US Stamp Values Continuing to Go Up


According to Sacramento Bee newspaper reporter Peter Rexford, "even as the stock market roller coaster continues and gold fluctuates, the value of collectible postage stamps continues to steadily rise."

The 2009 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers lists more than 12,000 value changes over last year's edition, and according to Mr. Rexford, virtually all the changes showed higher values for US stamps.

"For instance, in 2007, the value of a particular 1 cent stamp of 1851 featuring Ben Franklin was an impressive $55,000. This year, the value for that same stamp is $80,000. Even more astonishing is a 5 cent stamp printed in 1858. The value for it last year was $35,000. Today, the price for that same stamp has more than doubled. It, too, is now worth $80,000."

The Scott Specialized Catalogue is available at many public libraries. If you'd prefer to invest $69.99 to buy it, it can be purchased directly from the publisher. Some stamp dealers also have copies available for sale. Mr. Rexford says "it's not cheap, but it could be money well spent if you have been meaning to look through an old stamp collection but just never got around to it."

We completely agree. It's hard to build a stamp collection without ready access to a definitive stamp catalog.