From My Collection
#1
1847 5c Benjamin Franklin
America’s very first postage stamp.
Issue Date: July 1, 1847
Examples of this stamp sell for between $100 and $4000+, depending on condition, centering, and other factors. I paid $68 for this stamp, which has significant damage.
Stamp Gallery
Here are some more specimens of the earliest US postage stamps in my albums. These were all issued between 1847 and 1900. I wonder how many hands these have passed through in all those years. Stamps of the classic era were designed and engraved by hand, each one a miniature work of art. Most collectors do not collect anything issued after a certain date, usually around 1940 or so, because values and aesthetics plummet. Very few stamps issued after 1940 are worth more than a dime. I personally maintain a collection through 1999, even though many modern issues look more like children’s stickers than the serious art they once were. But the joy is in the hunt for affordable specimens to fill the spaces in the albums, and in learning about the history of the people, places, and events depicted.
I began collecting US Postage stamps in 2012. I’ve invested considerable time and money in this engaging and educational hobby. My collection contains some 4500+ specimens that have been identified, cataloged, labeled, and housed in albums, stock books, and card files. I maintain a small inventory of duplicate stamps for sale at the very popular HipStamp website. I list these for sale at the low end of each stamp’s price range.
