1869 5 Franc Stamp Value!

Here is another use for spacefillers. Scott and Yvert list a color variety for this stamp. Also, the '5' and the 'F' were added in a separate printing step, which gives rise to variations in color and size, and a variety where they are omitted altogether.

A person could be a 'serious' collector who wanted to show some variations, but didn't want to invest thousands of dollars in this one catalogue number to do so. And in the case of the 'omitted' variety, both Scott and Yvert mention that all known examples are damaged, anyway.

I would be more impressed with, and interested in, a page built around 5F variations, faults and all, than a preprinted album page for the 1863-70 series with one basically-sound stamp in each box. (And I would suspect that the 5F was thinned, in any event. )

CJD ----The biggest problem with this stamp is not the thin ,but the hinge that the early stamp dealers used when they displayed this stamp at the Paris Bourse .Most copies were effected by their method . Anyone knows what im talking about ?

If I've heard the story of the early French dealers, I've forgotten it. What is it?

most of those early French stamps were mounted with pins on a display board in the early years of stamp collecting by dealers in France. they had or have repaired pinholes thru the stamps .
The usual way to repair those holes was to fill them in and then used black ink over the repair because all the stamps had heavier than normal cancels and it blended in from the viewer.

I think you will be very lucky to get 10% of cat. in that condition.
The lowest priced example is €1000 but you may get around 3-4%

I have only one example of this stamp which is marginally better fault wise but displays OK and fills an expensive space.

AnthonyUK, your 5F certainly does present well. You probably know this, but your cancel is from the Boulevard Beaumarchais office.

Cheers Cjd. I think it could do with a gentle wash but I'm too scared in case I cause further damage

I agree with CJD's earlier comment, as I also read some years ago that this stamp is difficult to find fault-free. I bought one maybe 20 years ago and it has minor faults. It's been in a mount since, but I recall it having a couple small thins. It does present real well.