What Is This Washington Stamp Worth

How do I tell if my stamp is the rare Washington #

579 stamp or not?

Check the perforations. Do you have a perf gauge?

It looks like it is 11 x 11 perforations. If it has even a tiny trace red ink on the back, it is not rare. If it shows no ink then the dimensions of the printed are must be ever so slightly larger than one with ink on the back. It would also need to certified by an expert to validate it as rare.

no I don't have a gauge. here is what the back looks like. I don't see any red

If we are going to analyze the perforations, we need a white image on a black background, not similar shades of gray. And half an inch bigger than the stamp, in all directions.

Here is a better outline of the perforartions. I am so confused about how to tell.

Here is a better outline of the perforartions. I am so confused about how to tell.

You need a perforation gauge to tell exactly. In your case it looks to be a Perf 11, a very common stamp.

my trial version of EZperf expired but I believe you can download a full working trial version . Google ezperf - and all you have to do is scan at 300x300 dpi with the black background and ezperf will calculate for you. I have a different computer gauge but would need a 600x600dpi scan to check. I recomend downloading the program and any others you have and want to check you have 30 days.

Do you have a ruler with a metric gauge? If so, simply count the number of perforations within a 2 centimeter distance. Do this on both the top and the side.

There about four perforations per 2 centimeters. What does that mean?

If you don't have a perf gauge(it sounds as if you don't) then if you have another stamp like it butt the end of it to the side of the other. The reason is there are stamps in this design that that have different perfs. The one you would want it to be is perf 11 rotary press. Most likely though it is a perf 11 at the top and 10.5 at the sides. I'm sure the top of yours is perf 11. You need to find out what the side perfs are. If the perfs line up exactly then its an 11, if they are off then it's an 10.5. The perf 11 x 10.5 isn't worth much.

It is Rotary press Scott 634 perf 11x10.5. The back clearly shows Type I gum breakers.

Perhaps it means you should think about finding a different ruler.

2 centimeters equals 20 millimeters which is approximately the width of the design for your stamp (19.25mm X 22.5mm).

I agree with Russ. I exploded the picture, marked each top perf on a blank sheet of paper and then compared the markings on the vertical side. The perfs are different, so most likely is 11 x 10 1/2.

Hi russ, I saw the type I gum breaker on the stamp. However the type was used experimentally on some prior stamps including Scott 543. I wasn't sure if it was used on the Scott 554.