Anybody Know What This Cinderella May Be Worth?

Here is an image of a cinderella that I have come across. The image is from the Rhode Island Historical Society website. Mine is on the back of an envelope stamped August 23, 1936. The stamp and the envelope are both is great condition.

I have searched on the internet for weeks, but cannot find any information regarding this stamp. I even tried emailing numerous people at the RI Historical Society, as well as other stamp experts but have come up empty-handed. I would like to what this seemingly rare Cinderella may be worth, if anybody knows.

Welcome to Stamp Community Forum! The Cinderella area of collecting is so broad, and the percentage of cinderellas that have been documented and catalogued is so small, that you would be extremely lucky to find information on a particular item.

The best way to get a feel for value is to keep active in the market. If you scan ebay's listing of cinderellas for several months, you will begin to get an idea of the kinds of material people are seeking, and what sellers are offering...topics, countries, eras, etc. Some areas are popular, and some are not, just like with postage stamps. You will probably see the same Cinderella offered for vastly different prices, and it will have nothing to do with condition. Some Cinderella sellers will never mention very bad condition problems with their material.

I search ebay's Cinderella category regularly, and I don't remember having seen your item. Does that mean it is uncommon? Probably yes. Does that mean it is valuable? Maybe not, because if there are no or few collectors of Rhode Island labels, then there is no market, or a "thin" market.

If you keep searching (American Philatelic Research Library, microfilm of Rhode Island newspapers from 1936, etc.) you might find some information about your label. But, if you are looking for a listed value, I strongly suspect you will be disappointed.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and informative reply! I love stamps and have been collecting for a few years now, but only recently discovered the term 'cinderella', so this is a brand new field of study for me.

Another question that I have, pertaining to both the cinderella mentioned in the original post and others that I may come across, is what of the historical value of a cinderella? I realize that cinderellas are made everyday but sometimes they are specially made, perhaps for a holiday or to mark some historical event.

The Rhode Island Tercentenary was an event that marked the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island by Roger Williams. This marked a milestone for not only Rhode Island, but arguably for the United States as a whole. During this time, only a small amount of tercentenary stamps were produced (which can be seen listed on the RI historical society website). Among the stamps listed on the website, the one in the original post, which depicts the Newport Tower, is the only one of its kind that has ever been seen by the researchers at the RI Historical Society.

With this knowledge, could it be that the rarity of the cinderella coupled with its historical significance, make it a very desirable cinderella, thus increasing its value on the market?

Once again, thanks for your reply!

Welcome CINDERELLAS, To answer your question ,first it is a anniversary item ,the nice thing it is on cover . The only person I know who purchases Cinderellas on cover is a fellow James who lives just West of Chicago . He was in St Louis and purchase the cover lot from the Cyzl collection . It was 1,000 Cinderella stamps and about 500 covers and the lot went for $2,500.00 . So from the only auction of this kind of material ,I would say you got a $5.00 cover ,off the cover you may get $2.00 for the label . If you think other wise ,please post your thoughts .

cinder, have you been in touch with the Newport Historical Society? It seems they would know the most about this poster stamp.