How Would You Grade Them?

How would you grade these two stamps with respect to each other?





Assume they are on par with one another in the features you are not able to see.

How would you price them with respect to one another?

Assuming both stamps are with sound condition, no flaws, both appear to be in Fine condition (Fine-70) to me. The left stamp has a light undistinguishable cancel, the right stamp has a NYFM cancel. I would price the left stamp at 25% of Scott CV and the right at 30-35% of Scott CV.

Ah, yes, both stamps are apparently sound, but it is a bit ambiguous. The srail test shows all original perfs on right stamp, and possibly reperfed at top on left (could be a software alignment problem)

Cat is $350 so orstampman would peg these at 87.50 and 122.50. Assuming both are sound that seems reasonable.

Well, the seller is calling the left stamp VF and the right stamp XF and so has priced the right stamp at 3 times the price of the left stamp. The right stamp is $250. Seems a bit over the top to me.

Am I missing something? If not, what should I say to the seller?

I don't see it mentioned, so just confirm for me what stamp we're talking about ... is it Scott 166 (rose carmine) of the 1873 issue (CBNCo) or Scott 191 (carmine) of the 1879 issue (ABNCo)?

I don't see anything that you're missing. What to say? "Thank you for your time."
Don

The stamps are both 155.

Let's say that just walking away is not an option, but trying to reason with him is.
What is a reasonable compromise point for you, if you were the potential buyer (for whatever reason you would want to buy it)? $125? Or $175? What's your top?

I know it's hard to put out a number for a stamp that is not of interest, but I'm just trying to get a sense of scale.

The catalog "value" is for a VF and sound stamp. It is not carved in stone, but a reference to guide buyers/sellers to reach a price for a sales transaction.

Both of these stamps are definitely NOT VF-centered or better, by ANY catalog or pricing guide (Scott, PSE, Harris, etc.), so first would be an appeal to the seller that these stamps are actually Fine-centered, NOT VF or XF.

Of course, if the seller is not advertising them to be a guaranteed XF90 or VF80, they can describe them however they want, but most likely won't sell them to anyone (and if they do, it will be a long time before they sell...).

My (sell) price would be as previously posted. My purchase price (as a dealer) would be 1/3 to 1/2 of that.

Both stamps appear to have too much rose to be Scott 155 (my guess is that both are Scott 166,) although this is another example where identity is impossible to determine from a scan, as even a slight color cast from the scanner can throw things off.

Anyway, neither is better than Fine IMO. I'd take the left stamp over the right - larger margins & fresher appearance. I suspect the stamp at right is reperfed (prob at bottom) anyway. Don't like the looks of that one.

IMO, the left stamp is maybe worth $50-$60 (I wouldn't ask more than that if I had it,) although the slightly nibbled perfs (3rd & 4th down from the top on the left) might be bad enough to get called on a cert (borderline, IMO. Need to dip and confirm no further damage than what you can see.) Right stamp I wouldn't want unless very cheap ($30-$40) based on the belief it's reperfed.

In Photoshop I subjected both stamps to the srail test, Ken. which I reported in my second post above. The right stamp is clean, the left stamp may have a problem with the top perfs. As for color, I long ago gave up trying to discriminate fine color differences online. Too many places in the image trail where error can and usually does creep in.

{deleted} If I could get the right stamp for $125 I would settle, but that is a 50% markdown for the seller, and I doubt that will happen any time soon.

It seems that for whatever reason, you really want the stamp on the right. For certain things that are hard to find, I'll pay more rather than hope for another chance. All that really matters is how much it's worth to you.

If an item seems way overpriced, I wouldn't hesitate to offer what I would consider a more realistic price, even if it is 50%. In this instance I wouldn't consider it "lowballing". If the seller is offended or won't budge then move on.

Thanks guys, lots of good advice here. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Seller clearly states he does not take offers. Let us know how it works out.

essayk, Srail test or not (FWIW, I don't think it passes,) it looks like the right stamp is reperforated at bottom to me. Holes too far out of alignment, cut not consistent, spacing erratic, etc. Wouldn't rule out reperf at top as well (the stamp is "very" short.) I'd have "zero" interest at $125 in that stamp. Without the possibility of extension (seller's policy,) I wouldn't touch that with a 10-foot pole.

I'm scheduled to talk with the owner tomorrow a.m. I'll spill all after I see how that goes.

BTW Ken, I checked the perfs again, including a rotation of one image by 90 degrees to compare top bottom and sides. I agree with you now that the bottom perfs are a bit out of true. Everything else lines up fine, but those bottom perfs start getting a tad off right away and stay just a bit off.

To me, gauge looked OK but top/bottom isn't exactly parallel. The bigger issue with me was the "look" of the perfs, not the gauge or "parallel-ness" (I like making up words.) Both top and bottom "look" like reperf candidates to me.

Here's my "Srail test" for you to peruse.



Circles at left, squished ovals at right. Again, while this is a red flag, the bigger flag to me is the "look" of the perfs at bottom (and to a lesser extent, at top.)