Cuba stamps value: date Cuban stamps and read dealer prices

What CUBA on a stamp tells you

Four periods share the same island on the stamps: Spanish colonial issues from 1855, the US-administered issues of 1898 to 1902, the Republic from 1902 to 1958, and the stamps issued after Fidel Castro took control on January 1, 1959.[1][2] The period matters more than the design, because an ordinary 1960s topical and a 1900s Republic stamp sit in different price worlds.

This guide dates a Cuban stamp by era, names the lookalikes to rule out, and sets dated dealer asking prices next to each period. No figure below is a value for your own stamp. Each one is what a single dealer asked on a single day.

The four eras of Cuban stamps

Start by deciding which of these four boxes a stamp belongs in. Portrait, inscription and denomination unit usually settle it within a minute.

• 1855 to 1898, Spanish colonial. The first stamps were issues for the Spanish West Indies, used in both Cuba and Puerto Rico, from April 1855. Cuba had its own stamps from 1873.[1]
• 1898 to 1902, US intervention. Local provisionals, then US stamps overprinted for Cuba, then a US-printed definitive set in 1899.[1][2]
• 1902 to 1958, the Republic. The first issue came out on September 30, 1902. The last Republic stamps were the 2c and 4c Christmas stamps of December 16, 1958.[1]
• From 1959, after the Revolution. The number of stamps grew fast, and topical sets abound.[1]

Spanish colonial stamps, 1855 to 1898

Isabella II is on every regular issue from 1855 until her abdication in 1868. Stamps carried only the word ULTRAMAR, meaning overseas, until CUBA appeared for the first time in 1877.[1] Alfonso XII is on the stamps from 1876 to 1890. After that comes the baby Alfonso XIII of 1891, nicknamed el pelón (the baldie) because of his receding hairline, and a tousled youth in 1898.[1]

Money units are a clue. The 1855 stamps are in reales de plata, and the 1871 allegory stamps use céntimos de peseta, a valuation that lasted until 1881 when centavos de peso were finally set.[1] Dealer listings also show milésimas on 1898 values.[6]

Paper and watermark matter on these. Spanish Antilles stamps vary in paper, colour and watermark, and the Alfonso XII stamps of 1882 come in three types of hairline: short and pointed, square, and rounded.[3] Compare each stamp with a catalogue picture before you decide which type you hold.

1898 to 1902: Puerto Príncipe provisionals and US-administered issues

The Puerto Príncipe provisionals are the first thing to watch for. In December 1898 the local authorities in Puerto Príncipe, now Camagüey, had a local printer surcharge existing Spanish stamps. The surcharged stamps are scarce and forgeries are numerous, so a genuine one needs authentication to carry its full value.[1]

From January 1899 the US ran the postal service and sold US stamps overprinted for Cuba: 1c on a 1c Franklin, 2½c on a 2c Washington, 3c, 5c and 10c, plus a 10c special delivery. Later in 1899 the US printed six Cuban allegory stamps: 1c, 2c, 3c, 5c, 10c and a 10c special delivery stamp with a bicycle messenger.[1]

The first stamp of the Republic, on September 30, 1902, was not a new design. Leftover 3c allegory stamps were overprinted with a large 1, UN CENTAVO, HABILITADO and OCTUBRE 1902.[1] That detail alone separates it from a plain 1899 stamp.

1899 or 1905? Telling the reprinted allegory stamps apart

In 1905 four of the five regular-rate allegory stamps were reprinted for Cuba in the United States, and the printer made small changes so the two printings could be told apart.[1] The differences are tiny, so use a magnifier and a catalogue picture.

• Columbus stamp: the 1899 version has a rectangular lower tab, and the 1905 version has curved sides.[3]
• Royal palms stamp: in 1899 the denomination sits in an oval shield with a floral design. The floral design is absent in 1905.[3]
• Ocean liner stamp: the spikes of the top right trident are of equal height in 1899. In 1905 the middle spike is longer than the others.[3]

Republic stamps, 1902 to 1958: many categories, uneven condition

Judging by Scott catalogue numbers, the Republic issued 380 regular postage stamps, 194 airmail stamps, 27 special delivery stamps, 34 postal tax stamps and 10 postage due stamps.[1] Do not compare across those groups. In the dealer list below, a 1899 special delivery stamp was asked at $114 while a 1899 one-centavo stamp was asked at $9.

Condition is the other reason prices swing. Linn's notes that Scott's Cuba values are for very fine centering, that most early issues before 1950 are almost always poorly centered and sell for less than very fine examples, and that few dealers carry Cuba.[4] It also says classic Cuban stamps often show tropical stains.[4] That is why a clean, well-centered stamp costs more than a stained, off-center one of the same design.

Stamps since 1959: the topical flood

After the Revolution the number of Cuban stamps grew sharply, and topical sets are everywhere.[1] In 1960 alone Cuba issued 55 stamps and 2 souvenir sheets, with offset printing replacing the traditional intaglio of the Republic and many overprints used to meet postal demand. Stamps also became a source of income through sales of colourful sets abroad.[5]

That is why an inherited bag of Cuban stamps is mostly this material. That dealer's listed 1959 and 1960 stamps were asked at $5 to $20 each, most at $13 or less.[7]

One lookalike is worth checking. In spring 1960 a different set of five Rome Olympics stamps appeared on the European market, made by an Italian printer. The Cuban postal ministry called them unauthorized and demanded the stock and plates be handed over for destruction.[5] The authorized Olympic set has four stamps, showing sailing, marksmanship, boxing and running, plus a souvenir sheet.[5] Count what you have before you assume.

What one dealer asked for Cuban stamps

Asking prices in this dealer's lists run from $5 for a used 1960 stamp to $114 for a 1899 special delivery, and a full 1910 specimen set sits far above both at $995. A specimen set is a separate category from ordinary stamps, so do not read it as a price for a normal 1910 stamp.[6][8]

Complete older sets can cost less than you expect. The dealer asked $15 for the 1949 Céspedes set of three, and $125 for the 21-stamp José Martí centenary set of 1953.[8] A packet of 25 different pre-1959 stamps was asked at $24.[9] These are asks from one family-run shop in US dollars, not sales and not a market value.

Unused, used and cancelled to order

For the same 1855 stamp the dealer asked $59 unused and $29 used, so the mint-versus-used question can halve a price.[10] Do not assume the same ratio on later issues. Check each one against a catalogue.

Cuba sold colourful sets abroad as a source of income from 1960, which raises the question of cancelled-to-order copies.[5] We found no source that states which Cuban issues were cancelled to order, so treat a neat, uniform cancel over intact gum as a question to settle, not as proof. Our CTO stamps guide lists the signs.

Two other checks help. Measure perforations with our perforation guide, because catalogue entries can split one design by gauge. And look for a watermark: Spanish Antilles paper may be unwatermarked or carry a Loop or Crossed Lines watermark, so the watermark guide is worth a read.[3]

What to do with an inherited batch of Cuban stamps

Sort by era first. The goal is to stop the older stamps from being buried under hundreds of 1960s topicals.

• Pull out anything with ULTRAMAR, a Spanish king's portrait, or reales and céntimos de peseta. Those are Spanish colonial issues.
• Pull out US stamps overprinted CUBA and anything with the allegory designs of 1899 or 1905. Compare the Columbus, palms and liner details.
• Put Republic stamps from 1902 to 1958 in a separate group, split into postage, airmail, special delivery and postage due.
• Keep a pile for 1959 onward, and count any 1960 Olympic set. Four stamps and a sheet is the authorized set.
• Do not clean, trim or hinge anything while you sort, and write down condition problems like stains or poor centering.

When to ask a specialist

Ask a specialist for any Puerto Príncipe surcharge, any early Spanish colonial stamp you hope is valuable, or a whole inherited collection. Forgeries of the Puerto Príncipe provisionals are numerous.[1]

For a first sense of what a whole collection might be worth, see the stamp collection value guide. The catalog number guide helps you match a stamp to a Scott or Edifil entry, the condition grading guide explains centering and gum, and the foreign stamps guide covers country names. Dated price examples from other countries are in the old stamps price list and the most valuable stamps by country page.

Frequently asked questions