A profitable Benjamin Franklin stamp

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

The 1¢ green Benjamin Franklin stamp on bluish paper (Scott 357) is a much tougher stamp to find than its 2¢ carmine George Washington stamp counterpart (Scott 358).

As a result, the demand for it is great, although both stamps are valued about the same in the 2018 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers. The blue paper on which the stamp is printed actually looks gray, and it is a little thicker than the white paper used for other similar stamps.

The 2018 Scott Specialized U.S. catalog values the 1¢ stamp at $85 in unused hinged condition, $150 in used condition with the value in italics, and $180 in mint never-hinged condition. In very-fine grade, the stamp is worth a high percentage of Scott catalog value in all three conditions.

There is even steady demand for examples in lower grades or with minor flaws at correspondingly lower values.

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If you are paying for a higher grade stamp, guard against reperforating and regumming by getting the stamp expertized. If you have this stamp expertized, you can also use it to help identify other expensive blue paper stamps such as the 2¢ carmine Lincoln Birth Centenary stamp (Scott 369).