Help With Scott's Catalog Terms

I was able to check out a couple volumns of the Scott's world catalog to start investigating the old world stamps in this book I got and was looking for some assistance. Could someone please explain the abbreviations of litho. and imperf. and perhaps show me the differences?

For instance. I have this stamp from Sardinia. It is listed as an A3 20c blue and described as "lithographed frame in color, colorless embossed vignette". In the Litho column it is listed at $18,000, but the Imperf column it is $140. Of course I hope it's the first one, but I just don't know what the differences are.

Thanks!

Mike

I don't have a Scott's catalogue, so I can't check the information you're referring to, but you need to know that litho is not the opposite of imperf. Your stamp is imperf (= imperforated), meaning that it has no perforations, but litho refers to the printing process, in other words, how the stamp was actually printed. So while your stamp is imperf, I can't tell whether or not it's lithographed. I'll do some research and get back to you if there's a way I can tell from just a scan.

I should add that many of the early Italian stamps, including the Sardinian ones, have been reprinted and even forged. It's possible that quite a bit of research would be required to establish whether your stamp is an original or just a reprint or a fake.

That said, if it's a forgery by a well-known forger like Sperati, it could still be worth something.

Please understand that I am by far no expert on foreign stamps, but I do have an old Scott WW catalog and looked up the stamp you have shown. Just curious as to why you have identified it as an "A3", as it looks to me as if it's an "A4". Further, the "A4" or more correctly identified as Scott #12 which carries with it the comment "Typographed Frame in Color, Colorless Embossed Center, Imperf, Unwatermarked." In addition, there are varieites of the #12 noted as having "light blue" and "sky blue" colored borders which seem more in line with your example than a true "blue" color.

Finally, the ending of the catalog listing has this important quote:

"The 4c, 20c and 40c have been reprinted; the embossing of the reprints is not a sharp as that of the originals, the colors are dull and blurred."

Bottom line is that there are a number of different conditions that must be met in all of this before a correct determination as to a correct catlaog number can be decided upon, which could mean the difference between a valuable or a common stamp.

Mike,

Welcome to Stamp Community Forum!

You have misunderstood the price columns. The heading "Litho." and "Imperf." above Sardinia #1 are NOT the column headings (even though they happen to coincide above the 2 price columns). The left price column is for an unused stamp. The right price column is for used stamps. The "Litho." and "Imperf." headings refer to all the stamps listed in that section. They are section headers, not column headers.

At the beginning of the Scott catalog is a nice description explaining lithography and typography. See the subsection on Printing in the Introduction.

It looks like you are correct and your stamp IS of design type A3. Only A3 has a completely colored frame. If it looks like A4, it's only because the illustrations for early Sardinia in the Scott catalog are terrible. Design A4 has white lettering and white frame lines. Of A3 and A4, only A3 has completely colored frame. Design A2 was printed on colored paper, so it doesn't look like you have design A2.

Based on what I can tell from the scan, it looks like your stamp is Sardinia #8. HOWEVER, like wt1, I am not convinced you have a genuine original. The pic is insufficient for me to make a determination. Reprints/fakes of early Italian States abound. We do have a couple of members here on SCF who are knowledgeable about early Italian States, so perhaps they can tell if genuine or not. But I am unable to tell from you pic.

Hi mmerc20,

Welcome to the group.

In addition to khj's comments about the catalog listings, there is a page "Understanding the Listings" which would be beneficial. You should read the entire "Introduction" at some point. There is a ton of good information.

One thing to note in the Scott catalogs. If a printing type (imperf, typo, litho) or perforation is missing, the missing information is usually that of a previous stamp listing. Just back up until you find the info. However, Scott has been inconsistent in the past so this is not engraved in stone.

Jerry B