1893 $5 Columbian

For some time now The Philatelic Foundation has been cautioning both collectors and dealers to obtain a PF Certificate before purchasing or selling a $5.00 Columbian stamp.

Since they were first issued, many have been mishandled and a large percentage have certified variety of defects, or have been regummed or reperforated.

According to a research article by Robert G. Rose and Larry Lyons on the Foundation's website, only sixteen covers have been certified with $5.00 Columbian stamps.

Shown above is the largest recorded usage of Columbian stamps, $49.34 on a piece of registered package wrapper, mailed from Bangor, Maine, on February 19, 1897. Among the 25 Columbian series stamps are a strip of three of the $5.00 stamp at the bottom and a single $5.00 stamp at the top.

To find out more, click here.