Confusing perforations that gauge 10½ for genuine gauge 11 perfs can set off such a thrill as to cloud the minds of collectors and befuddle even the best of us. It’s time to measure perforations, and please do your best to measure them without expectations. These are not the expensive versions of this denomination, so you can eliminate coil stamps at this point. An example is shown in Figure 1.įigure 2 shows the horizontal and vertical coil stamps, Scott 597 and Scott 604. The most common of all the “penny Franklin” stamps, more than four billion of these were issued. If there are any green specks of ink, the stamp is a flat plate printing and therefore is Scott 552, the unwatermarked 1¢ Franklin issued January 17, 1923. The first inspection you should make is to look at the back of the stamp. The chart at the bottom of the page will provide some comparisons to be made for narrowing your possibilities: One Cent Ben Franklin In this column, we will help you review these 1¢ Franklin stamps, to enable you to determine whether yours is worth having certified. Needless to say, most of those looking for a big payday actually have common stamps. It’s a fact that there are unidentified rarities at large in the albums and stock books of the world, but it’s also a fact that genuine rarities are rare because there are few of them.

All inquirers hope they have the next big find of one of the very valuable versions of this little 1¢ stamp, which can sell for prices in the low six figures.

Airmail 5 cent stamp red