatelist (i.e. expert and consultant) and stamp dealer, having been in the business for more than 8 years already (based in Germany). In the meantime, I have become one of the most active and well-known stamp dealers in the world (philately isn't a gigantic world - however it's growing very quickly), and my reputation in the "real world" can easily be checked with the most important auction houses in the industry, etc., etc., etc.. I have kept a close eye (discreetly) on the whole bitcoin phenomenon for the past year or so and now I would like to offer bitcoin users the possibility of buying stamps, covers (which is the technical philatelic term for letters with stamps on them) and stamp collections for bitcoins. I specialise in classic philately, particularly in rare/medium-rare items. I do serve as advisor to some of the greatest collectors of the moment and I rely on extremely solid technical knowledge, as well a very solid understanding of the market and a vast network of connections, and thus I can advise on either collection-building at the highest level or buying stamps as a potential investment, or simply buying stamps just for the fun of it. Whatever the case, there is nobody else offering top philatelic items for bitcoins. Amongst all other collectables, stamps tend to be the most valuable in respect to their actual size (there are many stamps and philatelic items which fetch huge prices on the market - yet they are still just very small bits of paper) and the industry is growing at a very fast yet very solid, sustainable pace. And it has done so for the past 20-30 years. What I would like to do is have a more detailed post in the Market section, and then see whether there is any interest for philately amongst the bitcoin "population".

I actually have more or less the same concern. I've just registered on this Forum (having kept an eye on it - and the whole bitcoin market - for the past 12 months or so) because I would like to offer stamps and philatelic collections for bitcoins (that's what I do in the real world - I'm a professional philatelist and stamp dealer). I would be ever so happy to escrow (especially since I'm dealing in classic philately, which is the most valuable/expensive tier of the industry), however I would prefer to do it through a reputable site rather than another Forum user (as I have noticed is often the custom here). I have seen that there are a few such websites, however none of them looked really professional and trustworthy to me. Furthermore, and I think this was jbssm's concern as well, neither of those escrow services out there are straightforward and/or comprehensive enough. Any recommendations? Is there anything I've missed? Thanks!