Scott # 394 & 396 Perf Question

All documentation I've read shows these as a perf 8½ but my Scott multigauge shows it as perf 8¼ , is this normal ? or are these fakes ?

They look good to me....
Both are priced in SCOTT in italics.
NICE!

Perf. measurements listed in Scott and other sources are not an exact per se. The amount you are off could probably be contributed to paper shrinkage as the paper dried during/after the printing/perforation process. Both stamps look OK for the issue.

It is more in the range of around 8.25-8.30 in general. Scott catalogs (North Americans) tend to round to the closest 0.50 perforation in their listings while Europeans tend to round to the nearest 0.25 perforation in their listings.

The 3c looks way too "short" (top-to-bottom distance) to be genuine. The 5c looks a tad short as well, but close enough that maybe OK. Have you watermarked these? If either one has a double line watermark or no watermark, then it's definitely fake. The presence of a single line watermark would confirm genuineness (no single line stock to fake 8 1/2 coils from,) but if for some crazy reason the 3c had a SLW, I'd immediately suspect an alteration (trimmed at top, bottom or both) due to the very "short" appearance.

I dipped them in fluid and didn't immediately see anything but with these issues that's nothing new for me. I'll toss them into the "to be authenticated" pile and see if someone will give me a bulk rate...

stallzer... not surprised... sometimes
it can be difficult to see a SLW when
there's strong cancellations, which
can "hide" the watermark in fluid if
they penetrate the paper too much...

The most unique 396 I've ever personally
seen is this one...

Faking a 394 is difficult at best, and faking a 395 or 396 is even more difficult because no imperforate single line watermark 3,4 and 5 cent stamps were issued. While it is possible to perforate a 483 and add a fake watermark, that scenario is unlikely. The perforations show every evidence of being genuine. If the stamp is examined in good light, it should be possible to see pressure ridges and fibers in the perforation holes.

Clark