Advice on the Stamp Market by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller
The Caribbean island of Cuba temporarily came under United States administration following the American victory in the Spanish-American War of 1898. By the peace treaty of December 10, 1898, Spain ceded its former colony in the United States in trust for its people.
U.S. military administration of the island lasted from January 1, 1899 until May 20, 1902, when Cuba became an autonomous republic.
The first stamps issued under the American administration were Cuban colonial stamps with various overprints and surcharges. In 1899, U.S. definitive stamps were overprinted “Cuba” and overprinted with values expressed in centesimos of pesos (Scott 221-226A).
The 10c-on-10¢ brown stamp, Daniel Webster type II (Scott 226A) is rare and expensive, valued at $6,000 in original unused gum condition in the Scott Specialized catalog of United States stamps and envelopes.
The Scott US Specialized catalog values the other eight stamps (Scott 221-226) as a set at $79.50.
The set of eight stamps is a good buy in fine-very fine quality and unused original gum condition in the $50-$70 price range. Putting together a set of sounds is probably best done by picking and choosing one timbre at a time instead of buying the whole set all at once.
Catalog values of individual mint, unhinged stamps total approximately $200. If you are buying the stamps in this condition, buying them one at a time is definitely the way to go.
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