General Stamp Identification Process

Hi all,

I have a couple questions about pre-1900 US stamp identification.

1. I've noticed in the Scott USA Catalog the Scott number listings are usually adjacent or near their related A figures. But there seems to be a number of A figures that apply to stamps pages away from the figures. Is there a cross-reference of A Figure numbers to Scott Numbers anywhere?

2. Being a systems engineer, I like to do things with some sort of regular, repeatable procedure to avoid mistakes. With so many early US stamps being different from each other by some (to me) very subtle attributes, I would like to know: does anyone have a process or checklist of examinations and tests they do with these stamps to differentiate them from each other? Or is it pretty much a random process?

I have a bunch of these pre-1900 stamps that I would love to be able to sort and identify correctly and would appreciate any advice or suggestions.

iowaplayer

Hi

If you have a Scott Specialized catalog look in the front at the identifier. It is pretty close to what you are asking.

To the general question of


I would tend to say no. It is not hard to create such a reference but it is time consuming. I created such a reference for my Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela years ago so the "annual update" project is not a major undertaking. I created a WORD VBA program to aid.

If you are a systems engineer, assuming the software variety, it would be a snap to write something in VB.NET and/or C# with or without MySql. I would think using SQL for this may be overkill.

Jerry B

For the ones you state that cover several pages it is because there were different printings of the same design. A good example would be the Washington/ Franklin series which ran for 20+ years and have many different perforation measurements and different watermarks, then the different types. The catalogs go by year of issue so really no cross reference chart but there are websites to help with these issues.

Start from the top and try understand the business problem, technology changes and related production issues. Difficulties classifying the large bank note series from 1870 to 1890 was compounded the decision by Scott Publishing to assign catalog numbers to stamps based on the contract instead of their characteristics. In that time wood pulp paper began to replace rag paper causing the transition from hard to soft paper. The transition actually occurred during the Continental Bank Note Company contract period.

Washington/Franklin issues can be best understood by looking at the business problem. Postal demand was exploding, stamp quality was a major problem and the development of affixing machines led to the use of private and Bureau coils. High rag content bluish paper was a failed experiment to reduce paper shrinkage. The change from double line to single line watermarks and the later to none was related to making the stamp paper stronger. The change from perf 12 to perf 8½ coils was a direct result of a change from hand assembled coils pasted up strips of 20 to use of the coiling machines intended for the Stickney rotary press, still under development. Sheet stamps changed from perf 12 to perf 10 to make sheets of stamps more robust. Later, flat plate sheet stamps were changed to perf 11 to make stamps easier to separate.

The Stickney rotary press was a game changer. It allowed volume coil and sheet stamp production to replace more labor intensive flat plate printing methods. The transition away from flat plate printing was not fully complete until into the 1950s when some flat plate stamps were dry printed. The replacement Cottrell rotary presses used dry instead of wet printing. Liberty series dry printed large and small hole coils exist because the perforators and coiling equipment was not ready when the presses were.

For 19th century stamps, the multi-volume Lester Brookman set of books is essential. For early 20th century, the Max Johl books are still the basic reference. More detailed articles are available on the United States Stamp Society and the United States Philatelic Classic Society web sites from back issues of their journals.

Attempting to memorize the changes using some check list without understanding the business problem would be like developing a project without a clear, simple description of the objectives. Also, the Scott Catalogs are a summary of research or beliefs without much explanation. Probably the most confusing part of the catalog color names is the use of "measurements" to help differentiate stamps. In many cases, direct observation or comparison to another stamp will yield better results.

Finally, I recommend the web site www.1847usa.com for stamp die identification, especially in the Washington/Franklin series. Generally, additional die types exist where printing problems occurred like after the transition from flat plate to rotary press. Offset stamps were introduced at a time of stress related to die supply issues during and immediately after World War I. There are many other changes in stamp production documented by Brookman, Johl and others. Some familiarity with stamp production will go a long way towards having a coherent understanding of United States stamps and varieties.

Clark

Okay, my comments will be specific to what you are asking about.




Yes. In the Scott US Specialized catalog (not sure that is what you meant by "the Scott USA catalog"), there is an "Identifier of Definitive Issues" that lists catalog entries by image reference number. These entries specifically cross reference to the major catalog numbers associated with that image number. When in doubt about an item you are not seeing referenced in the cat, go to the identifier to see if you skipped something.




Nothing random about it for me. For 19th century it is good to know from memory the face different issues and when they were in use: by year of introduction - 1847, 51, 61, 69, 70, 81, 83, 90, 93 (Columbians), 94/95, 98. Only two sets of commemorative stamps were produced in the 19th century, all the rest are definitives (and therefore appear in the aforementioned "Identifier."

After identifying the general issue then look for technical features in this order:
perforations,
grill embossing,
paper variation,
watermarking
(these all get slotted into the chronology of the visuals). I have listed them in chronological order of first introduction as issued stamps, but as you get to know the chronology of each issue then you will know how to "jump" to the techno points.

This broad outline will help you navigate the catalog more efficiently. But sooner or later you will need to know the issues according to the companies that created them and the kinds of innovation and experimentation they introduced. That is way, way down the road.

thanks all for the great responses!

that 1847usa.com site is awesome and gave me exactly the process I was looking for!

special thanks to cfrphoto and essayk. getting the backstory on these stamps is really helpful.

the depth of information available on this forum is simply breathtaking!

iowaplayer