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How to Identify First Class Stamps

Stamp collecting is a hobby enjoyed by both young and old. During much of U.S. history, the Post Office Department, Postal Service, Department of the Interior and the IRS have all issued stamps of one type or another. Some are valid for mailing, others are issued for various special purposes. So how do you identify which stamps are used to pay for first class postage? It's actually quite simple. For this example, let's assume you are a novice collector who has purchased a large mixed lot of U.S. stamps. Here's how to determine just what you've acquired and which stamps you could attach to a letter.

Things You'll Need

Current copy of the Scott, H.E.Harris, Brookman, or Stanley Gibbons hardcover stamp catalog
Stamp tongs
Glassine envelopes

Instructions

- 1
  Spread the stamps out on a clean dry surface well away from any sudden drafts.
- 2
  Using the tongs, carefully examine each stamp. Place any stamps marked "Revenue," "Documentary" or "Federal Use on Motor Vehicles" in one or more glassine envelopes and set them aside. These stamps were issued by the Internal Revenue Service to pay the excise taxes on such products as liquor, playing cards, newspapers and automobiles. They are not valid for postage.
- 3
  Continue sorting the stamps. If you find any issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior featuring images of waterfowl, put them aside as well. These stamps are commonly referred to as "Duck Stamps" and are issued along with duck-hunting licenses to fund the purchase of wetlands. They are not used to prepay postage.
- 4
  Continue sorting. If you identify any stamps marked "Postage Due," place them in a separate glassine as well. Postage Due stamps were issued by both the Post Office and the Postal Service to indicate that insufficient postage had been affixed by the sender of a letter. The recipient had to pay the amount on the stamps when the letter was delivered. They are not valid for first-class postage, either.
- 5
  Continue sorting. If you identify any stamps marked "Special Delivery," "Special Handling," "Registered Mail" or "Certified Mail," you should put them aside as well. They were issued to prepay premium postal delivery/handling charges or services that were significantly higher than the first-class postage rates in force when those special stamps were issued. If they are unused, they may be worth quite a bit of money.
- 6
  After removing the other stamps listed, what will remain are standard U.S. postage stamps and U.S. airmail stamps. Any that are uncanceled or unused, can be used to pay for first-class postage.

Stamp Collecting