Expertization?

A friend has been offered a great-looking 19th century US used stamp that he would like to get an opinion on - both to confirm the number and to look for hidden damage/repairs (just for kicks, he'd like to get a $ number too, but the other matters are the main concern).

I have seen various types of certificates proudly flaunted by sellers on ebay auctions, but I have also read that there are some opinions that are basically worthless?

Can anyone recommend? The asking price is almost $2k, so the cost of a careful expert is preferable to making an error.

Time is also a bit of an issue -- neither he nor the seller wants to wait for weeks for an answer.

Thanks.

From what I've read the greene foundation is one if not the most recognized and industry accepted. However I believe (may be wrong) the time frame is not a quick one. Is your friend looking for opinions as to it being a worthwhile purchase or needs the certification for authenticity. Reason I ask is that there are members here that can and will freely give some of the best view points and opinions with a quality scan. Granted spending $2000 is not something to take lightly so I agree if there is doubt the cert is needed. If it is to be sure of value and authenticity for his/her own collection there are other quick options at reasonable cost that would put ones mind at ease but may not be the best for reselling if that is the plan. Give us more details and if you can pics and I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction.

You could get a Weiss Cert.
He is accepted by all major US Auction Houses.

http://www.stampexpertizing.com/

I don't have a pic - it's a used Scott 2, four margins, cute cancel, is all I know. I don't think re-sale is the issue so much as being sure there isn't some hidden damage that would render the asking price ludicrous.

I've seen Weiss mentioned a lot on ebay and he is one of the ones I thought of recommending, but I don't know anything about him beyond the ebay quotes, so learning that his opinion is widely accepted is useful. I see from his website that the cost isn't sky-high and the turn-around very quick, so that may be where we'll start. Thanks.

If it were me and I was going to spend 2K on a stamp it'd better have all the documentation with it already or I'd be suspicious right out of the gate. Please try to post a picture of it.

I prefer Philatelic Foundation Certificates as I have mentioned in other posts. $2K is a lot of money for a used #2 unless it is truly superb in condition with hugh margins. Check prices realized with reputable auction houses like Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Cherrystone, Spink Shreves Galleries, etc.

Something that expensive almost certainly should have a cert or allow you to have it certified and returned if no genuine! NO other way to purchase something like that, and anyone reputable will not mind the certification clause! - jeff

$2,000 - No Way! - Your friend should be able to find a great copy used for a lot less with a cert. See Siegel auction catalog from June.

http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynam...sale_no=1011

If your spending that much for a single stamp you should be buy though auction or an agent at auction. Other wise you will get ripped off and take huge loss when selling.

$2K is far to much for a #2 used even in superb shape in my opinion anyway. Even tied on a nice cover would be alot. I'd be very cautious and for that money it should already be certified.

I hope your #2 is coloured black, not light blue!

Thank you all for the insights -- I have passed them along. The seller (who is not a dealer, just someone going through old boxes etc) is going to get the cert. and then they'll take it from there. Bob says it is truly lovely and has great margins ... but I still haven't seen it. He didn't say how close to $2k either ... maybe it's only $1600!

I wish I understood the joke about the light blue ... is that a 1990s reprint or something?

I meant light orange sorry: https://goscf.com/t/16801

Just wanted to tell you the outcome on this. On expertization, the #2 turned out to be genuine etc but to have some thinning on one side. The seller offered a very much-reduced price, but my friend decided to hold out for a nearer-perfect copy (or an orange one). Thanks for all your insights.

Expertization is a good question. I have a pretty decent US #1 on cover that I want to have "expertized". Do you have any recommended sources? Are you aware of any to stay away from?

Greene Foundation, Weiss (linked by Revstampman), APS, Philatelic Foundation are best for US stamps (Greene is based in Canada).

I would recommend Bill Weiss, I have used both APS and Bill, and Bill is fast, inexpensive and well regarded.
As a matter of fact he just expertized a US#2 for me. (I FINALLY got one to match the #1) it is a lovely 4 margin example with a very nice cancel, I got a HUGE deal on the stamp from TheSeal619 (who posts on this site. One helluva bargain actually, thank you Ron) So, Bill is the expertizer of choice for me. You can look back at some of the posts in this category and see some recent stamps I posted along with their certs.