#117 Adriatic Stamp - Help With Value Or Selling?

First, I am not a stamp collector, so I hope you will bear with my ignorance. Yesterday I happened across a vacant property being emptied by a company the bank hired to empty it. I asked if I could take a quick look before the backhoe loaded everything into a dump truck. Saw a briefcase, opened it and it was full of papers. Only had about 30 seconds to look, but a taped up piece of cardboard caught my eye. Inside it was a stamp. I stuck into my pocket and went home.

What I apparently found is an 1869 #117 Adriatic stamp. It appears to be unused and in good shape overall.

I read a bit on the web about stamp valuations, and I know from that brief research that the lack of centering and the straight edge make this stamp less valuable than it could be.

Can anyone on this forum help me to determine what it might be worth roughly and also where I might sell it to get a fair price?

Here's a listing of similar sold examples on ebay - prices seems to range from around $70 - $100 depending on centering:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/19th-Centur...Sold=1&rt=nc

It really makes you wonder though - what else might have been in that briefcase?

kbaird62,



Does the stamp have gum/adhesive on the back?

It's amazing they allowed you to take anything. Usually, professional companies have pretty strict rules about property removal by others to avoid the taking of sensitive documents/information, even if it is destined for the dump. I'm kind of surprised you didn't take the entire briefcase after finding the stamp, since you only had 30s.

Nice find anyway. It does not appear to be a natural straight edge. Looks more like somebody trimmed/cut it with scissors.

It looks like a used stamp to me. But maybe the stamp is just dirty or stained through.

Stamps of this series were normally pretty heavily canceled. I suspect the stamp is slightly dirty and stained, as you indicated, rather than used.

After reviewing Jenny2U's very helpful link to sold #117, I would estimate a retail value for your stamp of $30 to $70 due to the straight edge, and the perforations cutting into the design on the opposite side.

I am not quite sure that that is a natural straight edge.
Don

I agree with Don....
looks like trimmed w/scissors @ right.

one of my favorites :)

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The 1869 definitives are a great series.

It does not appear to have gum on the back, would it be obvious? I am not sure about the straight edge, the stamp was not laying perfectly flat when I took the picture with my cell phone, so that may have distorted it.

As far as not taking the whole briefcase, yeah, I regret that, but it was somewhat busted up and paper were falling out everywhere...we'll never know what else was init.

Here are a couple pictures of the straight edge magnified 8X with a microscope. Not sure that helps with the question, but here they are.

stamp appears unused...without gum, scissors cut @ right