Used Stamps: What They Are Worth and What to Do With Them

Most used stamps are worth about a cent each. Mystic Stamp Company, a US stamp dealer, sells a packet of 100 different used US stamps for $1.00 with free shipping (mysticstamp.com, September 2026). If a retailer sells a hundred different stamps for a dollar, a handful of common used stamps from your mail has almost no resale value.

The Mystic packet is an introductory offer: the page says buyers also receive other stamps on approval, which means stamps sent for you to buy or return. That is normal in the stamp trade, but read the terms before you order.

The used stamps that are worth real money are mostly 19th-century stamps in good condition, plus errors and scarce varieties. The next section shows what dealers ask for some of them.

These are asking prices for used 19th-century US stamps on allstamp.net, a US dealer, in September 2026. Numbers are Scott catalogue numbers, and grades are the dealer's.

• Scott 11A, 3-cent Washington, Fine to Very Fine: $9.75
• Scott 9, 1-cent Franklin Type IV, Fine: $35.00
• Scott 9, the same stamp in Very Fine: $85.00
• Scott 10, 3-cent Washington, Fine to Very Fine: $110.00
• Scott 1, 5-cent red-brown Franklin, used, Extremely Fine to Very Fine: $395.00
• Scott 8A, 1-cent Franklin Type IIIa, Fine to Very Fine: $595.00
• Scott 2, 10-cent Washington, Fine to Very Fine with four margins: $775.00

Two things stand out. The same stamp more than doubles from Fine to Very Fine, so condition matters as much as the stamp itself. And these are what a buyer pays a dealer. A seller gets less: the American Philatelic Society advises members selling on its StampStore to price at 40% to 60% of the catalogue value for a Very Fine stamp, and notes that the more successful sellers price below 50%.

For how to read the numbers, see Scott catalog numbers; for the most expensive US stamps ever sold, see most valuable US stamps.

When two used copies of the same stamp are priced differently, the reasons are nearly always these:

• The cancellation. A light postmark that leaves the design clear is worth more than a heavy one across the face. Clear, dated or unusual postmarks are collected in their own right.
• Margins and centring. On early stamps issued without perforations, four full margins, as on the $775 Scott 2 above, are a premium feature. On perforated stamps, a design centred evenly between the perforations is worth more.
• Faults. Thins, tears, creases and pulled perforations cut the price hard. The APS lists these faults as reasons to reduce an asking price considerably.
• Still on the envelope. A 19th-century stamp on its original cover shows the postmark, route and rate, and is often worth more than the stamp alone.
• A certificate. For an expensive stamp, an expert certificate is what lets a buyer pay the higher price.

The difference between used and unused also varies by stamp; our guide to used vs mint stamps explains when each is worth more.

It is a federal offence in the United States to reuse a stamp. Under 18 U.S.C. 1720, anyone who knowingly uses a stamp that has already paid postage, removes a cancellation so it can be reused, or uses a cancelled stamp to pay postage can be fined or imprisoned for up to one year, and up to three years if they work for the Postal Service. The law covers a stamp that has already been used even if the postmark missed it.

Unused stamps are different: they remain valid at face value however old they are. If you inherit unused stamps, see cheapest stamps for using them as postage.

Once you know you have ordinary used stamps, you have four sensible options.

• Donate them. Stamps for the Wounded, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, supplies stamps and collecting materials to veterans. It accepts used stamps on or off paper, foreign stamps in any condition, unused US stamps with gum, covers with special cancellations, and collecting supplies and literature. It was supported by the Lions International Stamp Clubs from 1991 to 2015 before becoming independent, and it says donations are deductible to the full extent of the law. Its USPS mailing address is PO Box 297, Dunn Loring, VA 22027-0297.
• Give them to a collector. Local stamp clubs, schools and young collectors use common stamps for trading and practice.
• Sell identified stamps individually. Members of the American Philatelic Society can list stamps on its StampStore, which charges 35 cents per item submitted and 25% of each sale, with a $3 minimum price. That rules out common stamps but suits individually identified better ones.
• Sell a whole collection to a dealer or at auction. Stamp appraisal covers how to get offers and what each route costs.

Whatever you choose, do the check first: look for early stamps on envelopes, and do not soak anything that looks old. Stamp collecting for beginners explains how to soak ordinary stamps safely.

Free stamps for a collection are easy to find; free postage does not exist.

For collecting, the American Philatelic Society's suggestions cost nothing: save the stamps from envelopes, packages and postcards that come to your house, ask friends, relatives and local businesses to save theirs for you, and find a pen pal to exchange letters with. Stamp clubs are also a good place to trade duplicates.

For postage, there is no legitimate free source, and USPS does not sell stamps below face value (US Postal Inspection Service). Offers of free or deeply discounted Forever stamps online are a known route for counterfeits.

Photograph a used stamp and the app identifies it, so you can sort the few worth keeping aside from the ones to donate or trade.

Research and drafting were assisted by AI, and every price, date and number was checked against the sources listed below. Dealer prices are asking prices shown on the named website in September 2026; they are what a buyer pays, not what a seller receives.