Find United States 1847 10¢ Washington to fit your budget

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

Classic stamps lie near the heart of U.S. stamp collecting. A good place to start or to finish is at the beginning.

The first U.S. general-issue postage stamps were issued July 1, 1847: a 5¢ red brown Benjamin Franklin stamp (Scott 1) and a 10¢ black George Washington stamp (2). The stamps honor the nation’s first postmaster general and first president, respectively.

These two 1847 stamps hold their value through market fluctuations and through thick times and thin.

The 2020 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values a four-margin example of the 10¢ George Washington stamp in used condition at $775.

Examples in the grade of very fine bring prices ranging to full Scott catalog value up to a nice premium above catalog value, depending on the desirability of the cancellation and the balance of the margins.

Also the Scott U.S. Specialized catalog offers a fairly lengthy list of color, type and location cancellations that bring additional premiums.

Even examples in lower grades or with minor faults sell for a surprising percentage of Scott catalog value.

Determine what you can afford and buy the best example you can find that fits in your stamp collecting budget.

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