Lay the cross-shaped checking guide over any other stamps of the same design you have that are not flat-plate printed. This is not one of the perf 11 rotary press-printed Franklins, Scott 594 and 596, but a 1923 stamp from coil waste perforated 11 by 10, Scott 578. The checking guide’s framelines will be shorter in one dimension, as seen horizontally here. Hold the checking guide directly over the 1-cent Franklin you wish to check so that the outer framelines of the two stamps align. Then get a plausible test subject − this unidentified rotary press-printed 1c green Franklin.įigure 5.

To create a reliable checking guide for rarities, make certain you have a copy of the first stamp we eliminated, that unwatermarked flat plate-printed perf 11 1c green Franklin (Scott 552), and cut square the four corners of the first stamp as shown here. This will leave you with a cross-shaped checking guide ( Figure 4) that you can use to detect the dimensions of any other of these 1¢ Franklin stamps, like the one shown next to it below.įigure 4. If you still have a stamp or two in the running at this point, as the British say, “Steady on!” (That’s the Queen’s English for “Calm down!”) However, if the perforations do indeed measure 11 on all four sides, that should lead you to turn at last to checking the dimensions of the stamp’s printed design.Īn easy and reliable way to do that is to find a copy of the first stamp we eliminated, that unwatermarked flat plate-printed Franklin (Scott 552), and carefully cut a square out of each corner of the design. If the perforation measurements are gauge 11 by 10½, go no further: your stamp is Scott 632, a common rotary press-printed stamp produced in 1927, shown in Figure 3. 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.

Us airmail 10 cent stamp