Assistance Identifying Great Grandparents Stamps

Hi! I am very new to stamps, today actually, because my grandmother asked me for assistance identifying some of her parents stamps they kept. I managed to find one but how do I find value as well? I've tried googling using the image, searching stamp database websites, and googling the text on stamp with hardly any luck. Any guidance/help would be appreciated. Thank you!

George Washington 1732-1799 rosa carmín 2 cents
United States of America 1492-1892 2 cents
McKinley 1 cent - with World's Panama-pacific Exposition in San Francisco 1915
No idea on the greenish one






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Hello, xfactor. These are not strictly speaking stamps at all, but postal stationery (envelopes with the design printed on them). Get a hold of a Scott US Specialized catalog (many libraries have them) and find your designs in the Postal Stationery section. Good hunting!

Thank you Dudley, I will go check that out!

The bottom two are Scott UX24, value = 35 cents. The cancels may add a bit of value however.

The envelopes are in order:

Scott U395 Value = 25 cents
Scott U311 Value = 25 cents
Scott U349 Value = 50 cents

You can identify the stamped envelopes here.

http://dubinweb.com/

Value is much tougher. But in general, once identified, search ebay's listings, remember to check the SOLD box (left side) to see what other covers have sold for.

xfactor001,

I think these covers have much more value to you and your family and future generations as keepsakes from past generations rather than assets to be sold today or tomorrow. Please consider keeping them along with other family photos and documents. The story behind them will always be much more valuable to those who appreciate the people whos lives they touched them than in a stack of random old envelopes.

Collecting for the enjoyment of collecting, whatever that might be, is the name of the game. Don't hesitate to ask questions especially if you need basic information and especially more advanced sources of information for any possible topic. You should be able to find folks on this board a little further along on their collecting journey glad to share experiences. Russ

As complete covers/envelopes with or without letters, they are much more valuable historically than the minimal amount the used stamps indicate. As Hoosierboy says- Keep them in the family if you can. The context and family history are worth far more than the cancelled stamps or postal cards.

I've read through the original post and I don't see anywhere in that post that any of these mail pieces are confirmed as to/from any members of the family. If you find items which are to/from the family, I would hope you might keep them, especially if they have interesting contents. For those items with no family connection, then much of the emotional facet is removed.

But based on no family connection, I'll ramble about some other facets:
1. Catalog identification/value of the postal stationery is fairly straight forward with the Scott catalog. There are some better look-alike types, but most cards and envelopes were produced in huge quantities for long periods of time as the workhorse items for a decade or more, thus are very common. Rogdcam noted the basic catalog values for the cards and envelopes above - nothing above 50 cents.

2. However, other aspects can change the value up or down. This is the "postal history" aspect of the items. Interesting and attractive things like postmarks and advertisements tend to add value. Conversely, using the Antiques Roadshow theme, "everything is condition, condition, condition" will lower the value significantly if poor. Specifically ...

The first item has a Logansport Indiana flag machine cancel. Flag cancels are popular, but this one is very common and does not add anything.

The second has a "Barry" machine cancel, nothing too great there either, but the ad for pianos is nice. The soiling is a detriment, Still a couple of dollars based on the ad, and maybe a buck or two more if the address was lost in the 1906 earthquake. Valuing postal history is an art and not a science. Your mileage may vary!

The third one was apparently never mailed, so not anything extra there.

The last 2 cards have slogan machine cancels advertising the 1915 World's Fair. There are two different cancels here (Note the alignment between the lines of lettering in the slogan box.) These are collected by machine and fair specialists. Yours are the two most common Seattle types (out of 6). Value is less than $1 each, impaired by the soiled condition.

Good morning John and Xfactor001 and all,

John, you missed my point. Yes, they may not be and probably were not directly involving the family; but, they are in the family. I have many non philatelic items not made by my departed family members but they had that are personal treasures.

I would contend any generation does not have the obligation to retain every scrap accumulated by the previous generations - not everything is sentimental or personal. On bulk alone, the preservation must be selective.