Washington Franklin Types

Thanks Al, very good information and very helpful. I had read that coils were hand cut, but not how much variance there was. Since you have one that measures 23.5, there might be some wiggle room. Under magnification I see some tiny divots on the bottom of 446, but can't tell if they are trimmed perfs.

I've also read that once you have the experience, you can tell by the look and feel of the edge. Coils were cut with some type of rotary blade, so it would look different than an exacto cut, for example. The top of 446 (above) is very straight and clean, while the bottom is more "feathered". I don't really know what that tells me, if anything.

Ray, I wouldn't assume any W/F coil measuring less that 24.5-25.0mm to necessarily be a good coil. If the one I have was off cover, I don't think it would get certified as good--not even sure it would on the cover. 24.5mm can't necessarily be assumed good. Yes, the real experts in the field can tell the difference in the edge cut from during the manufacture process and cuts done after--not sure that I can. A "feathered" edge may be an indication of a good edge. Not all W/F coils were hand cut--only some of the very early W/F coils. A "divot" pretty much tells you perfs were trimmed off. Regarding the early (perf 12) W/Fs, there are as many or perhaps more fakes in the market than ligit. ones. Even later W/F coils have many fakes out there. I get circuit books from the APS and many of the W/F coils in those circuits are not ligit. coils and those on auction sites can be iffy too. I suppose W/F coils is a bit of a mine field.

Thanks Al, more very helpful information. The Washington Franklins in general are like navigating a mine field! With some research I can tell a type I from a III, but with the coils I'll just have to keep looking at as many examples as I can. For now I'll put these in my backup album with a note that they are likely fake.

Thanks again, I really enjoy the W/Fs. I think they're a great step for an advanced beginner, they really push you to examine stamps more closely.