United States 1919 coil waste stamp remains in demand

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

In a more frugal age, when stamps printed by rotary press intended as coil stamps were deemed to be unsuitable for issuance, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing would run them through perforating machines used for stamps printed by flat plate press to add perforations to the other two sides. Such stamps are known as “coil waste.”

One coil waste stamp that remains in near constant demand is the 1919 3¢ violet George Washington type II stamp perforated gauge 11 by 10 (Scott 541).

We first tipped this stamp in used condition in the Stamp Market Tips column in the Oct. 19, 2009, Linn’s. We tipped it again in mint never-hinged condition, unused hinged condition and used condition in the July 31, 2017, column. It is time to tip it again.

The 2019 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values the stamp in mint never-hinged condition at $100, in unused hinged condition at $40, and in used condition at $32.50.

This stamp is surprisingly difficult to find in all three conditions in very fine grade and is well worth full Scott catalog value in that grade.

The stamp in used condition is especially hard to find in very fine grade and is perhaps a bit undervalued in the catalog, Examples with attractive in period cancellations often bring a premium.

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