Swapping Stamps

Margaret C. Nellans of Rochester, Indiana., writes in Mother Earth News, "I used to have many thousands of postage stamps, but when my husband died I discovered I needed other things more. If I had sold my collection outright, I would have realized only a fraction of the stamps' value . . . so I decided to trade them for items I could either use myself or give away as gifts."

She goes on to say, "As a result of an ad I ran in the 'exchange column' of a few women's magazines, I swapped off my entire assortment to several ladies. In return, I received handcrafts, needlework, cash refund coupons, discount coupons (which I can exchange again), and other similar goods."

"Now I own many beautiful articles I otherwise couldn't afford to buy . . . and the folks with whom I swapped have acquired valuable additions to their stamp collections without having to pay top prices."

Good idea!