Sometimes A Broken Crumbly Faulty Stamp Can Be Gorgeous

The grading purists will shudder at this one, but in my eyes she's a beauty.

No-question genuine R84a's are not exactly a dime a dozen. With a catalog value of $8,000, an attractive one is going to set you back several grand. Even fairly faulty ones will hit you for $1,500-2,500.

So when I stumbled across the one below at the APS stamp store a few years ago for $300, I had to buy it. Yes it has it's share of problems, but (1) it's unquestionably genuine, and (2) I've never seen another example with a red handstamped cancel. It dovetails perfectly with my collecting focus.

One person's ugly duckling is another person's swan...

wow, I love it. It says "I've been there and done that"! Nice stamp indeed.

I have some really tatty monsters in my collection,
but we do not judge at our place,
they are all welcome.
Some have had knocks along life's highway,
but, like you, we love 'em all.

something as rare as that is just great to have enough even a filler. and that is better that a lot of my fillers. - jeff

Great looking stamp! To me it's better to have that example than a characterless "perfect" stamp!
I collected early Italian bank notes for a while and I actively seeked out the rough ones because they had a life to them
Regards
Gavin
New Zealand

I would have jumped on that in a heartbeat! I think I have seen a total of a dozen of these in over 30 years! In my oppinion they are scarcer than both "Rug's". (I have owned both rugs. But, still no R84a)

I think it is beautiful!
I wish our modern stamps would follow with the "old time" styles.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder - great looking stamp regardless of the imperfections (which I think add to its visual impact)

If I were the "beholder" I would most certainly be smitten! Gorgeous revenue!

Absolutely beautiful cancel... well done on that buy.

Cheers
Ram

rev... I'll gladly stake from you for permanent display in my collection.

That is what I call "character"...
Sometimes I collect coins or stamps just because they have character.