A Perfed 7?

Funny you should mention Bill Weiss, stampvirgin, I paid him $5 to have a look at the auction photo. He came back suggesting it was a 20 or 22, depending on plating. I mentioned the 12.5 perf in the request email, but that was ignored. And I don't blame him at all, a five buck glance from an well-known authority is a five buck glance. His endorsement that the stamp wasn't an obvious fake gave me the confidence to take a chance and buy it.

That said, PF has done all the certs for all the examples of Chicago perfs that I saw in my research, one cent and three cent. They have the experience with the variety, like going to a specialist doctor to get a diagnosis because a generalist might not be familiar with the condition. I very much have a feeling that if I am going to get Siegel -- which is where I will go because it looks like they have sold all the Chicago perfs -- to take me seriously, I will need to have a PF cert.

Send him the stamp with the information from VSC, he saw that stuff so he already knows, having the cert from him is as good as any of the others and it would be a lot less.

I'm going to go with your advice. I swapped email with Bill W and I'll be sending the stamp to him.

I understand the need for the "acknowledged" expertization cert. As a student of this issue, the opinion of Dick Celler is of more value than anything I could get from Bill Weiss of PF. This is not intended to be derogatory toward any individual or organization, but keep that email info because that is from the best expert.

Does Dick do certs?

I don't think so.

Please note that the old Rosback rotary perforators which are still around (one can be seen in the APS building) perforates around perf. 12.5 and it was used to perforate Scott US # 536 so that straight edges might be perforated and other sides reperforated on stamps with it.