Welcome to the Scandinavian Philatelic Headquarters

Payment Methods and Options Top  Checks, drafts, and money orders should be payable in U.S. Dollars, drawn on a U.S. bank and made out to Jay Smith & Associates. Checks drawn on non-U.S. banks often require several weeks to clear and may incur significant bank charges. International postal money orders are also accepted, however please be aware that, from some countries, they may take several weeks to reach me. I may, at my discretion, require time for personal checks to clear prior to shipping an order. Visa and MasterCard are welcome, but these are the only credit cards that I currently accept. Your credit card is not charged until your order is shipped. If I already have your current credit card information on file, I can process your purchase immediately upon you email, phone, fax, or postal mail instructions. If I do not yet have your credit card information, or the information that I do have is not or may not be current, you can supply your credit card information via my SECURE WEB SITE. Or you may supply it via phone, fax, or postal mail. Be sure to include the complete number, expiration date, and your name as it appears on the card. You will use the Jay Smith & Associates secure web server and your credit card bill will indicate that your purchase is from Jay Smith & Associates. I am a fully qualified Visa and MasterCard merchant and thus process your purchase directly. There are no fees for using your credit card and your order is sent immediately upon authorization. Your credit card is charged in U.S. Dollars; if your credit card statement is in a different currency, your credit card company does the currency conversion; their currency rates are usually the best that you can possibly get. Alternatively, you may supply your credit card information by calling toll-free from US and Canada 1-800-447-8267 (outside US and Canada call 336-376-9991). You may send faxes to my 24-hour fax: 336-376-6750. If only the expiration date has changed, you are welcome to email me with the new date. Please include the last four digits of your credit card number, but not the full number if you are using email. Cash in U.S. Dollars and other currencies sent through the mail is done so at risk of the sender. I do not recommend sending cash through the mail, but sometimes it is a practical solution. I do suggest that you use Registered Mail. Additionally, do not use "greeting card" size (larger, taller) envelopes as postal workers generally know that such envelopes often contain cash. I can accept cash payment in U.S. & Canadian Dollars, Scandinavian currencies, and Euros. It is a good idea to let me know, by some other means, that you have sent cash, so that I may be on the lookout for it. Merchandise credit in exchange for your duplicates or unneeded stamps and coverscan be a great way to add to your collection. If you have Scandinavian philatelic material, or even non-Scandinavian material, send what you have, with your asking price. Once an agreement is reached, you will receive merchandise credit which you may use in payment for any type of purchase. (I do not trade "item for item" or "value for value" as this is usually too complicated and time consuming.) Full gum U.S. and Scandinavian postage can sometimes be accepted as payment (merchandise credit is given). In the case of U.S. postage, the percentage of face value paid depends upon the denominations and my current needs. U.S. postage must be sorted, packaged, and labeled by denomination. In the case of Scandinavian postage, the percentage of face value paid depends upon the specific countries and stamp issues involved. Approvals are Available. You may view virtually any item on approval. (This service is subject to credit approval and is not automatically available for all material, for all people, or to all destinations.) Your want list for any Scandinavian material is welcome. Most of my clients prefer to select their stamps via approvals -- it is my most popular service. Payment Plans are Available. If you wish to purchase any item (or approval selection) for which making payments would be more convenient, interest-free payments plans are usually available (subject to credit approval). I Also Buy: I am interested in buying Scandinavian philatelic material including collections, single items, and accumulations. Rarities, covers, and "unusual" material are especially needed. When sending material, please use registered mail and include your asking price. Your offer will receive my personal attention. I also have many clients seeking non-Scandinavian stamps too -- if you have a non-Scandinavian collection which is no longer active, consider using its value to help build your Scandinavian collection.

Abbreviations, Quality and Condition, and Images: Top      Superb VF F-VF+ F-VF Fine+ Fine Average   Superb     Perfectly centered. VF Very Fine (very well centered with almost equal margins; will please the most discriminating collector). F-VF+ Fine to Very Fine Plus (middle range between VF and F-VF). F-VF Fine to Very Fine (a middle range between Fine and VF with two opposite equal margins). Fine+ Fine Plus (perforations well clear of the design; a middle range between F-VF and Fine). Fine (perforations clear the design). Ave Average (perforations touch or cut the design). SD Slightly Damaged (a presentable copy, but may have a thin, crease, pulled perf, etc.). NH, UM, Never Hinged Original Gum, Unmounted, Postfrisk. Mint, MM Mint Hinged, Mounted Mint Stamps are Mint with original gum, but are hinged. Generally this will also indicate that the stamps are Lightly Hinged (LH) unless otherwise mentioned. LH Stamps are Mint Lightly Hinged with original gum. OG Original Gum. NG No Gum. RG Regummed. pp Pulled perforation. Used In most general sense, means stamps are not mint, i.e. the stamps are canceled. Will generally mean stamps are postally used. Postally Used Stamps are genuinely Postally Used, thus are not canceled to order and not with first day cancels, etc. Canceled In most general sense, means stamps are not mint, i.e. the stamps are canceled. Specifically will mean that the stamps may be canceled to order, have first day cancels, or perhaps may be postally used but that cannot be determined positively. fl, flr, fluor Fluorescent, sometimes also listed in catalogs as phosphorescent. Shows reaction under Ultraviolet (UV) light. The color of the reaction depends upon the chemicals used in or on the paper. For Scandinavian stamps, a LONG-WAVE UV light source is required. For stamps of other areas, including the U.S. a SHORT-WAVE UV light source is often required. See this article for more information. nfl, nonfluor Non Fluorescent. No reaction under UV light. yfl Yellow Fluorescent reaction under UV light. wfl White Fluorescent reaction under UV light. FDC First day cover. Unaddressed In the context of First Day Covers: No address has been written or typed onto the FDC, thus it could not have been mailed. In some cases, an address may have been printed on the FDC at the same time the cachet was printed (if it has a cachet); in those cases, the address is considered to be part of the cachet and the FDC is not considered to be addressed. Addressed In the context of First Day Covers: An address has been written, typed, or labeled onto the FDC, thus it may have been mailed. In some cases, an address may have been printed on the FDC at the same time the cachet was printed (if it has a cachet); in those cases, the address is considered to be part of the cachet and the FDC is not considered to be addressed. Addressed Used In the context of First Day Covers: An address has been written, typed, or labeled onto the FDC, and there is postal evidence, such as postmarks or sorting machine marks, that the FDC actually passed through the mail. Registered In the context of First Day Covers: The FDC has been sent through the mail via registered mail and thus usually bears a registered mail label and usually bears postal markings on the reverse. Covers having been sent in this manner often also have manuscript notations of delivery attempts by postal workers; these are not considered to be defects on registered mail FDCs. Of course the FDC must have been addressed to be sent by registered mail. Covers will show signs of wear normal for passage through the mails. IMAGES: "Exact Actual" v.s. "Representative" Some images are of the "actual" item being sold. Other images are representative of what the design of the item looks like, but not specifically the condition or quality of the item. When you hover with your mouse pointer over the image, you should see text that states if it is an "exact actual" image of the actual item OR if it is a "representative" image. "Exact Actual" Images: For unique items the image shown is the actual image of the specific item that will be supplied. A good example of this is are covers or postmarks or stamps with specific, detailed descriptions. Also, older stamps that are described with more than just basic condition and quality information (i.e. more than just "Used VF") normally have actual images of the specific item being offered. "Representative" Images: For "normal stamps" or any other item that I have multiple examples of that are all served by the same description, representative images are usually used. Such images show the DESIGN of the item or stamp, but NOT the specific details of the condition and quality. The most common example is that "normal stamps" are often offered with up to 14 prices for various levels of condition and quality -- yet the same image is used for all of them. In this case, the image is used only to help indentify the design of the stamp. Another example would be images of Swedish booklet stamps which exist with straight edges on one side or the other -- the image is only showing one random position and not the specific right or left (or top or bottom) straight edge side. (If a specific position is needed, it should be requested by sending a want list.) Representative images are generally used whenever the description of the item (WITHOUT condition and quality) information would be the same for all examples offered -- the description plus the condition and quality information is what fully defines the item. If you are still unsure if the image is "exact actual" or "representative", please feel free to email and ask.

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Jay Smith & Associates   P.O. Box 650   Snow Camp, NC 27349-0650   USA
Toll-Free Phone (US & Canada): 1-800-447-8267   Phone: 336-376-9991   Fax: 336-376-6750   Email: js@JaySmith.com