I have left out the extremely rare stamps that are worth a hundred thousand dollars or more. The chance that you have one of these is very rare. What I have put here in this collection is some of the stamps that are worth hundreds or even a thousand dollars or more.. and that you might actually have.
Note though that stamps can vary wildly in their value. If you think you have any of these stamps you should take them to an expert to have them appraised. There are many factors that can affect the value.
And I will add to this guide, expand it for you in the future. But, these are not the only stamps worth money! And even though 99 percent of stamps are worth very little there still are many more than these that are of substantial value.
So don't assume that because you don't have any of these stamps that your collection has no value. It might! Get it assessed!!
Some quick rules of thumb if you are not a collector and know very little about stamps.
1. Is the stamp album neat and well cared for? Are the stamps enclosed in stamp mounts? Mounts are the black backing. It's a nice little envelope like structure with a clear front and a black background. It keeps the stamp safe. These mounts cost money so if they are used it is an indicator of a collector that is conscious of the hobby and how to take care of stamps. It is a loose indicator that the collection might have some value.
2. The value of a stamp changes dramatically depending on whether it was used as postage. If it was never used it is called "mint" and if it was used it is called "used" or "Canceled". The mint version is almost always much more valuable.
(Mint on the left and used/canceled on the right) 
3. How stamps are numbered for easy reference
Stamps are assigned a Scott number. The very first postage stamp issued by the USA in 1847 has the Scott number of 1. Each stamp as it is issued is given a number in numerical order. And right now in 2025 we have just gotten into the six thousands - so there are a lot of stamps. And the lower the Scott number the older the stamp!
Most stamp albums have the Scott number listed. You lift up the stamp and the name/number of the stamp is on the page. This image shows that this stamp is a Scott #684. This will make it easy for you to look up the stamp (online) and get a sense for it's value or maybe what it is selling for on ebay.
And older stamps, in general, are more valuable than newer stamps. This is however just a general rule of thumb.
But, if you have inherited or obtained a stamp album you should look through the first few pages. If there are lots of stamps in these first few pages it could indicate the collection is worth more.
The Stamps To look out for 
This is the Scott #241. It is part of a coveted series of stamps called "The Columbians" This is the one dollar denomination stamp. And printed on it is "Isabella Pledging Her Jewels".
You can find this one and the other Columbians in your stamp album under year 1893. Depending on the quality of this stamp, used, new, very fine etc. You can expect to get anywhere between 100 dollars and 1,000 dollars for this stamp.
Note: There are rarer stamps in this series including a two dollar, three dollar, four dollar, and five dollar. Those are even rarer and worth more!
This is Scott # 292 (Western Cattle in Storm). It is part of a series of nine stamps named "The Trans-Mississippi" stamps. It was issued in 1898 and has a one dollar denomination. It is also generally considered to be the most beautiful stamp every printed. I guess that is up for debate but that's the general consensus among philatelists. You might expect this stamp to be worth 500 and two thousand dollars. Notice the one dollar denomination on it.
This is the Scott #277 stamps. It was issued in 1895 and notice the two dollar denomination.
A limited number of these stamps were issued (Around 31k) and they have a double line watermark on the back. If you don't know what a watermark is I have a tutorial here.
You could possibly expect to get between 300 and 1,000 for this stamp depending on the quality.
This is the Scott 312 James Madison Stamp. This is another James Madison stamp just like the Scott #277 but notice that it has some differences.
It was issued in 1894 and note the denomination is two dollars. It is a moderately rare stamp. Only about 40,000 were printed some were watermarked and some were not. You might expect to get between 100 and 600 for this stamp depending on quality.
This is the first US Postage stamp. It was issued in 1847 and it has a five cent denomination with Benjamin Franklin. You might expect the value of this stamp to be between 100 dollars and four thousand dollars depending on the quality.
An important thing to note about this 5 cent stamp is that there are several subtle variations of this stamp. Have an expert look at it to assess exactly which stamp it is!
This is the second postage stamp. It is a ten cent denomination with George Washington on it. It was issued in 1847. You might expect the value of this stamp to be between a thousand and ten thousand dollars!
The Graf Zeppelin Air Mail stamps - These are airmail stamps that were issued in 1930. Because they are airmail stamps they might not be in an album along with other 1930 stamps. They are most likely in the back of an album where airmail stamps are categorized separately. Used these stamps are worth two or three hundred dollars; and mint uncirculated stamps are worth as much as two thousand dollars.
The Two dollar Franklin stamp - (Scott #547 - issued in 1920)
Used this stamp could be worth two hundred dollars and in mint condition it could be worth around 800 dollars.
The Lincoln 90 Cent stamp - (Scott #122 - issued in 1869)
This stamp is more rare than previous stamps and it is accordingly more valuable. Used it sells for around 700 to 800 dollars. And in mint condition it could sell for anywhere between 2,000 and 5,000 dollars.
 New: The almost overlooked clump of stamps stuck together - worth over $1,000 dollars - Hard work and paying attention to detail sometimes pays off big.
A family member bought a big box of stamps at an estate sale. It was a lot of the usual stuff but....Read the story here
 The most valuable stamp in American Stamp collecting. One sold at auction for over a million dollars. And I have one. Well, not really. I kind of have one. LOL - There are only 100 of these stamps with the airplane accidentally printed upside down. Read more about it here
The picture here shows the actual stamp I own.
The one cent green Franklin stamp (the ornate version).
These two versions are the common versions and not worth very much. Typically between a dollar and five dollars. But.....  
There are two extremely rare versions of this ornate stamp design. They are Scott 316 and 318. They differ in the perforations. The 316 is perforated only on the top and bottom. And the 318 is perforated only on the sides. They are stamps that were made in coils. The number of these stamps that were printed is unknown. But they are very rare and very valuable. The 316 is worth over $100k. and the 318 is valued between 2k and 10k.
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