What Is Your Criteria For Getting A Cert?

Understanding that certification adds another cost to the price of a stamp, is there a cut off catalog value, date of issuance, etc where you would automatically be seeking a cert? For US, I personally get certs on any unused 19th century stamp with or without gum and a catalog value of $250 or greater. What is your criteria?

My criteria is for the shades of #1 especially 1c red-orange. I have seen many false 1c red-oranges for sale without certs. I use The Philatelic Foundation for my certs, they are extremely strict and accurate and have a super reference collection. I think the price of some certs are steep, my the 1c cost me $475 for the PF cert. I have recently discovered another 1c but have not got it certified because of the cost. It is important to have certs for selling any of the shade variations of the 1847 issue. I'm not concerned with with the common red-brown shades. I get the following shades certified: 1a's dark brown, grayish brown, blackish brown, 1b's orange browns, 1c's red orange, 1d's brown orange.

Andy: thank you for your comments. Naturally when dealing with a specialized area such as shade variations on the 5 cent 1847's or the 24 cent 1861's and 1863's it makes all the sense in the world to obtain a cert for the scarcer shades? Is your collection restricted to that stamp only and if more generalized what criteria would you use where stamp identification is not the primary question?

Funcitypapa,

Thanks for asking the question. I've purchased several stamps with certificates but I haven't sent any out for expertization as of yet and have been wrestling with the criteria I should use as well as the service provider. I'll be interested in hearing what others who are more generalist in their collecting have to say. I'm also interested in hearing what criteria, if any, others have established for seeking a graded certificate.

Steve

I send out stamps for certs. Usually to Weiss. he is MUCH cheaper.
If I feel the value is over $200.00 (really over 200, not just CV) then I send it in for a cert.

Thanks all for the perspective.

Daryl recommended Bill (Weiss') and I have used his services several times now to verify
my "IF's and ??" for a nominal fee from scanned image prior actually getting the expertising
done. I'll second the recommendation.

Funcitypapa,

I specialize in collecting 1847 issue 1 and 2 but mostly shades of number 1. I still have not got into the double transfers yet. I did collect other stamps when I was younger but I've been obsessed with the 1847 issue, the engraving and design since I was a kid.

Criteria for certs, it's my humble opinion that it's necessary when stamps are prone to forgeries like Confederate States and Hawaii, plate variations with 1-cent 1851 issue, and classic covers for stamps are often attached to covers the didn't originate on.