Benjamin Franklin One Cent Stamp (1908): ID and Value

• Basic description: 1-cent Franklin, green, double-line watermark, perforation 12.
• Why so many varieties exist: the series used five different designs, two paper types, three printing methods, at least 14 perforation gauges, several colors, and 20 denominations.
• Total documented varieties: the Washington-Franklin stamps were meant to simplify postage but ended up producing 220 major and 99 minor varieties.

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

• Double-line watermark vs. single-line watermark vs. unwatermarked: Hold the stamp up to the light (or use watermark fluid) to check for a double-line "USPS" watermark pattern (earliest printings), a single-line watermark (later printings), or no watermark at all (from about 1915 onward, when the Bureau switched to unwatermarked paper).
• Perforation gauge differences (perf 12 vs. perf 10 vs. perf 11, etc.): Use a perforation gauge to count the number of teeth per two centimeters along the stamp's edge; the same 1c Franklin design was reprinted at multiple perforation gauges over its 1908-1922 run.
• Same ink color reused on unrelated denominations: The Post Office Department did not have enough distinct inks, so the same green ink was used for both the 1c and 8c values (and other pairs shared purple or blue), which can make color alone an unreliable way to identify the denomination if the numeral is worn or missing.

The design was reprinted for 14 years (1908-1922) across five sub-designs, two paper types, three printing methods and at least 14 perforation gauges, so surviving examples are extremely common but fall into many different collectible sub-varieties.

• 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.

Most Benjamin Franklin one cent stamps are worth a few dollars or less, because they were printed in the billions. A few look-alike printings from 1923 are worth thousands, and telling them apart takes a gauge and a ruler, not a glance.

• 1908 green 1c, Scott 331: about 5,300,000,000 issued (estimate); Mystic Stamp Company's listing showed a base price of $11.00, with the price rising by grade (September 2026).
• 1923 flat-plate 1c, Scott 552: more than four billion issued, a common stamp (American Philatelic Society, Tom Horn, The American Philatelist).
• 1861 blue 1c, Scott 63: about 138 million printed; Mystic Stamp Company's listing showed a base price of $350.00, with separate prices by condition (September 2026).
• 1923 rotary press perf 11, Scott 594: fewer than 130 known in any condition; Mystic listed a used copy with small flaws, with a 1993 Philatelic Foundation certificate, at $9,950 (September 2026).
• The right 1923 Franklin: the APS article reports a 1c Franklin with a Kansas City precancel that sold for $190,000 at Siegel Galleries in New York in 2018.
• 1868 1c Z grill: two known; the one in private hands sold for $4.4 million in June 2024 (Wikipedia). See our page on the Benjamin Franklin Z grill.

The 1923 green 1c Franklin replaced the 1908 design and is the one most often asked about. The same picture exists in several printings:

• Scott 552: flat plate, perforated 11, unwatermarked, issued January 17, 1923. This is the common one.
• Scott 578: rotary press, perforated 11 by 10, made from coil waste; the APS article says it catalogues at $75.
• Scott 597 and 604: coil stamps, horizontal and vertical; not rare.
• Scott 632: rotary press, perforated 11 by 10 1/2, from 1927; common.
• Scott 594 and 596: rotary press, perforated 11 on all four sides. These are the rarities.

Mystic Stamp Company explains how 594 came about: unperforated sheet ends left over from making coil stamp 597 were perforated 11 by 11 to complete an order for 1c Franklin sheet stamps. About 51,000 were made this way, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing never announced them, and the variety went unrecognised for about two years until a collector reported one.

Tom Horn's method in The American Philatelist narrows most stamps down in a few minutes:

• Look at the back. Green specks of ink on the back mean a flat-plate printing, Scott 552.
• Gauge all four sides. You are looking for 11 on every side. 11 by 10 1/2 is the common 1927 rotary stamp.
• Compare the design size. A flat-plate and a rotary-press 1c Franklin differ by about a quarter of a millimetre. The article suggests trimming a common Scott 552 into a cross shape and laying it over the stamp you are testing.
• Get an expert certificate. If a stamp passes all three, send it for expertizing before you price or sell it; the $9,950 copy Mystic listed came with a Philatelic Foundation certificate.

Separating 594 from 596 goes one step further than this: both are rotary press and perforated 11, and Scott lists them as separate numbers. That final call belongs to an expert committee, not to a home measurement.

Franklin appears on U.S. one cent stamps across more than a century, so start with colour and style:

• Blue, 1861 (Scott 63): Mystic's listing showed a base price of $350.00 (September 2026), priced separately by condition.
• 1868 with a grill: a pattern of ridges pressed into the paper; the Z grill version is the rarity described on our Z grill page.
• Green, 1908 to 1922 (this page): the Washington-Franklin series, with the watermark and perforation varieties listed above.
• Green, 1923 onward: the 552, 594, 596 and 632 group described above.
• Half cent, 1954: the Liberty series Franklin is a 1/2c stamp, often confused with the 1c; see the 1954 half cent Franklin.

A straight, well-lit photo lets PhilLens name the design and issue. The perforation, ink and size checks above are what separate a $1 stamp from a $9,950 one.

Research and drafting were assisted by AI, and every price, date and number was checked against the sources listed. Mystic Stamp Company figures are retail asking prices seen in September 2026, not auction results or what a dealer would pay. The $190,000 and $4.4 million figures are auction results from 2018 and June 2024.