Those Lines Through The Denominations...

Would some of you modern collectors help me out? I've noticed stamps with diagonal lines through the denominations of recent stamps and it looks like it was done during printing. Before they are released. If there is a surcharge on the stamp, that I can understand. But if there is just one denomination on the stamp and it has a diagonal line through it (making it appear as though the denomination is crossed out), then I get confused. What is the diagonal line supposed to represent?

This looks like a surcharge. This I understand.



Here's where I get into trouble...






-IBFS

The reason for the line through the denomination is to prevent usage of copied stamps!
Having said that, I have no idea what your first example is. Where did that one come from?

Peter

I think these photos are out of a catalog or advertising. They are scale in size. The lines are so they can't be printed out and used on mail . The bottom ones .

Surcharge are more common on foreign stamps ... with the exception of the semi postal - US breast cancer stamp .

Funny IBFS .

Actually, for once in my life I'm totally serious. Sort of in the words of the immortal Forrest Gump..."I'm like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get". I got those off Google images because I didn't have my own examples to scan. I don't collect stamps after 1988 so I confess significant ignorance about them. Let's concentrate on the puffin stamp. Lets forget about the bottom and top ones. So the line thru the "86" happens after the stamp is used to prevent it from being copied and reused? Or it's there so you can't copy them off the internet and use them?

Sorry I confused you, but I'm still confused...


-IBFS

I am confused also! What is not to understand? The lines are there to make sure one can not ( supposedly } use or copy the images. Simple.
The same goes for the rule that you are not supposed to print pictures of stamps at 100% of the image size.
Now, IBFS, please tell me where you got the first image. The 44 cent stamp image with the 46 underneath the 44? That is NOT the same as the other three, and I have never before seen this!

Peter

The internet source of that first image:

http://www.examiner.com/article/fir...uary-27-2013

The official stand of the USPS as it pertains to the line through the denomination or word "Forever" in the use of its stamp images:

thanks again wt1





I already did Peter. Google Images.


-IBFS

It is confusing then, why they don't do this to all stamps. If you go to Google Images and enter "US Postage Stamps", and they are to scale as they appear, look at all the stamps that could be illegally printed out and used for postage.

There would have to be a fine or jail time for doing that. I wonder what it would be?


-IBFS

I'm writing this without looking up references (which is dangerous) so I may not be 100% accurate, but I believe the issue of posting an image of a US stamp with the slash through the denomination became an issue in recent years, or at least since the copyrighting of US Postage Stamp images. Earlier US stamps that did not have the copyright logo were considered to be in the "public domain". Even though it's accepted practice today, there are numerous examples showing that the slash in the denomination has been applied only sporadically.

IBFS - At my risk ... I will try to answer this for you . I did a google search "US Postage Stamps" some views in the images search are actual scanned stamps . The ones with the line through the rate (or forever) are reproductions of copyrighted USPS stamps . Those reproductions can only be reproduced under the guidelines wt1 posted above. USPS reproduction guidelines.

Chris Cali an artist , he and his father , are artist who create the art ( painting , pencil drawing ) for several US stamps . The 25 anniversary of the moon landing is one of his stamps . The USPS purchases the rights to that specific art when they decide to use a piece of art for a stamps . He does not retain rights to that art turned into stamps.
This is a link to Paul Cali ... Chris Cali's father http://www.askart.com/AskART/C/paul...l_calle.aspx

I heard the penalty for using those stamps is banishment to the limestone caves in Kansas City Mo.. There you sort stamps 12 hours a day with no pay ......... Don't know the penalty . Just don't post with them.

Not at all...this, and what wt1 said, put together, makes sense.

And don't worry...I won't be using forged stamps for postage anytime soon. I hear it's chilly in those caves!


-IBFS

I think that first stamp is just a sendup. Someone playing around in photoshop.

EDIT: I should have clicked on wt1's link before replying!

Yes, the first one is a send up. The second and third are USPS images.