Is This A 3 Cent First Day Cover?

Hello. Is this an old first day cover?

no
To be a first day cover, it needs to be cancelled on the first day of issue.
This isn't

Got it. After a little research, I just figured that out too. Apparently, this is an embossed stamp. I'm still trying to figure out how collectible they may be.

Thanks!

Unfortunately unposted it's not really collectible and has no value (these are very common).

Are you sure about that, Jenny? I just came across a site which lists a lot of different die varieties of these. I will look the link up and post it. From research I am guessing this is around 1915 or so?

Maverickx, are you talking about the Mount Vernon cover? The cover dates from Jan. 1, 1932. It's value is 5 cent in the 1987 Scott, so yes, it is very common! Scott # is you 525.
Envelopes with embossed stamps on them are very collectible. Much more so as cut squares that show just a portion of the cover.

Peter

Thank you, Peter! So are there rare die varieties and where would I find a Scotts book for them?

Maverickx, you can buy an older Scott catalog for very little on ebay. For your type of questions you need the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps. Any year will basically do if all you need is info on older material.
That is the reason I use a 1987 Scott - I am more interested in older stamps and less in unusable value info!
By the way, there are a couple of die varieties listed in the Scott catalogue.

Peter

Great! Thank you for the great info! I will look at getting a book.

Peter

We've mentioned this before, but the Scott US Specialized is the one book you need to help navigate the many varieties of US stamps, embossed envelopes, postal cards, basic revenues, local post stamps, provisionals, private die proprietary (match and medicine), and on and on. You may not need a current catalog, but even for identification of material it is not wise to buy too old a cat. The expansion of knowledge, varieites, collecting categories, and such will leave you behind. For example, that 1987 catalog that Peter mentioned does not show a single postage stamp essay, to say nothing of all the stamps issued since 1987 (many hundreds of stamp listings). Nor does it make note of the I-grill varieties on the Banknote issues, which are easily encountered on ebay, but not always recognized by sellers. The I-grills are mentioned in the older catalogs, but the listing of the I-grills as major types did not start until 2013. Those are just examples of the kinds of new listings and research that the old catalogs do not have, yet none of this has anything to do with pricing. The Specialized is much more than a pricelist, and I suggest you get one that is not more than 3-5 years old. For what you collect now, and for what might spark your interest if you only knew about it.

Essayk- Thank you so much for your time! Sounds like getting a Scott US Specialized book would really be a great tool. I appreciate all of your kind insight.

Peter

My pleasure. But don't rush out just yet. The new edition is due out at the end of the month. When it finally arrives, all the earlier editions will go down in price a notch, and you could save yourself a few to quite a few dollars depending on the age of the catalog. The price for the newest edition is unchanged from last year.