There are two kinds of stamp collectors in the world: passion collectors and investment collectors. Passion collectors engage in stamp collecting because it brings them joy; investment collectors do so in the hope it will bring them profit. Where I stand is squarely in the first category. I collect stamps that appeal to me on an esthetic and intellectual level, with virtually zero interest in what demand there might be for them on the market down the road.
"Monsters," a six-stamp minisheet issued on November 26th, 2019, is somewhat of an exception to my rule. On the one hand, it's hard to fault it for lacking esthetic appeal -- it is eye-catchingly colorful, it explores a visual realm that is rarely featured on stamps, and its abundance of detail is guaranteed to keep the optic nerves working overtime. On the other hand, "Monsters" fails to move the needle much intellectually, as it is clearly catering to a junior audience.
Why, then, am I bothering with it? The answer is that "Monsters" strikes me as the kind of stamp issue whose popularity over time has a high chance of rising to cult-classic levels. Every year at a ceremony in Spain, a panel of judges awards prizes to the world's top stamps issued in the preceding calendar year. Known as the NexoFil Awards, the ceremony is the philatelic equivalent of the Oscars. A total of thirty awards are given out to the top three stamps in ten different categories, the most prestigious category being Mejor Sello del Mundo, or "Best Stamp of the World." 2016 was an exceptional year for Israel at NexoFil, with three of the country's 2015 stamp issues earning awards and the top honor going to Israel's "International Year of Light" stamp.
My money is on "Monsters" raising a trophy at NexoFil in 2020. Then, from a product mostly overlooked by adult audiences in its own country of issue, the overnight surge in interest will make "Monsters" highly sought after by collectors of all ages worldwide. For as long as it is still available on the primary market, i.e. by direct purchase from Israel Post, it will command primary-market prices, i.e. face value. However, once primary-market supply ends and secondary-market demand begins to dictate prices, determined buyers will have to cough up well in excess of 100% of face value.
This all sounds reasonable enough on paper, but what is the empirical basis for my projection? Consider that a sheet of fifteen "International Year of Light Stamps" with a total face value of $51 now sells for $59 on eBay. The 15% markup would seem to be an argument against my projection. But that stamp, for all its accolades, is ultimately about a 2013 Nobel prize in an obscure field of computational chemistry to which few collectors can relate. In other words, the stamp's inherent universal appeal is limited. A better standard of comparison is the 2013 "Israel National Trail" 10-stamp minisheet. Face-valued at $5.75, the minimum price it commands on eBay is $10 -- a markup of 74%. I admit to being a little surprised the "Israel National Trail" minisheet isn't more popular, considering how many travelers undertake to hike the trail each year and that the minisheet makes an ideal souvenir from the journey, but there are mitigating factors on which that can be blamed, such as a failure to effectively advertise the minisheet's existence among hikers.
Monsters aren't a human invention unique to Israel; they are part of an experience familiar to people all over the world. That universality is what separates "Monsters" from the preceding examples, and it is why I'm confident the "Monsters" minisheet constitutes a sound philatelic investment.
Bottom line: 4/5 -- Mild buy. For as long as "Monsters" is part of my collection, I'll certainly enjoy looking at it. At the same time, feeling no intellectual or emotional attachment to it, once buyers start lining up and pitching compelling offers to take it off my hands, I'll have no reservations in parting from it.
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