Who To Authenticate

Just bought a Scott # 389, with the provision that I will authenticate. If not genuine, seller pays for cost of obtaining said authentication. Who does the board recommend I use? What should it cost? I plan on reselling, so acceptability in the broad market is very important to me.

Send it to Bill Weiss as he charges a flat fee instead of charging based on Value of Piece. He is a very well respected expertizer and does a wonderful job.

Yes, but if you're trying to find him with Google, you'll need to know his name is William ....

http://www.stampexpertizing.com/

KirkS

As an alternative, consider the Philatelic Foundation, which certifies by committee (i.e., multiple expert opinions).

As I understand their pricing mechanism, the cost is 5% of submitted value (i.e., the price you paid for the stamp) plus a fee associated with the type of service you've selected.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have never used PF but have been very happy with Bill Weiss' service, although I sought his opinions without any consideration of reselling the items.

I see Bill Wiess on the Virtual Stamp Club. I just worry as to how accepted his certificates are.

Philatelic Foundation charges a fortune. 5% of CV before other fees. To authenticate this stamp would cost around $600!

You're correct about PF charging 5% of CV. I should have paid more attention to the application form.

Weiss Certificates are accepted by 99.9% of Collectors & Dealers

Weiss is my choice