This a US Postage Due Stamp # J17 from 1884, with a denomination of 3 cents and a red brown color. It is mint hinged, original gum, meaning it is in excellent condition and has never been used.

The stamp comes with a Philatelic Foundation certificate, ensuring its authenticity and value. This collectible stamp is a piece of postal history from the United States, making it a desirable item for philatelists and stamp collectors.

Postage Due stamps were authorized in 1879 and were unique, since they were the first stamps issued which didn’t prepay for the delivery of mail.  Instead, they denoted the amount of postage due on mail that was insufficiently prepaid.  This amount was paid not by the sender, but rather by the recipient of the letter.