2936A

Is there a 2936a out there. My scott specialized book has it in their, but I can't seem to find one anywhere. Im begining to think it does'nt exist. Anyone have any info.

There are at least two Great Americans issues with supposed color variations that should probably never have appeared in Scott. This is not just my opinion ... I was actually told this by a professional stamp dealer. One is 2936a (the Lila & DeWitt Wallace light blue). The other is either 2179 (Virginia Apgar red brown) or 2179a (Virginia Apgar orange brown). Note that 2179b is a legitimate variety ... this stamp is consistently different from the others & even appears only with a specific plate number. With the other two varieties, there seems to be no consistent difference, just a fairly wide variety of shades. With the Apgars, you look for two stamps at opposite ends of the supposed color spectrum. But for the Wallaces, I never had much luck. Assuming there is a difference, it must be very subtle ... perhaps too insignificant to merit a separate catalog number.
There was actually a third Great Americans issue that I've seen called into question ... that was formerly 2934a (Cal Farley). There were supposedly two tagging varieties. 2934a was dropped & a footnote added to indicate any difference in tagging appearance was due to the paper type. Personally, I think this was much akin to the 2179 vs 2179a scenario with the difference not being particulary significant nor especially consistent.

Thanks, that sheds a little light. I now have to decide weather to remove the space in my album or keep looking for something that may or may not be there.

JLLebbert said: "I was actually told this by a professional stamp dealer".

So what if the person was a "professional stamp dealer.?" Does he have the expertise to make such a statement? Has anyone contacted Scott editors to see why it was listed? Has anyone done a literature search during that time period to see if anyone wrote about the variations in color and why they would be found.

Glenn Estus

Does anyone know when the Scott 2936a stamp was first listed in the Scott Catalog?

I have an old 2002 Scott Specialized and its not listed there; an old 2011 Scott Specialized does have it listed, so the addition must have occurred sometime between those years.

Are we talking about the 32¢ Lila and DeWitt Wallace purple/blue stamp?

Yes.

I don't know if this is a legitimate comparison, as it came from two different sources, but in checking ebay listings the pane of stamps is offered in what appears to be two different shades, both identified as Scott 2936 (no mention of Scott 2936a). If this is a true color comparison, I can see why the Scott Publishers may have added the variety, as it does appear noticeably different:

I base my comments on 2936a on the following. First, the dealer of whom I speak is a person whose judgment I respect & trust. Second, Scott lists 2936 & 2936a at the same value. If both varieties were so common, one should find both readily available in the marketplace (although minor varieties are frequently ignored by sellers & can be difficult to find). Moreover, I did once see the two varieties offered side by side. I purchased them, hoping that once they were in hand I would see the difference ... to this day I cannot distinguish between the two stamps. I keep them in separate marked envelopes & occasionally look at them. If correctly identified, the color difference is too subtle for my aging eyes. I do not discount this possibility nor the chance that the stamps are both 2936 (or 2936a), but merely offer this as further anecdotal evidence. Finally, while I rely on the Scott US Specialized & think that they do a great job, I do know for a fact that they make rare mistakes. I can't say for certain that this is one of them, although I obviously think that. 2936a seems to either be significantly rarer than Scott indicates ... or the color difference is too slight to easily identify. Just my opinion, of course.
wt1: Thanks for displaying the two panes. I must admit that the color difference does seem considerably different. I would guess that the bottom pane might be 2936a. Guess I might need to eat the above words. I remember searching for a 2936a plate block for a couple of years & never found one. I amassed several plates of the issue & never found any that displayed this color difference. Perhaps I may return to the search.
Again, thanks!

For a slightly different replication of wt1's sheet comparison, I did a search on ebay for "US stamp 2936 plate block" and here are the first two that show up:

Looks like sellers are not distinguishing the shades, but their does seem to be two clearly distinct shades available.

If prices are close or the same, many sellers don't bother to make such distinctions. However, if one is more valuable than the other, more sellers will usually bother to make the distinction.

Please note that, during my search for a 2136a plate block, I actually purchased a few blocks that appeared to be of a different shade of blue. The stamps I received all appeared to be the same shade (or very nearly so). That, of course, does not mean distinct shades do not exist. I've even seen very slightly different shades of blue on this issue, though I remain unconvinced that the difference is as dramatic as it would seem. Nevertheless, based on the photos that have been displayed, I will likely return to the search. Maybe this time I'll be luckier.

Wow! That is some color variety. I saw two panes on ebay this evening with a similar color shade/variety and have I purchased one to see if it is a real color variety or just a scanner and light issue. Blue is notorious for color variation, probably more so than any other color I have seen in my 47 years of collecting.

I decided to keep looking, so I went back to E-Bay to look at the available 2136 stamps for sale. As I was browsing, it occured to me that maybe I am looking at this the wrong way. I was looking for a stamp that was lighter in color from the rest. But maybe I already have the lighter colored stamp and should be looking for a darker colored one. Its a shot in the dark, but I'm going to try. I ordered 2 different stamps. Will let you know the results when I get them.

May be another out there too. Scott 2940 Alice Hamilton.

As I was doing some clean up in stock I turned a page and my eye instantly caught site of this stamp. It just stood out between a half dozen others I had of it. So I sent it in to APS to have expertised. To my dismay I did not insure the return and you guessed it, I never got the stamp back but I eventually got the cert.

I am still hoping that it is one of those pieces of mail that one day will be delivered after being stuck behind/under some sorting machine! Lol!!

As it relates to Scott 2940 (55c Alice Hamilton, MD) I pulled two used copies from my inventory and found a couple of stamps showing (what appears to be) color variances.

Although not referenced as a variety in the Scott Catalog, the left stamp clearly shows not only a darker overall shading and lettering, but the eye on the left side of the stamp seems different as well (probably due to darker ink or overinking):



Some may call this flyspecking but Scott has listed much more subtle variances than this and gave it a minor listing, but not so in this case.

wt1: Scott has added new color varieties to the Great Americans series in recent years. Witness the underinked Margaret Mitchell & Hugo Black stamps. These were given minor catalog numbers within the past 5 years although their existence was known long before that. So who knows ... perhaps a future Alice Hamilton variety is not entirely out of the question.