5 Cent Zachary Taylor Identify Help

Hello guys,

sorry for my english, i'm italian.

I've this US stamp in my hands.

I'm getting crazy because i'd like to identify it and to understand his worth but, when I go to the website of stamp world, I can see many identic stamps, with huge different values.
I can find :

1875 Zachary Taylor, 1784-1850 - Yellowish Wove Paper
21. June WM: None Perforation: 12
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1875 Special Printing - Hard, White Wove Paper. Without Gum
WM: None Perforation: 12
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1879 Printed by American Bank Note Company - Designs of 1873. Thin to Thick Soft Porous Paper
WM: None Sheetsize: 200 Perforation: 12
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1880 Special Printing of the 1879 Issue - Soft Porous Paper without Gum
WM: None Perforation: 12

i'm not expert in american stamps,
i've about 30 1800s american stamps only.

Could you please help to identify it so that I can understand his related worth?

Thanks in advance for all the answers

Welcome to the forum.
You might want to try this site for ID of US stamps
http://www.stampsmarter.com/1847usa/index.htm
Don

It`s pretty safe to rule out the special printings for your stamp. These stamps were very crisp and hardly ever used. They were essentially collector`s items.

2 of the four you list are Special Printings. Those are very rare, but no authentic used example is known to exist. We can rule them out. If you wish to PROVE you have a Special printing, you must submit it to an expert agency.

Of the other 2, one is on hard paper and one on soft paper. Those topics have been discussed on this list many times, with picture examples of how to tell the difference. Let me suggest that you search the forum for "Special Printings."

The stamp appears to be Scott 185 on soft paper. You can verify by holding the stamp up to the light and comparing it with an older stamp from the 1861 or 1869 issue. Soft paper is generally thicker, more opaque to light and may show a "basket weave" or lenticular (lenticolare) pattern. Also, under long wave UV light, the paper will appear grayish compared to hard paper from earlier bank note issues. Also the killer cancel is a later type, not often seen on hard paper.

Thanks to everybody for the great answers.
So, it could be a 1875 on soft paper.
Ok... we can say that is not a special printing because it's a used stamp.
But it's absolutely without gum...
Ok, could you please tell me which is his catalog worth ?
Thanks for the help

stampus, it's not uncommon for a used stamp to have its gum removed.

The soft paper version of this design (Scott #185) was not produced in 1875. It was first produced in 1879 by another company, not quite the same company as had produced the hard paper stamps in 1875.

Your stamp has a well struck numbered cancel in an ellipse (duplex).
While the catalog value for a VF example is US$17.50, this stamp is not centered VF. It is in good condition but the perfs cut the design on left, which drops it below Fine. Stamps like this are easily available for less than $5 US, often much less than $5. And I suspect that you will wait a long while to find a buyer.

essayk thanks so much for your answer, I appreciate it.
Ok I ll catalog it in the group of "no worth" stamps.
I've about US 30 stamps of 1800s and as you can easily understand, i'm not expert in american stamps, since the moment that i'm italian and that I bought these US stamps by ebay next italian sellers that at the same like me are not expert od US stamps. A question (i'm new in the forum, sorry) : is it possible to scan all these 30 stamps in one go, front and back, and send them in this forum, just to understand if there is some rare or interesting piece ? If this is possible, which is the right section of this forum where to post it without bothering you all ? Thanks for the support and sorry for my poor english

Stampus72, your English is fine and you are not bothering anybody. And if you'd like to post your tamps go right ahead. But I would ask you not to post them all in one picture. That way we can not make a good judgement.
Post them maybe three or so at the time - that would be better in my opinion.

Peter

Petert4522 thanks for your msg, ok tomorrow i'll start to scan them 3by3 and then I ll send here :-)