Washington Franklins Worksheet Main Page

Determine the Scott Number of Your Washington Franklin Stamp

Finally getting around to sorting out that pile of Washington Franklins?

You can determine the Scott number of your Washington Franklins by answering a few simple questions. In most cases you will need a perforation gauge to determine the perforation, in many others you will need to dip the stamp in watermark fluid to determine the presence and/or type of watermark, in others some thin foil to determine if the stamp was printed using the Offset Method, and finally you may need to compare your stamp with some examples of the types of the 2¢ and 3¢ Washington stamps to determine the Type. Links to these are listed below. Many helpful images have been included to aid in your identification process.

Please click on the design that matches your Washington Franklin, keep in mind that neither the color nor the denomination are important at this time, consider the design only.


Franklin Head Denomination uses letters	WashingtonHead Denomination uses letters	Washington Head Numeral Denomination	Franklin Head Numeral Denomination	Franklin Head Wider Frame ($2 & $5 only)

We think the easiest course of identification is as follows:

1. Determine which of the five designs the stamp has (see designs above).
2. Determine the denomination of the stamp, which entails simply reading the number on the stamp.
3. Determine the perforation of the stamp in the top or bottom margin, if necessary.*
4. Determine the perforation of the stamp in the left or right margin, if necessary.*
5. Determine the printing process: flat plate, rotary press, or offset using the helpful tips provided.
6. Determine the type of watermark if necessary.
7. Determine the type of the design: 2¢ Types I-III · 2¢ Types IV-VII · 3¢ Types I and II · 3¢ Types III and IV

Most of the Washington Franklin Heads may be identified using only three or four of the above steps.

*For compound perforations, stamps with more than one perforation, the convention is to list the gauge of the horizontal perforations first and the vertical perforations second. For example, Scott 423A, listed as perf 12x10, is perf 12 top and bottom and perf 10 along the sides, while 423D, listed as perf 10x12, is perf 10 top and bottom and perf 12 at the sides.

For a simplified guided tour of the changes the U.S. postage stamp went through during the tenure of the Washington Franklin stamps, see: A Guided Tour of the Washington Franklin Stamps

Helpful Links:

Watermarks on U.S. Postage Stamps

Flat Plate vs. Rotary Press vs. Offset

Types of the 2¢ Flat Plate and Rotary stamps (types I through III)

Types of the 2¢ Offset stamps (types IV through VII)

Types of the 3¢ Flat Plate and Rotary stamps (types I and II)

Types of the 3¢ Offset stamps (types III and IV)

QuickChart Detailing Facts of All One Cent Franklin Heads

QuickChart Detailing Facts of All Two Cents in Letters Washington Heads

QuickChart Detailing Facts of All One Cent Washington Head Washington Franklins

QuickChart Detailing Facts of All Two Cents in Numerals Washington Heads

QuickChart Detailing Facts of All Three Cent Washington Heads

QuickChart Detailing Facts of All Four Cent Washington Heads

QuickChart Detailing Facts of All Five Cent Washington Heads