Is This Stamp Unique ???

I have a US A159 4 cent Martha Franklin stamp perforated 10.5 x 11

I found a A159 stamp perforated 11 x 10.5 but I can't find one perforated 10.5 x 11 in the Scott Cat or anywhere else for that matter.

It measures the same as the #596 .. 19 3/4 x 22 1/2

Is there a chance this stamp was one of the perf experiments that were taking place at that time ?

I have attached an image please have a look

I look forward to your reply.

Thank you
Andrea

Andrea, I believe that your stamp is actually perforated 11 x 11. It's difficult to tell by the small picture size, but it looks like you could slide the stamp towards 11.0 and it would match better.





P.S. It appears that you have copied your question from an email to this post. That would explain the small picture size and all of the extra stuff. To edit your post, look to the right of your username and above your words "stamp perforated." That paper and pencil icon will allow you to edit.

You may want to change your formatting. (Something wrong with lots of extra lines. Just edit and delete all of them.)

There is one special Scott 556 variety that is listed as normally perf 11 all over, but with perf 10 at the Top OR the Bottom. You may want to carefully check your perfs again, as this is quite the unique and valuable stamp. Odds are, though, that it is perf 11 all around. Good luck.

"It's full of starrs"

Terry

The email harvesting bots are going to love this thread.

I apologize for any mistakes I have made in the presentation of this post it is my first and I am doing my best.

The stamp on the left is a perf 11 A159 but you can see that the stamp in question is not a match therefore it is not perf 11

The stamp on the bottom is perf 11 you can see that the stamp in question is a match therefore it is perf 11 on the bottom.

I have one more image to add but had a problem getting it to load. It shows my A159 stamp beside a stamp that is perforated 10.5 and you can see that it is a match. Therefore it is perforated 10.5 on the side ....
I'll try posting it again.

If you could scan the two stamps on a Flat Bed scanner, and scan at 600 dpi, I can run through the digital gage and give you an opinion. Photos tend to skew the image, making it difficult to gage. For instance, it appears that your New York precancel is perf 10 all around, making it a Scott 585. Your stamp in question appears to be a perf 10 1/2 at the bottom, and based on the side-by-side, it is probably a perf 11 x 10 1/2 which makes it a Scott 636.

It is difficult to tell with the skewness, but it appears that your stamp is 10 1/2 at the bottom, which makes it an oddity. Sorry, that I can't be more help unless from a flat-bed scanner, or a clearer picture of side-by-side, but taken directly down (not skewed at an angle).

Thank you for your reply.

I do have another image that shows the bottom of my stamp in question beside a perf 11 stamp. I am having a hard time loading it.

This might sound silly but do you count the perforation at the top of the stamp first ( 11 x ) and then add the bottom perforation ( x 11)
my stamp is 10.5 at the side and 11 at the bottom and top.

Thank you !

I tried scanning the stamps but the quality of the image was poor I guess I need to buy a better scanner.

With stamps with compound perforations like the 11 x 10.5 you mentioned are measured clockwise, that is you measure the top perfs first then right side, bottom, and then left side.

A simple way to resolve this is to place the stamp in a black approval card and position another perf 11 flat plate stamp next to it. The top and side perforations are likely to be the flat plate perf 11. The bottom perforations may be something else. Once the top and sides are matched, try the bottom and make an image of the result. it is important to start with two perforations on one end perfectly aligned, the left in this case. The perforations on a flat plate stamp gauging perf 11 are .072 inches on center. The rotary perf 11 is .070 inches on center. The perforations of a flat plate and normal rotary press stamp will not align when placed next to each other. (The rare Scott 544, 596 and 613 were perforated with flat plate perforators and will gauge 11-72.)

Comparing perforations with another stamp is almost always more reliable for checking early 20th Century US stamps.

Clark

It appears to me that the stamp in question probably measures 11x10.5 ... with the 11 being the horizontal measurement & 10.5 the vertical. But my eyeballs have been wrong before.

I have three A159 stamps

Two of them are Perf 11 x 10.5 and one of them is perf 10.5 x 11



I bought a Perf gauge and it clearly reads

the stamp on the left is perf 11 at the top and bottom and perf 10.5 at the side

the stamp on the left is pert 10.5 at the top and bottom and perf 11 at the side

What I need to know is which one is 11 x 10.5 and which one is 10.5 x 11

Thanks

They are both about 23 mm high

the New York precancel is 20 mm wide and the other stamp is 19 1/2

I am sorry I meant to say the stamp on the right is 10.5 st the top and bottom and perf 11 at the side

and upon closer examination the stamp on the right is 22 1/2 mm high

It's a Scott #636.