Which 30ยข stamp?
See below for details
First use this guide then at the bottom of the page select your stamp
Does the stamp have a grill on the reverse?
Detail shown below
The grill seen on the reverse of some stamps
If your stamp has the above grill on the reverse you have quickly identified the stamp. It is the first printing of this stamp from the National Bank Note company and is #143
Shades
Telling the hard paper of the National Bank 30¢ from its Continental counterpart comes down to a subtle shade difference. The National #154 is slightly darker or blacker than the Continental printings of #165 , which is more grayish black. #165 can also have a slight greenish tinge and #154 a bluish tinge to it. Bear in mind that time fades colors and the stamp has become a basic gray-black. The green and blue tinges also can be seen on #190, but as #190 is soft paper it should be identified by the paper, not the shade.
Is it soft or hard paper?
Hard paper was used by the National Bank Note Company and the Continental Bank Note Company. Soft paper was used by the American Bank Note Company.
The hard paper of the Bank Note issues is fairly white, perhaps it might better be called grayish white or sometimes a somewhat bluish white, while the soft paper seems slightly yellowish when compared with the hard paper.
Soft paper has a looser weave and more porous paper than hard paper, so it feels softer, displays a mesh or weave when viewed by holding the stamp between your eyes and light so that you are looking “through” the stamp.
Some people can also ID hard paper be “flicking” the edges and thereby “feeling” the stiffness of the paper versus the feel of soft paper if flicked in the same way. There's more of a snap to the hard paper.
On high magnification the perforation tips on soft paper will have more strands of paper sticking out than hard paper.
Soft paper is fairly dead looking under a long wave UV light ( (briefly and from a reasonable distance in a darkened room) while hard paper reflects more light. If reference copies of stamp designs known only on hard paper or soft paper are viewed under UV light, the difference in paper brightness should be apparent.
For a reference stamp obtain the inexpensive 1861 3¢ (#65), it is only available in hard paper.
A simple test is to hold a stamp to a lamp, you will see the hard paper is more translucent.
SELECT YOUR STAMP
Click the number below that most
closely matches your stamp
