2x Two Cent Jackson & Washington - Partly Imperforate +10c

Hello,

I am new here and posted one other thread. I wgot some old USA stamps and would like to have them identified. Most I could identify but some not. Could someone help me on these two 2 cent Jackson and Washington that are imperforate on one side? Was this normal or unusual?

Thanks!





Edit, here I have one of 10 cent too:





Thanks in advance.

Hi and Welcome!

The majority of stamps were issued in sheets, which have straight margins without perforation on each side of the sheet (top, bottom. left, right). Your stamps are examples of margin copies.

In most cases stamps, margin copy stamps have a lower value than those with perforations on all four sides. Nineteenth century (1800s) stamps with straight edges on two opposing sides (either top and bottom or l & r sides) may have higher than normal value. Stamps with only one imperforate side such as yours are usually less valuable. Also be aware that stamps with two or three contiguous imperforate sides are generally not of any added value. Two contiguous sides is top OR bottom AND one side.

Hello,

Thanks to both of you. I now understand these stamps a little bit better.

Stamps of the 19th century with straight edges on opposing sides are worth far less than single straight edged examples since the second straight edge is the result of damage.

MOST of the stamps of the 19th century were from 200 subject plates having only right and left panes of 100, which were cut apart with a single cut between them. For those stamps, the straight edges that naturally occur are only on the right or left edges, never top or bottom. In the last decade of the 19th century they began to print stamps from plates of 4 panes, and these are capable of having a straight edge on any side. Still only one straight side on any stamp.

The large 2c you have is from a 200 subject plate, the 10c from a 400 subject plate. No problem with the straight edges on those. The small 2c could have been from either a 200 or 400 subject plate, but, given the bottom straight edge, was most probably from a 400 subject plate. That is not completely certain, but the value is so minimal that it does not pay to try to nail it down further unless the stamp shows other marks of significance.

Wow Essayk, I hope no one takes that first sentence serious! Someone may be throwing away a very rare coil stamp thinking it is not worth anything!

Peter

I hope they do take it seriously, Peter, since coil stamps don't start until 1908. That was precisely my point.

Speaking of straight edges, it appears someone (way back) was scissor-happy...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/41-1866-Sco...em540ab70f7d