How Much Is My Stamp Worth?

Collect the Evidence

• Country, issue name, year, and printed denomination or service
• Perforations, watermark, paper, color, and printing clues
• Mint or used status, gum, hinge marks, cancellation, and faults
• Single, block, pane, booklet, coil, cover, or portfolio format
• Certificates, provenance, and clear front-and-back photographs

Separate Three Values

One Completed-Sale Example

Suppose the working identification is United States Scott 315, the 1908 5-cent blue imperforate stamp. A Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries record for Sale 1354, lot 5470, dated May 28, 2025 describes a mint-never-hinged example graded XF-Superb 95 by P.S.E., with a 2025 certificate. The record shows a Scott catalog value of $600 and a realized price of $400.

1. Confirm the candidate is Scott 315 rather than a perforated issue, another denomination, a reproduction, or a different format.
2. Record gum, margins, faults, repairs, certification, and whether it is a single or multiple.
3. Use the $400 result only if the version and condition are genuinely comparable.
4. Note that the realized amount is not a guarantee, an appraisal of another copy, or necessarily the seller's net proceeds after commission and other costs.

One sale is a data point, not a market range. A damaged, hinged, uncertified, differently graded, or incorrectly identified example may sell for a materially different amount.

When to Use an Expert

Seek a recognized expertizing service, specialist dealer, or auction house when the item may be scarce, altered, repaired, or materially valuable. Do not clean, trim, regum, reperforate, or remove it from a cover while investigating.