Need Assistance Identifying Please -

Purchased two 'box lots' the other day and found this little item, (along with many other "treasures.") Can you help me identify please? The glassine that it was in referred to it as a 55L2, but see no category with that type of reference in my specialized catalog.
Thank you very much!

If you have a Scott Specialized Catalog, look in the section titled "Local Stamps" where the 55L2 is listed as an 1844 Cummings' City Post on Glazed Surface Paper with a catalog value of $650 (2011 Catalog). However, that figure is italicized, suggesting that examples are quite scarce and would probably need to be expertised.

As I am not an expert on these issues, I have no idea if you have an authentic example or if generally worthless fakes are known to exist.

Thanks wt1, the glassine it is in indicated Cat. value as $650 but marked also with a $50. It has been hinged but otherwise in decent condition other than the left corner missing.
'Keeping my fingers crossed' :-)
Patty

PS - excited - finally got to my 50th post!

267 Cummings City Post, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Rose Glazed (55L1).> Enormous margins all around -- possibly a left sheet-margin position -- manuscript cancel, faint trace of red cancel at bottom right, minor abraded spot in top margin, otherwiseCummings' City Post, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Rose Glazed (55L1). Enormous margins all around -- possibly a left sheet-margin position -- manuscript "#" cancel, faint trace of red cancel at bottom right, minor abraded spot in top margin, otherwise Extremely Fine, the paper used for this stamp and the Post Office City Despatch 40L3 issued by Cummings & Wright are identical, the distinctive Cummings stamps picturing Cupid (55L4-55L5) and a letter sealed by a heart (55L1-55L3) tie the post's activities to the Valentine season, all are very scarce, but the Rose 55L1 is the rarest of the Cummings "Letter & Heart" series -- Caspary had only one, and Middendorf the same -- ex Hall, with 2001 P.F. certificate not noting faults and showing stamp on cover on which it did not originate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com
1,000.00

SOLD for $1,400.00
Will close during Public Auction

Thanks Rhino Dino! Found one not on cover at the seigel site - all others were on cover. Now to keep my fingers crossed it isn't a forgery / fake. Not bad for a $20 investment...

I know nothing about this stamp, but comparing yours with the one posted by Rhino Dog, I see far too many differences between the two.

Starting with the letters and numbers that look nothing alike - from thickness, to level of completeness, to position on the stamp, your stamp is very different.

That leaves us with two conclusions:

1) yours is a reprint or forgery
2) these are two different stamps

I vote for the former ...

Brian

There are numerous forgeries of many of the local issues. I suspect that this may be a forgery due to the differences in the "ST" of "POST" and the "CENT'S".
Below is a side by side comparison of your stamp and a genuine 55L2



EDIT: Edited for por spellun

Even the size and the outer boarder is way different. I say forgery. I will say that I wonder if if this could have been a case where the every die on the plate was done individually then that may help as it is during that time period. but that's big maybe and even if that's the case unless there was another one to compare it to that was the genuine article you can't say for sure?

I don't own the genuine article, but I have a forgery and it looks exactly like yours.

Thanks for all the input - just got excited since it was in a wrapped glassine with Cat. Value as $650.
Found one off paper at the Seigel website - guess I will continue searching. While these are not my main collectibles - it was fun hoping.

Don't be too disappointed, forgeries can have value too.

Art

Thanks Art!