Stamp Value: Stamp With Perfs On All Four Sides Or Not

Hello all,

I have some recent US stamps with perforations on all four sides and same issue with perfs on 3 sides or 2 sides. Is one more valuable than the other?

Your thoughts?

In most cases, US stamps with perforations on all four sides are considered more desirable. Stamps with perfs on 3 sides (a/k/a straight edge) usually sell for less. Of course, value aside, some people like the straight edge as it is often easy to determine exactly where in the pane the stamp originated from.

There are also instances where stamps are ONLY perforated on 3 sides (i.e. from booklet panes), so that is the only way they would be available on certain issues. Likewise, most stamps perforated on only two sides are probably from coils (rolls of stamps) which would mean they were ONLY perforated on two sides (either horizontal or vertical) which have their own following and desirability, depending on what your collecting preferences may be.

Understanding that it is easier to edit than to create, I'll put forth a position, and then people can poke a stick at it.

Recent U.S. stamps are almost universally worth face value, regardless of the perfs. Individual examples might vary, on a case by case basis, so you'd have to verify any particular issue. Specialists might seek out one particular stamp for some reason.

On older U.S. stamps, one straightedge is less desirable, even though each sheet would have fewer of them. Must be an aesthetic thing...straightedges were often perfed after the fact.

Parallel straightedges are probably coils, so again, it depends...

Two cents (from a classic-era collector).

C.