1c Thomas Jefferson Stamp (1968): How to Identify It

• Design subject: the 1-cent denomination pictures Thomas Jefferson.
• Why so many varieties exist: variations in gum, luminescence, precancels, perforations, and sheet/coil/booklet formats produced a large number of documented varieties.

The same design was issued in more than one form. Which one you have changes the catalog listing:

• Booklet pane of 8 (Scott 1278a): Sold bound into a booklet pane of 8 rather than as a full perforated sheet stamp.
• Booklet pane of 4 plus 2 labels (Scott 1278b, 1971): A later booklet-pane format with 4 stamps and 2 blank labels instead of a pane of 8.
• Precancel (Scott 1278c, 1968): Carries printed cancellation bars applied before mailing instead of a plain unmarked face.
• Coil, vertical perf 10 (Scott 1299, 1968): A coil-format version perforated only on the vertical edges at gauge 10, unlike the sheet stamp.

Both series put Jefferson on a low-value stamp, but the Liberty Series 2c Jefferson is carmine rose while the Prominent Americans 1c Jefferson is green, and the denominations differ (2c vs 1c). See the 2c Thomas Jefferson page.

• Measure the perforations with a gauge; the same design often exists in two or three gauges, and that is usually what separates the common one from the scarce one.
• Sheet, coil or booklet: coils have two straight edges on opposite sides; booklet panes have one or two straight edges from the pane edge.
• Tagging: hold it under a longwave UV lamp; tagged and untagged printings of the same design are listed separately.
• Condition (centering, gum, cancel) is a separate question from identification.

Lay the stamp flat on a dark background in daylight, fill the frame, and keep the phone parallel so the perforations are not distorted. Photograph the back too if there is a watermark or gum question. The app reads the design and denomination; the perforation and tagging checks above settle which listing it is.