How to Identify First Class Stamps
Stamp collecting is a hobby enjoyed by both young and old. During much of U.S. history, the Post Office Department, Postal Service, Department of the Interior and the IRS have all issued stamps of one type or another. Some are valid for mailing, others are issued for various special purposes. So how do you identify which stamps are used to pay for first class postage? It's actually quite simple. For this example, let's assume you are a novice collector who has purchased a large mixed lot of U.S. stamps. Here's how to determine just what you've acquired and which stamps you could attach to a letter.
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Things You'll Need
- Current copy of the Scott, H.E.Harris, Brookman, or Stanley Gibbons hardcover stamp catalog
- Stamp tongs
- Glassine envelopes
Instructions
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Spread the stamps out on a clean dry surface well away from any sudden drafts.
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Using the tongs, carefully examine each stamp. Place any stamps marked "Revenue," "Documentary" or "Federal Use on Motor Vehicles" in one or more glassine envelopes and set them aside. These stamps were issued by the Internal Revenue Service to pay the excise taxes on such products as liquor, playing cards, newspapers and automobiles. They are not valid for postage.
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Continue sorting the stamps. If you find any issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior featuring images of waterfowl, put them aside as well. These stamps are commonly referred to as "Duck Stamps" and are issued along with duck-hunting licenses to fund the purchase of wetlands. They are not used to prepay postage.
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Continue sorting. If you identify any stamps marked "Postage Due," place them in a separate glassine as well. Postage Due stamps were issued by both the Post Office and the Postal Service to indicate that insufficient postage had been affixed by the sender of a letter. The recipient had to pay the amount on the stamps when the letter was delivered. They are not valid for first-class postage, either.
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Continue sorting. If you identify any stamps marked "Special Delivery," "Special Handling," "Registered Mail" or "Certified Mail," you should put them aside as well. They were issued to prepay premium postal delivery/handling charges or services that were significantly higher than the first-class postage rates in force when those special stamps were issued. If they are unused, they may be worth quite a bit of money.
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After removing the other stamps listed, what will remain are standard U.S. postage stamps and U.S. airmail stamps. Any that are uncanceled or unused, can be used to pay for first-class postage.
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Tips & Warnings
First-class postage describes a postal rate, not a specific kind of postage stamp. As an example, if the first class rate was still 15 cents as it was during the 1970s, any stamps with a total face value of 15 cents could have been affixed to a letter to pay the first class postage rate for one ounce; even 15 one-cent stamps would have worked.
As many of the stamp varieties listed are no longer issued, you should look up their values in one of the catalogs mentioned. Some may be quite valuable, worth as much as hundreds of dollars or more.
Instead of using any of the older uncanceled postage stamps for mailing, check their catalog values first. Some may be very valuable. Store your stamps in clean glassine envelopes and keep them in a cool dry place. Do not expose them to excessive amounts of bright sunshine as it may cause the inks to fade or the paper to darken.
