Help 1c Franklin #3-4

Obviously this is a pair. Apparently it is too bad when the bottoms are cut too high. luckily there is some showing on the top from the stamp above.

Both stamps Type IV Scott 9. Left stamp recut once on top and once on bottom. Right stamp recut once on top bott is unknown.

Zagnut -- here's a helpful hint...

If you put that http .... jpg link inside a set of [img ] [/img ] tags (without any spaces inside the [ ]s), the image will automagically appear in your post.

KirkS

Thanks. I guess I used the insert "link" button rather than insert "image" button. Thanks for your help!. Looks like none of them are valuable but they are still nice. None appear to be thin creased, or damaged in any way. no hinge or glue and the post marks aren't too large, opaque and cumbersome. Is it worth certifying or grading any of these like they do for coins and sportscards?

They are very nice. Bear in mind the Plate 1 Late (199 of 200 positions were Type IV) ran for a long time and produce a lot of stamps. Its always nice to find the Type I or Type III varieties but they are much rarer. This pair is nicely canceled overall very nice pair.

Oh well, none of them are gonna pay off part of my house but do you feel it is appropriate on this forum or thread to suggest the best way to sell these? Should I get them certified?

I would not worry about a cert for two reasons. First students of this issue will readily note these as Type IV. Second due to the design cut on the right stamp the value is decreased and would probably not recoup the cost of cert. This is not a really high value item that would normally be submitted to large auction houses and many of the low end auction houses do not realize high prices (plus you have to pay a commission).
These can do OK on ebay under certain circumstances. You can search ebay for selling price for similar pairs and see if that price meets your expectations. Bear in mind in stamps it is not a sellers market right now.
Hope this helps.

Well, considering the unlikely way I found these stamps I might like to grade one for my own personal collection of meaningful items. So hypothetically, maybe the most valuable one isn't the one I should grade but the one that would get the highest grade whatever the value. I like the red post mark.

BTW, I am curious if you recognize the postmarks on these 3 stamps?


I believe they are from the exact same place. Obviously the pair is postmarked the same but the single stamp is also postmarked identically if you look closely. they are at the same angle, the same lettering font and size and the same distance between letters. Looks like some APB from N.Y. which means military base or hub during the civil war. Or am I digging too deeply.

They could have easily been posted on the same letter as the mail rate was 3 cents for up to 3000 miles. They all have the Apr 10 date and Remsen, N.Y. (I believe) postmark.

You guys probably see these stamps all the time with little puzzles like this but, for me, this is very cool. Since my grandpa obviously saved these for a reason, these letters could have been his grandpas. Is it possible that the imperfs could have been sent at the same time just lik the perfs. It looks like 3 of the 4 imperfs also have the same exact type of cancelation. And it makes perfect sense if postage was 3 cents that a pair would be relatively common (if not a triple) Anyway, when I shift them around and line up the postmarks, here is what they look like.


OH NO. I think I'm getting attached to these on a personal level now. :o

Watch out, the stamp collecting bug might bite you. Many people find old stamps like this intending to sell and end up collecting instead.

Well I never got an answer from anyone regarding if they were to keep one for looks, which would it be. Or if they had to grade one for profit which one has the best chance of grading high. None of them appear to be thin, creased or torn. Solid stamps all the way around IMO. A couple of the #24's corners look like they got a little mashed but overall I am happy. I did not think it important but in the same bible was my great, great, great grandfathers Civil War dog tag.

So I am starting to think these items were a significant memory or event in his life. The Bible was not as old as these though. The Bible was a 1915 Bible, the year my grandpa was born.

To answer that question the imperf pair (Scott 9) in this post is the highest value. The perforated Scott 24 with carrier cancel is nicest cancel and most unique item (your post for stamp #5). These 2 items are the most collectable.

So you would grade the red cancel #24, or the #9 pair? Do any of them look like they would grade higher than F-80?

I don't believe that any of them would grade high enough to offset the cost of grading. Since all of these are relatively easy to type, I don't think certs would be needed either. Most collectors that are able to type these stamps already have them and most collector that are unable to type them are unwilling to pay the price for certified stamps. In general don't worry about certs on Types II, IV or V unless they are double (triple) transfers, cracked plates or curl varieties.

Sorry to crash this topic, but I saw mention of "curl" in the previous post from Russ. What is a curl? I've seen mention of it in the Scott Specialized, but couldn't find a definition. Here is my 24 below, is the highlighted area a curl?