Graded U.S. 1903 50¢ Jefferson with jumbo margins in April 1-2 Kelleher Flagship auction

By Charles Snee

Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions will present its Flagship sale of United States, British and worldwide stamps and postal history April 1-2 at its gallery in Danbury, Conn. Each day of this Flagship auction will commence at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

The sale, which contains slightly more than 1,000 lots, commences with two used strips of four (one strip on large piece) of the world’s first adhesive postage stamp: the Great Britain 1840 1-penny black Queen Victoria (Scott 1), known to collectors as the Penny Black.

According to Kelleher, the sale features an impressive array of worldwide stamps and postal history, from “Argentina to Venezuela, with a solid holding of Iceland.”

Highlights of the U.S. offerings include 10 1847 5¢ Benjamin Franklin stamps (Scott 1) and six 1847 10¢ George Washington stamps (2). These are the first regularly issued postage stamps of the United States.

There is also a selection of U.S. registry exchange labels on covers that originated in Hawaii, along with a number of U.S. federal duck stamps in high grades.

“Spend some time browsing — we’re sure you’ll find plenty of temptation,” Kelleher said.

Among the tempting U.S. stamps from the early 20th century that will cross the auction block is a mint, never-hinged 1903 50¢ orange Thomas Jefferson (Scott 310) from the popular 1902-03 Second Bureau Issue definitive (regular-issue) series (300-313).

According to Kelleher, the stamp is superlative “in all respects, with immaculate color and centering on bright paper and sporting jumbo margins.”

Accompanying the stamp are 1983 and 1989 expertizing certificates from the Philatelic Foundation and a 2025 graded extra fine-superb 95J certificate from Professional Stamp Experts. The “J” designation in the grade indicates a stamp that has jumbo margins.

In the grade of very fine-85, a mint, never-hinged example of Scott 310 is valued at $1,200 in the 2025 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers.

In the 2025 Scott Stamp Values U.S. Specialized by Grade, a mint example of Scott 310 in the grade of extra fine-superb 95 (with no premium for jumbo margins) is valued at $8,250.

Kelleher is offering this 1903 50¢ Jefferson stamp graded extra fine-superb 95J with an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000 and an opening bid of $5,000.

Kelleher has produced a single catalog for the two-day Flagship auction that is available for viewing and download on the firm’s website, with online bidding options available on Stamp Auction Network.

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