George Washington stamps value

Why most Washington stamps are common

George Washington appears on some of the most heavily printed US stamps. Siegel Auction Galleries counts more than one billion 3¢ stamps of the 1851–57 issue; Wikipedia puts the 1861 3¢ at about 1.75 billion copies; Mystic records 456,198,500 of the 1932 Bicentennial 3¢ alone.

The American Philatelic Society is blunt about what that means: most US stamps issued since 1940 sell "at or around their original face value," and "just because stamps are old does not mean they are extremely valuable." In an inherited collection, the APS notes, "most of the value comes from a small portion of the collection." The job is finding that small portion.

The 1847 10¢: the first Washington stamp

The first US stamps went on sale in New York City on July 1, 1847: a 5¢ Benjamin Franklin and a 10¢ George Washington. Siegel notes that the Washington vignette is based on Gilbert Stuart's portrait and that the stamps were printed by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and Edson. The issue was valid only until June 30, 1851, and Wikipedia records that about 865,000 of the 10¢ were sold. Genuine copies are scarce, so any 10¢ 1847 should be expertized before you assume anything.

The Washington-Franklin rarities (1908–1922)

Most rare Washingtons come from the Washington-Franklin series. It used only five basic designs but produced more than 250 distinct issues, separated by watermark, perforation, paper and printing method. Wikipedia sums up the types: most are "common to less common with only two types that are rare and valuable," the 2¢ Type II of 1916 and the 2¢ Type II of 1919.

• Scott 389, the 3¢ Orangeburg coil (1911): a coil perforated 12, when coils of the time were perforated 8½. Siegel's census lists 11 unused examples; a pair realized $370,000 in April 2021.
• Scott 459, the 2¢ imperforate rotary coil (1914): Mystic calls it "the only imperforate U.S. rotary press coil" and records just 21,000 issued. Mystic lists it at $795.
• Scott 519, the 2¢ perf 11 on double-line watermarked paper (1917): see the box above. Mystic lists it at $795.
• Scott 359, the 3¢ on bluish paper (1909): a copy realized $1,700 at Schuyler Rumsey against a $2,000 Scott value.

One name that often comes up, Scott 544, is the series' rarest non-error stamp according to Wikipedia, but it is a 1¢ Benjamin Franklin, not a Washington.

How to check a Washington stamp

• Date it. Washingtons from the 1930s on are usually common. The 1908–1922 Washington-Franklins and the 19th-century issues are where the varieties are.
• Measure the perforations with the perforation gauge, and note straight edges that mark coil stamps.
• Check the watermark in a tray with the watermark finder: double-line, single-line or none.
• Look at the paper color and printing. Bluish paper, or smooth flat offset ink instead of raised engraving, changes the number.
• Get a certificate for anything that comes out as a rare variety. Fakes exist for several of them, made by adding or trimming perforations.

For purple 3¢ Washingtons specifically, see the 3¢ purple Washington guide. For the big-name rarities, see the most valuable US stamps.