face value

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun The value printed or written on the face, as of a coin or postage stamp.
• noun Apparent significance or value.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun The value expressed on the face, as of a note.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun The amount or value listed on a bill, note, stamp, etc.; the stated value or amount.
• noun idiomatic No more or less than what is stated; a literal or direct meaning or interpretation.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun the value of a security that is set by the company issuing it; unrelated to market value
• noun the apparent worth as opposed to the real worth