The 1847 5c Franklin
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| Red Brown (#1) | Pale Brown (#1) |
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| Brown (#1) | Dark Brown (#1a) |
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| Grayish Brown (#1a) | Blackish Brown (#1a) |
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| Orange Brown (#1b) | Brown Orange (#1b) |
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| Red Orange (#1c) | 1875 Reprint (#3) |

Benjamin Franklin (biography)
5c - Red
brown, pale brown and brown
Imperf - Thin bluish paper - Scott #1 - 1847
Prices quoted are for 4 margin copies
NY Auction Houses |
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| Spring 2004 | - |
$250-$300 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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$450 |
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| Fall 2004 | - |
$200-$250 |
- |
- |
- |
$2,500-$5,000 |
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$350-$450 |
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| Spring 2005 | - |
$235-$285 |
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- |
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$2,700-$5,000 |
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$270-$585 |
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| Fall 2005 | - |
$250-$295 |
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- |
- |
$6,500 |
- |
$190-$625 |
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| Spring 2006 | - |
$210-$610 |
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$9,000 |
- |
$2,300-$5,250 |
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$325-$1,100 |
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| Fall 2006 | - |
$570 |
85 |
- |
- |
$2,000-$12,250 |
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$525 |
80 |
- |
$750 |
85J |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$600 |
85 |
|
| Spring 2007 | - |
$265-$685 |
- |
$6,500 |
- |
$1,500 |
- |
$350 |
70 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$425 |
80 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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$800 |
90 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$1,200 |
95 |
|
| Fall 2007 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$450 |
85 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$650 |
90 |
|
$1,250 |
$260-$900 |
- |
$12,500 |
85 |
- |
- |
$1,800 |
95 |
|
| Spring 2008 | - |
$300-$455 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
85 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$700-$900 |
90 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$5,250 |
98 |
|
| Fall 2008 | - |
$305-$425 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$350 |
80 |
- |
$500 |
80 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$525 |
90 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$1,150-$1,300 |
95 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
98 |
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| Spring 2009 | - |
$270-$400 |
- |
- |
- |
$6,750-$11,000 |
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$240 |
50 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$260 |
70 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$425-$440 |
85 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$450-$520 |
90 |
|
| Fall 2009 | - |
$265-$450 |
- |
- |
- |
$6,250 |
85 |
$600 |
90 |
- |
$1,150 |
95 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$475-$500 |
90 |
|
| Spring 2010 | $4,000-$6,100 |
$210-$565 |
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- |
- |
- |
- |
$800-$1,200 |
95 |
- |
$835 |
95 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
| Fall 2010 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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| Spring 2011 | - |
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- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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5c - Dark brown, Blackish Brown or Grayish Brown
Imperf - Thin bluish paper - Scott #1a
NY Auction Houses |
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| Spring 2005 | - |
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- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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| Fall 2004 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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$350-$400 |
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| Spring 2005 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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$2,400 |
- |
| Fall 2005 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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$1,150 |
- |
| Spring 2006 | $155 |
- |
- |
- |
$2,200 |
- |
$475-$850 |
- |
| Fall 2006 | $750 |
90 |
- |
- |
$2,500 |
- |
- |
- |
| Spring 2007 | $375 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Fall 2007 | $275-$475 |
- |
- |
- |
$13,500 |
80 |
- |
- |
| Spring 2008 | $960 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$350-$525 |
- |
| Fall 2008 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
| Spring 2009 | $390 |
- |
$110,000 |
95J |
$7,000 |
85 |
$600 |
90 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$60,000 |
98J |
- |
- |
|
| Fall 2009 | - |
- |
- |
- |
$8,000 |
85 |
$550-$1,000 |
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| Spring 2010 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Fall 2010 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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| Spring 2011 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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5c - Orange Brown
Imperf - Thin bluish paper - Scott #1b
NY Auction Houses |
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| Spring 2004 | $300-$350 |
- |
- |
$325-$575 |
- |
| Fall 2004 | $250-$300 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Spring 2005 | - |
- |
- |
$325-$750 |
- |
| Fall 2005 | - |
- |
$8,250 |
$850-$950 |
- |
| Spring 2006 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Fall 2006 | $900 |
- |
$6,250 (pair) |
- |
- |
| Spring 2007 | - |
- |
- |
$800 |
- |
| Fall 2007 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Spring 2008 | - |
- |
- |
80 |
|
- |
- |
- |
90 |
||
- |
- |
- |
95 |
||
| Fall 2008 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Spring 2009 | - |
- |
- |
$2,800 |
95 |
| Fall 2009 | - |
- |
- |
$600 |
90 |
| Spring 2010 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Fall 2010 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Spring 2011 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
5c - Red orange
Imperf - Thin bluish paper - Scott #1c
NY Auction Houses |
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| Fall 2005 | - |
$3,000 |
- |
| Spring 2006 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2006 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2007 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2007 | - |
$6,000-$8,000 |
- |
| Spring 2008 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2008 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2009 | - |
$22,000 |
95 |
| Fall 2009 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2010 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2010 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2011 | - |
- |
- |
5c - Brown orange
Imperf - Thin bluish paper - Scott #1c
NY Auction Houses |
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| Spring 2004 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2004 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2005 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2005 | - |
$850-$1,200 |
- |
| Spring 2006 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2006 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2007 | - |
$1,400 |
- |
| Fall 2007 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2008 | - |
- |
|
| Fall 2008 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2009 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2009 | - |
$1,000-$1,200 |
- |
| Spring 2010 | - |
- |
- |
| Fall 2010 | - |
- |
- |
| Spring 2011 | - |
- |
- |
5c - Red
brown
Reprint - Imperf - Thin bluish paper - Scott #3 - 1847
NY Auction Houses |
|||||
| Spring 2004 | - |
- |
- |
$525-$900 |
- |
| Fall 2004 | - |
- |
- |
$750-$950 |
- |
| Spring 2005 | - |
- |
- |
$525-$750 |
- |
| Fall 2005 | - |
- |
- |
$600-$2,000 |
- |
| Spring 2006 | - |
$810 |
- |
$550-$950 |
- |
| Fall 2006 | - |
$800 |
- |
$1,100 |
90 |
| Spring 2007 | - |
$400-$500 |
- |
- |
- |
| Fall 2007 | - |
$375-$750 |
- |
$850 |
- |
| Spring 2008 | - |
- |
- |
90 |
|
| Fall 2008 | - |
- |
- |
85 |
|
- |
- |
- |
95 |
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| Spring 2009 | - |
- |
- |
$500 |
80 |
- |
- |
- |
$700 |
90 |
|
| Fall 2009 | - |
- |
- |
$850 |
90 |
- |
- |
- |
$1,100-$1,300 |
95 |
|
| Spring 2010 | - |
$910 |
- |
- |
- |
| Fall 2010 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Spring 2011 | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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What you should look for
The Inspiration for the Design
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Varieties to look for
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The Making of the Stamp
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The 1875 Reprint
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On the original 5 cent above you see the left edge of the shirt frill (the white cravat) curls in just before the frame. On the reprint to the left it does not. Also it is positioned slightly higher on the reprint. |
Large Multiples
The largest reported multiples of the 5ยข are :
Block of 10 of #1
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