Dollar Strength

As we move into fall, the stamp market traditionally experiences strength and this year appears like it will be no exception. Stamp prices seem strong across the board. US prices are pretty good. British is very strong and European stamps are doing better than they have in years. This is all the more remarkable as the dollar has gotten stronger against the Euro and this lowers the prices (in dollar terms) that European stamps should be selling for. Additionally, the Euro countries are undergoing a serious crises which has even put the continuance of the Euro in question. Essentially the issue is that Germany and France have far stronger economies and far lower debt than the rest of the Euro group and there is considerable political pressure in these two countries not to bail out the rest of Europe. How Europe bears this stress on the Euro will determine the future of European integration.  If the Euro is jettisoned and the countries of Europe go back to their old currencies the German mark and the French franc will be revalued much higher than the rates at which they went into the Euro. This should have a positive effect on the price of stamps of these two countries that would be in addition to the fact that France and Germany are two of the most popular collecting countries in the world. If there was a better set or two from either of the collecting areas that you have  your eye on now wouldn’t be a bad time to buy it.