UFOairmail: I posted this on your Kenya-Tanganyika thread, but perhaps you didn't see it. I don't think you posted again on there after my post. It's just my two cents, but maybe would help give you a rudder for these waters. I'll repost it here:
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UFOAirmail: If you have any volume of the Scott catalogue handy (and something on another thread of yours caused me to think you did), there's an introduction at the beginning that helps explain much of this: perforations, overprints, conditioning, centering, etc. This would help give you more of a foundation of the basics and perhaps help you feel less frenzied.
If you don't have a Scott catalogue within reach, since you are in the US, there's a good shot that your local library has a set in the reference area. (Pick the main location or a large branch.) If they update them fairly often, there'll likely be an older set available to check out. The introduction is the same in all the volumes, although some of the examples they use to show centering vary, using countries from within that volume, I think.
There is a learning curve to stamps, and that would help give you something of a framework.
Also, depending on where you live, there may well be a stamp club in your area, and it's likely they'd be happy to take a look at what you've got, and try to help point out anything worth a greater monetary value.
However, this board does have a lot of international specialists, who are likely to be able to spot something, too, and, fortunately, most of them like to answer questions. But consider looking through that Scott introduction.
There may also be some introductory materials on the web (probably not as detailed as the Scott intro) that someone else might be able to link to. Here's a start:
http://www.linns.com/Hover over the "how to" text, and then select from the drop-down menu "Using Perforation Gauge".
On that same drop-down menu, there's also a series called "Refresher Course". Here's a link to all the articles in the series (it's ongoing). Perhaps some of the participants here can glance through some of them and make recommendations about which articles you might find particularly helpful.
http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/rc.aspxHere's one on "Three Basic Stamp Tools", that might be useful:
http://www.linns.com/howto/refreshe...rcourse.aspxGood luck, and, most important, find a way to enjoy this. I think this is one of those times where it's just as important, if not more important, to enjoy the journey, rather than just focus on the destination.
-- Dave
Posted 09/01/2012 8:29 pm
