كم تساوي الطوابع؟ دليل جامع الطوابع
Shukshuk team
معظم مجموعات الطوابع تساوي أقل بكثير مما يأمله أصحابها — وهذا ليس ادعاءً منا، بل هو الإطار الذي استخدمه الاتحاد الإسرائيلي لجمع الطوابع نفسه، في صفحة خصصها لهذا السؤال بالذات. يقدّم هذا الدليل نقاطه بكلماته الخاصة، ويشرح "التاب" — الميزة الإسرائيلية الفريدة التي تؤثر فعلاً على السعر — ويشير إلى أين يمكن الحصول على تقييم حقيقي.
First, the Truth About Value (In the Federation's Own Words)
Per the Israel Philatelic Federation: a stamp's age barely matters, "most stamps from every era were printed in large quantities, so their value is low." Rarity alone isn't enough either: "the balance between supply and demand carries far greater significance" than rarity by itself. Catalog price isn't market price: catalog editors update prices based on market trends, both up and down. And to sum it up, in the Federation's own words: "a stamp, a painting, a share: you haven't profited until you've sold it!" The Federation also explicitly warns against buying new stamp issues as an investment: "the return you get for most issued stamps is very low and bears no relation whatsoever to the financial investment." In other words, a subscription to new stamp issues is a hobby, not an investment vehicle.
The Five-Minute Check: Dating a Stamp by Its Currency
The fastest way to date an Israeli stamp is the currency printed on it, because Israel changed currency several times. Per the Society of Israel Philatelists: 1948: mils (1000 mils = 1 lira). Stamps in mils are from the state's first year. 1949: prutot (1000 prutot = 1 lira). 1960: agorot (100 agorot = 1 lira). 1980: sheqel (100 agorot = 1 sheqel). 1986: new sheqel (1000 sheqel = 1 new sheqel). Stamps in agorot and new sheqels are almost always the kind the Federation describes as "printed in large quantities". If you have stamps in mils or prutot, that is the part of the collection to sort first.
The First Issue: "Doar Ivri", 1948
Israel's first stamps came out on Sunday, 16 May 1948, two days after independence. Because the state's name had not yet been decided, they read "Doar Ivri" ("Hebrew Post") in Hebrew and Arabic, with the value in figures only. The design, by Otte Wallish, is based on ancient coins from the First Jewish-Roman War. The set has nine values: 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 50, 250, 500 and 1000 mils, and it was printed both perforated and rouletted, a difference collectors distinguish. Per Wikipedia, some 10 and 15 mil stamps were printed with a line of the tab inscription missing, and some stamps in the set were paired with the tab of a different stamp. Those are varieties a dealer will want to see. If you find "Doar Ivri" in a collection, especially with the tab attached, do not separate, clean or hinge it. Keep it as it is and take it for an appraisal.
The Tab: Israel's Special Factor
Israeli stamps have carried, since the very first issue (Doar Ivri, 1948), a decorative marginal "tab" explaining the ancient-coin designs the stamps are based on: a tradition that continues to this day. It is a feature with no real equivalent in most other countries' philately, documented by the Society of Israel Philatelists, a US-based society devoted to Israeli philately. In the early years, many collectors didn't know what to make of the tab and simply tore it off: so early stamps with an intact, "full tab" are relatively scarce, and that scarcity is the basis for the premium such stamps command. To this day, most Israeli collectors specifically collect tabbed copies, and modern sheets are printed so that every stamp has its own tab. Two details that are easy to miss, per the Society of Israel Philatelists: on some early issues the tab came in two parts, the descriptive tab itself and a small piece of selvedge, and both must be kept. And on postage dues and official stamps nothing was printed in the selvedge, but the blank selvedge is collected as if it were a tab.
What Else Affects Value
Condition: a mint, never-hinged stamp (with original gum, unused) is worth more than a hinged or used one, but genuinely rare items still sell for high prices even without perfect condition. Survival on the original commercial cover (not just the loose stamp) adds value. Blocks of 4 and complete series are usually worth roughly the sum of the individual stamps in them, except in cases of printing errors or rare varieties within the block itself. This framing lines up with the American Philatelic Society (APS): common stamps are worth very little, and there too the recommended path is professional society/dealer channels for appraisal and sale: not guessing on your own.
Israel Post's Philatelic Service
Israel Post's Philatelic Service plans, issues and markets Israel's stamps: several dozen new stamps and commemorative souvenir sheets a year, across multiple series. The exact count and the breakdown into series vary from year to year, check the Philatelic Service's own site for the current program. A few types of collector subscriptions exist (details on the service's own site). As noted above, buying new stamp issues is a hobby, not an investment, per the Israel Philatelic Federation's own framing.
Where to Appraise and Sell a Collection
The Israel Philatelic Federation publishes its own official stamp-dealers page as well as a local philatelic societies page, good starting points for orientation and appraisal, but because the Federation's site serves a mismatched HTTPS security certificate, we do not link to it directly here; search for "Israel Philatelic Federation stamp dealers" to find it. The Federation also runs stamp fairs and exhibitions and invites collectors to consult it. For the full guide to selling channels in Israel, including one vetted physical shop, auction houses, and online options: see our "Where to Sell Collectibles in Israel" guide below.
FAQ
How do I tell what year an Israeli stamp is from?
By the currency printed on it: mils in 1948, prutot from 1949, agorot from 1960, sheqel from 1980 and new sheqel from 1986. A stamp reading "Doar Ivri" instead of "Israel" is from the first issue, 16 May 1948.
I found an old stamp collection, did I get rich?
Probably not, and that is also the Israel Philatelic Federation's own position: a stamp's age barely matters, because most stamps from every era were printed in large quantities. What is worth checking: an intact original tab (for older Israeli stamps), mint condition (with gum, unused), and genuinely rare stamps where the supply-demand balance is favorable.
How do I know if a stamp is rare?
Rarity alone isn't enough, the balance between supply and demand matters more, per the Israel Philatelic Federation. Also check condition (mint vs. used), whether the Israeli tab is intact, and don't rely on catalog price alone: it isn't necessarily the actual market price. For a real appraisal, consult a dealer or an auction house.
Sources
See also
هذا الدليل لا يحدد الأسعار وليس بديلاً عن تقييم مهني. القيمة الحقيقية للطابع تعتمد على حالته ونُدرته والطلب الفعلي عليه — استشر تاجرًا ذا خبرة أو دار مزادات قبل البيع أو الشراء.