Stamp Investment Tip: Guam

Guam, an island in the South Pacific, is a territory of the United States which was ceded by Spain as part of the Treaty of Paris which concluded the Spanish-American War (1898).

I recommend every stamp which was ever issued for Guam, as all were issued in low quantities, and are eagerly sought by U.S. Possessions collectors. There are not very many stamp-issuing entities for which I'd tip every stamp issued, but in the case of Guam, an investor could do very well by forming an entire collection.

The twenty-five basic stamps of Guam comprise two separate issues: the 1899 "GUAM" Overprints on U.S. Stamps (Scott #1-13, E1), and the 1930 Guam Guard Mail Issue (Scott #M1-11). Printing quantities range from 1,000 for Scott #M3 to 105,000 for Scott #2, and are noted in the Scott Specialized U.S. Catalog. The scarcest basic stamps are Scott #9 and #13, but scarce to rare varieties also exist among the Guard Mail issues.

As most of these stamps have overprints, the better ones should be purchased conditional on obtaining expertization. Centering of stamps of the 1899 issue tends to be mediocre, so consider getting a graded certificate from the Professional Stamp Experts (P.S.E.) or Philatelic Foundation for VF-XF or better examples.