Jefferson Memorial Stamp Missing Top Perforation Holes?help!

hi to all my friends especially david and notrare,i need your help again.this time is us postage jefferson memorial 10c stamp.i know this is a very common stamp and it is everywhere in the world but the thing is I can see no perforation holes on top of the stamp and also there are 14 perforation holes on both vertical sides of the stamp(normally are 11/12/13 holes on the vertical sides)i went to check on ebay for more than 30 pieces of this similar stamp and counted the holes just a moment ago,their holes are within 11-13.my thought is it should had perforation holes on top of it,probably forgot to punch holes.i have never seen anything like this before on any us stamp but its common to some australia stamps.i do have a few questions below:

1.is this normal and common for this stamp?
2.is it mising for the top perforation holes?
3.why they are 14 perforation holes on both vertical sides?
4.have you ever seen any us stamp without top perforation holes?

please answer all my questions above.thank you and have a nice day.

Hello Miko......


This is a common booklet stamp.


There is something you need to know. Perf holes and the spaces between them (teeth) are measured with a perf gauge.....not counted. It is the size of the hole and the tooth that matters....not how many. There are several types of gauges on the market and can be found on ebay.

Miko - to add to what Notrare said, it most cases there is little need to measure the perfs on a stamp because the stamp was produced with only one perf size. In those cases where that is not true, however, the difference can be quite important - rare vs not rare, and say $1000 instead of $.20.

Every collector should have at least two tools - a perf guage and a good set of tongs. Collectors of certain countries should also have a color chart of some sort since slight color variations can also make a big difference in rarity/price.

Miko

These guys are the experts but I will add one little thing. When stamps such as tis are sold you will very often here the stamp described as having a "straight edge"

Rick - I don't call myself an expert, especially compared to some of the guys and gals on this forum. We all have a lot to learn and this is a good place to do it.

I might add that I've seen one and two straight edges on stamps in the past.

ok notrare.beside the holes and spaces,the stamp is slightly longer in height by 1mm if compared with a normal stamp and I have tried that.how would you explain it?

Greg

I agree ! there is so much to learn here.

Hello Miko.......

Production freaks are very common. Things just don't always line up the way they are supposed to. Over-sized or undersized stamps can be caused by the perfing machinery being out of alignment or the paper can be shifted out of place. After being perfed sheets are cut to pane size, this can also cause size differences.







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Color differences can be caused by the use of separate batches of ink or in some cases if ink barrels sit too long the ink can begin to separate into layers. (like oil & water)




When colors are applied in separate layers, misalignment causes multiple & blurred images.


Changelings are a different type of item, this happens after production. Chemicals of many types can affect colors. This blue stamp has had the red removed.



For all of stamp collecting freaks have been treated generally as trash and were things to be avoided.....items used as give aways for children. It is only fairly recently that some people have actually started paying for such things.

It is important to understand that while these oddities are curious and interesting, they have no real added value, in all but a few cases. The US C6 "grounded" Bi-plane is one that some people are willing to pay for, price or value is determined by competition for the item, not because it's worth more.

For most stamps over-sized stamps.........equally over-sized margins can have an added value, one or two large margins is just a poorly centered stamp and is worth less than an average stamp with normal but even margins.