United States Postage Due Stamps Value Guide

Authorized by Congress in 1879, these functional stamps shifted the cost of mailing from the sender to the recipient. This specific series, issued between 1894 and 1930, is highly collectible for its transition from brown to deep carmine red and its bold, numeral-centric design.

What Is United States Postage Due Stamps Worth?

The typical price range for United States Postage Due Stamps is $12 - $13 based on recent sales. However, values can vary depending on the item's condition, rarity, and other factors such as:

• Centering of the design within the perforated margins significantly impacts the $12.00-$13.20 price range.
• The condition of the gum, specifically whether it is 'Never Hinged' (NH) or 'Lightly Hinged'.
• The vibrancy of the carmine or deep red pigment, as fading from light exposure reduces market value.
• The presence of clear, non-smudged cancellations if the stamps were used in a postal capacity.

How to Identify United States Postage Due Stamps?

• Verify the carmine or deep red ink color which replaced the earlier 1879 brown series.
• Look for the distinct numeral-centric design intended for quick identification by postal clerks.
• Check for the presence of original gum (OG) on the reverse side, typical of the 1894-1930 production era.
• Confirm denominations of 2, 3, 5, or 10 cents which were standard for this functional postal series.

History of United States Postage Due Stamps

Postage due stamps were first authorized by the United States Congress in 1879 to indicate that the recipient, rather than the sender, was responsible for paying the required postage. Unlike regular commemorative or definitive stamps, these were purely functional tools for postmasters. The red-colored designs seen here replaced the earlier brown series in 1894 and remained the standard aesthetic for several decades, utilizing a numeral-centric design to ensure clerks could easily read the amount owed at a glance.