Identifying US 37c Flag Issues

The varieties of these flag stamps makes them unusually hard to identify. Besides the typical Sheet, Coil and Booklet varieties, there are two styles of denomination, four different year imprints, regular and die cut perforations, multiple perforation sizes, microprint styles and date imprint sizes. All-in-all, a mess.

Here are some tables to help make sense of them. Following that, I describe one possible way to sort through these stamps to identify them more easily. The numbers in parentheses under booklet stamps are the possible number of perforated sides on the stamps.

2002 “First Class”     Sheets Booklets         Coils Notes

Perf 11.25x11             3620

Die Cut 11.25x11    3621                                                    Micro Bottom/Short 2002

Die Cut 11.25                         3623(2,3,4)         Micro Top/Short 2002

Die Cut 10.5x10.75                 3624(2,3)                 Tall 2002

Die Cut 8                                 3625(2,3,4)         Tall 2002

Die Cut 10V                                                         3622        Tall 2002

2002 37c                     Sheets Booklets         Coils Notes

Die Cut 11.25x11     3630                                 Micro Top/Short 2002

Die Cut 11.1                         3634(3)                 Tall 2002

Die Cut 11.3                         3634e(3)                 Tall 2002

Die Cut 11.3                         3635(2,3,4)         Micro Top/Short 2002

Die Cut 10.5x10.75                 3636(2,3)                 Tall 2002

Perf 9.75                                                 3631

Die Cut 8.5                                         3633

Die Cut 9.75                                         3632

2003 37c                     Sheets Booklets         Coils Notes

Perf 11.25             3629F                                 Micro Bottom

Die Cut 11                         3634b(3)

Die Cut 8                                 3637(2,3,4)         Light

Die Cut 8                                 3637 var(2,3,4) Light, Valley Variety

Die Cut 8                                 3637 var(2,3,4) Dark

Perf 8.5                                                 3633A

Die Cut 10.25                                         3632A

Die Cut 10.25                                         3632Ae Valley Variety

2004 37c                     Sheets Booklets         Coils Notes

Die Cut 11.75             3623C

Die Cut 11.25x11                 3636D(2,3)

2005 37c                     Sheets Booklets         Coils Notes

Die Cut 9.5                                         3633B Micro Top

You can identify these stamps any way you like, but here is a sorting order that I think is pretty simple.

Sort by denomination style--Non-denominated “First Class” vs. Denominated 37c

For the “First Class” stamps:

1. Perforated stamp is 3620 (sheet)

2. Die Cut Coil is 3622

3. Die Cut with micro print at bottom of top red stripe is 3621 (sheet)

4. Sort Die Cut Booklet stamps by perforation:

• Perf. 11.25 is 3623

• Perf. 10.5x10.75 is 3624

• Perf. 8 is 3625

Notes: 

• Tall vs. Short 2002 are not needed for identification

• Don’t rely on having die cuts on 4 sides to tell you you have a sheet stamp. Some of the booklet stamps have four sides of perfs. Instead, check your four sided die prints for that microprint on the bottom of the top red stripe. Pull those out as the sheet stamps. All the others are booklet stamps.

Sort the 37c stamps into Perforated vs. Die Cut stamps

For the Perforated 37c stamps:

1. Perforated on 4 sides is 2003 sheet stamp 3629F

2. Sort the Coil stamps by perforation:

• Perf. 9.75 is 3631 (2002)

• Perf. 8.5 is 3633 (2003)

For the Die Cut 37c stamps:

1. Sort the Coil stamps by perforation:

• Perf. 8.5 is 3633 (2002)

• Perf 9.5 is 3633B (2005)

• Perf. 9.75 is 3632 (2002)

• Perf. 10.25 is 3632A or 3632Ae (2003)

• 3632A has peaks at the ends of the top perfs.

• 3632Ae has valleys at the ends of the top perfs.

• Perf. 11.75 is 3623C (2004)

Notes:

• The perfs are enough to sort out the coils, but the dates at the bottom will help you tease out the similar 9.5 and 9.75 perforations.

• Micro printing, square corners, backing paper and date sizes are not needed for identification

2. Sort out stamps with 4 edges perforated:

• Perf. 11.25x11 is 3630 (2002 sheet stamp)

• Perf. 11.3 is 3635 (2002 booklet stamp)

• Perf. 8 is 3637 (2003 booklet stamp)

Notes:

• Remember, some of the booklet stamps have perforations on 4 sides.

• 3630 and 3635 can be hard to tell apart. Use the vertical perforation difference to distinguish these.

• 3637 has two unlisted varieties. The normal stamp has the same shade as all the other flags, but on variety is a noticeably darker shade. Also, the normal stamp has peaks at the ends of the top perfs, but there is also a version with valleys at the ends of the top perf.

• Micro printing and date sizes are not needed for identification

3. Sort out the rest of the 2 and 3 sided booklet stamps:

• Perf. 8 is 3637 (2003)

• Perf. 10.5x10.75 is 3636 (2002)

• Perf. 11 is 3634b (2003)

• Perf. 11.1 is 3634 (2002)

• Perf. 11.25x11 is 3636D (2004)

• Perf. 11.3 is tricky:

• Stamp with Microprint and Short 2002 is 3635 (2002)

• Stamp without Microprint and Tall 2002 is 3634e (2002)

Notes:

• 3637 has the varieties discussed above

• The difference between perf. 11, 11.1, 11.25 and 11.3 can be difficult:

• Perf. 11 will have a 2003 date to confirm

• Perf. 11.25 will have a 2004 date to confirm as well as the perf. 11 sides

• Telling Perf. 11.1 from 11.3 is the hardest. 3635 will have a microprint to confirm, but you will struggle with telling 3634 from 3634e as both have no microprint and a tall date. If you have both in hand, you can compare them to each other for confirmation. Also, the ends of the perforations will be slightly different.