Good news....

Yes, good news indeed.

At my suggestion, my father has been watching for used postage stamps at local auctions, where he often looks for antiques.

Usually, if stamps are advertised at an auction, the collectors come and the prices go high.

But once in a while, you get lucky. The stamps are not advertised, and no one is interested in them.

He paid a single dollar (maybe 80 Japanese yen at current exchange rates) for a box full of old stamps, including many sheets. Someone had collected used stamps for years and then began buying new sheets at the post office. But they didn't take good care of them, and some of the sheets are stuck together. However, many are in great shape. Hundreds of dollars of unused stamps at face value, probably a little higher in actual value.

I have never actively searched for valuable stamps, and have only sought used / cancelled stamps so far. But I welcome these additions, sheets and sheets of stamps, the stuff "real" collectors go after (though probably quite common, not so valuable).

I won't be expecting any more such lucky finds in the future, but I will be keeping my eyes open at auctions in the future.