8¢ olive green Franklin great buy in unused condition

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

The U.S. 8¢ olive green Benjamin Franklin stamp, produced by flat plate printing on unwatermarked paper and perforated gauge 10 (Scott 470), was issued Nov. 13, 1916. This stamp is a great buy in unused hinged condition in the $40-to-$45 price range.

The 2020 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values the stamp in unused hinged condition at $50, which is just 43 percent of the $115 value for the stamp in mint never-hinged condition.

Stamps in mint never-hinged condition and very fine grade are also a good buy at $100, and used stamps are a good buy at about $6 against a Scott catalog value of $7.

When buying the stamp, double-check to make sure that it is really on unwatermarked paper, as the “U S P S” watermarks are difficult to see in watermark fluid at best and even more so on this light olive green stamp.

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