Valore dei francobolli
Francobolli commemorativi: quali valgono più del facciale
Aggiornato il · 5 min di lettura · A cura del team StampGo
Risposta rapida
La maggior parte dei francobolli commemorativi vale più o meno il valore facciale, perché sono stati stampati a milioni e conservati dai collezionisti. Quelli di valore sono le emissioni antiche, soprattutto i commemorativi statunitensi dal 1890 al 1930, gli alti valori e gli errori autentici. I «commemorativi» in lamina d'oro venduti per corrispondenza sono souvenir, non affrancatura.
In breve
- Gran parte dei commemorativi moderni
- Valore facciale da nuovi, pochi centesimi da usati
- Epoca di valore
- Circa dal 1893 al 1930 per i commemorativi statunitensi
- Cosa alza il valore
- Alti valori, tirature brevi, errori autentici, buona centratura
- Francobolli natalizi e festivi
- Stampati in quantità enormi. Quasi sempre comuni
- «Francobolli» in lamina d'oro
- Souvenir senza validità postale e con scarso valore di rivendita
- Fogli e foglietti
- Di solito valgono il facciale come affrancatura
Are commemorative stamps worth anything?
Most are worth their face value and no more. Commemoratives are issued to be collected, so they're printed in large numbers and millions are saved in perfect condition, which is the opposite of scarcity.
That's the paradox of collecting modern issues: the stamps designed for collectors are the ones least likely to become rare. The 1993 Elvis stamp is the clearest example, with more than 500 million printed. Value comes from scarcity and demand, not from the occasion being commemorated.
What's the difference between a commemorative and a definitive?
A commemorative marks an event, person or anniversary and is printed once, for a limited period. A definitive is the everyday stamp, reprinted for years in many denominations.
Counter-intuitively, definitives more often hide the valuable varieties. They were reprinted with different perforations, watermarks and presses over long runs, which creates scarce versions. See the Washington-Franklin series for the classic case.
Which commemorative stamps are valuable?
Early issues with high face values, small print runs or famous errors. For the US that means the 1893 Columbians, 1898 Trans-Mississippi, 1901 Pan-Americans and the 1930 Graf Zeppelins.
| Issue | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Columbian Exposition (1893) | The $1–$5 high values are the key stamps, especially unused |
| Trans-Mississippi (1898) | High values such as the $1 “Western Cattle in Storm” |
| Pan-American (1901) | Attractive bi-colours, and the famous inverted-centre errors |
| Graf Zeppelin airmails (1930) | Expensive when issued, so relatively few were sold |
| British Empire Exhibition (1924–25) | Britain's first commemoratives, so early and collected |
| Postal Union Congress £1 (1929) | The key British commemorative of the period |
Condition decides where in the range a copy falls. See stamp condition grades, and error stamps worth money for the inverts.
Why are modern commemoratives worth so little?
Because supply overwhelms demand. Post offices print tens of millions, collectors save whole sheets unused, and far more survive in perfect condition than there are buyers.
Unused modern commemoratives keep one solid use: they're valid postage. Sheets bought years ago can go on today's mail at their printed value, which usually beats what a dealer would pay. In the US, stamps issued since 1860 remain valid. See how to sell stamps.
What are gold-foil “commemorative” stamps worth?
Very little. Gold-foil replicas sold by mail-order and TV marketing firms are novelty items, not postage, and there's almost no collector market for them.
They're usually sold as “tributes” or “collector editions”, often in presentation folders with certificates of authenticity that authenticate nothing more than the novelty itself. The gold content is a microscopic layer, and the resale price is typically a small fraction of what was paid. The same caution applies to “collector edition” sheets from private mints.
What are Christmas stamps worth?
Almost always face value. Christmas issues are among the highest-volume stamps any post office prints, and they're saved in quantity every year.
The exceptions are the same as everywhere else: genuine errors, the earliest issues from a country's Christmas series, and unusual varieties. Christmas seals, the charity labels sold alongside stamps, are collected separately and are not valid postage.
Are commemorative first day covers and souvenir sheets worth more?
Usually not. First day covers for modern commemoratives were produced in huge numbers, and souvenir sheets tend to sell at or near face value. Both are attractive, and both are common.
Souvenir sheets and miniature sheets are issued specifically to be bought by collectors, so the same supply problem applies: almost every one printed survives in perfect condition. The exceptions are early sheets, limited overprints for exhibitions, and genuine errors.
- Modern first day covers: typically a few dollars at most, and often less than the stamps' face value.
- Souvenir sheets: around face value, with a small premium for popular topics.
- Presentation packs and year books: usually worth less than the stamps inside them.
- Worth checking: anything pre-1940, hand-painted cachets, and sheets with printing errors.
See first day cover value for what makes a cover worth more than its stamps.
Passo dopo passo
How to check a commemorative with StampGo
Commemoratives are easy to scan in batches, because you're usually sorting a shoebox of modern issues looking for the few older ones that matter.
- 1
Scan the stamp
Tap Scan Now and photograph one stamp at a time.
- 2
Check the year and price range
Anything issued before about 1930 with a meaningful reference price deserves a closer look.
- 3
Set aside the keepers
Add the better stamps to your collection and leave the modern face-value ones in the postage pile.
Download gratuito per iOS e Android
Domande frequenti
Un foglio commemorativo nuovo vale più del facciale?
Raramente. I fogli moderni si vendono al facciale o sotto, perché ne sono stati conservati moltissimi. L'uso più sicuro resta l'affrancatura.
I commemorativi degli anni Settanta e Ottanta sono preziosi?
No, salvo poche eccezioni. Furono stampati in quantità enormi. In quell'epoca il valore viene dagli errori autentici, non dalle emissioni in sé.
Qual è il commemorativo statunitense più prezioso?
Gli errori a centro capovolto dell'emissione Pan-American del 1901 e gli alti valori dell'emissione Columbian del 1893 sono tra i più preziosi, insieme alla posta aerea Graf Zeppelin del 1930.
Conviene usare vecchi commemorativi per affrancare?
Se sono comuni e nuovi, sì. Negli Stati Uniti i francobolli emessi dal 1860 restano validi, quindi usarli restituisce l'intero valore facciale, di solito più di quanto offrirebbe un commerciante.
Si emettono ancora francobolli commemorativi?
Sì, ogni anno, e piacciono ancora ai collezionisti e a chi cerca un regalo. Non aspettarti però una rivalutazione: escono in tirature ampie e vengono conservati in condizioni perfette, ed è proprio questo a mantenerli comuni.
Perdo denaro usando commemorativi nuovi come affrancatura?
Quasi mai. La maggior parte dei commemorativi moderni vale comunque il facciale, quindi usarli non ti costa nulla e ti evita di comprare nuova affrancatura. Controlla prima tutto ciò che è anteriore al 1940 circa.
