Grade Centering, Entire Block Or Each Stamp

This block has pretty decent margins all around. The individual stamps do not. Certainly the right two stamps are much worse if taken on their own.

I know the block is centered low. Just using this as an example.

Is the block graded for centering or each individual stamp graded?

I don't know of anyone doing block grading, only singles.

For actual grading (as it stamp exertising and grading) it is general not done for blocks.

For general evaluation as to centering, I would call the block Fine centered. To my eyes it is enhanced by a nice MN box cancel, though some would mark it down in value for having a heavy/large cancel.

I agree; you would grade each stamp individually. That being said, when it comes to buying and selling oddball items, if the item has eye appeal, it might bump up what someone was willing to pay.

Grade, schmade... this is a *nice block* and worthy of mounting proudly...

The lower left stamp is why blocks like this get broken up.

Which is a shame. Nice block, LL stamp is a VF, others Ave-F

Perhaps, more commonly with a mint block... albeit there are a number
of canceled blocks with considerable enough value on a breakup, such
as this Langs block of 477... (which he has priced quite reasonably, surprisingly)...




http://www.ebay.com/itm/19071926911...RK:MEBIDX:IT

The lower left stamp on the 2 cent is only an 85J, which is not enough of a grade to break it up, but breaking up multiples is one of the big reasons I hate grading.

The 50 cent would not get broken up either, at least not by a dealer. All four stamps are off on 2 sides.

Dunno what a dealer might do... prices (do) vary widely for single cancels...

Agree with Billw2 and revcollector - neither would be good candidates to break up - both are better to keep as blocks. The lower left 2c is at best 85j, but not worth breaking out - the block is more attractive intact. The 50c block, if sold, would get more $ intact since none of the singles merit individual extraction.

Struggling with the grading of the Franklin block by the ebay vendor. Particularly hard to call something like the LL stamp, where the design's almost lost beneath the footprint-like postmark, as "very fine".

Thanks folks. I had never thought about whether a block was graded for centering rather than it's singles. So of course, I asked here.

I like the look of this block as is. It shows margins all around, and the skewed rectangle cancels add a neat look. I've labeled it a Scott 526. It's perf 11 and has the toga button of a type IV

"Nice block, LL stamp is a VF, others Ave-F"

Don't the perfs have to be into the design for a stamp to be graded Average? I don't see that here.

Bob

Bob, I agree. I'd say the UL stamp is F-VF, and the LR stamp is F. The UR stamp might have one or two perfs very slightly into the border at the lower left, so I'd call that one Avg+/VG+.

Yeah, this bugs me too. Every time I see a stamp offered for sale with a copy of the cert for the block from which it was broken, it saddens me.

I understand why it's done, and I can't really blame dealers for seeking to maximize the resale value of their inventory - any businessman who wants to succeed knows that he must draw a line between business and sentiment.

But it still bugs me. When a block or sheet is broken, it irrevocably destroys that item. To me, it feels a lot like killing an elephant to harvest its ivory. The person doing it gains in the short term, but in the long term, we're all worse off in the absence of the original animal.