Washington 90c - #39 Cancelled?

Figured I might as well jump in with both feet.

How in the world does one count the perfs on something like this? Was the top trimmed for a reason? How much is the condition going to take off the value or is it even worth more than a place holder? Is this considered a pen cancellation, and if so, is it real? But, what obvious am I missing.

It's a counterfeit! Look at the design vs. the illustration in the catalog. If it were in better condition, it would be collectable as a counterfeit, but maybe $1 as is. Cheers!

A poor counterfeit at that. There are some much better examples out there, much less immediately obvious.

Thank you, very much! First step in a very long journey.

revcollector, Thank you, as well. It looked better to me without the scan - when it was smaller - but even after looking at the scan, I didn't think about it being a fake. The gentleman who built the collection was usually very careful about marking facsimilies and copies and fakes, it didn't cross my mind. I will have to be much more mindful about it, I can tell. Again, thanks to the both of you!

Is this one real?

Its a 90c of 1861 (Sc #72) with some faults including some reperfing.

Hello essayk, Thanks. I really do appreciate knowing that it is real. However, I didn't actually come to the forum just to get stamps appraised and verified as real - not that the perks aren't nice - I did come to learn and, yes, I really am that ignorant. I mean, I know terms like pickups and perfs, but, then again, I had friends that were into stamps and frequently referenced such things but alas they have passed on. No, I don't always know if something is real or not or if it is a 'b' or a 'c' or a red or a carmine or a rose let alone what difference it makes in the value. Like the Sc72 above. It's had 'reperfing'. Okay. Where, 3 sides? Why do folks do that? How can you tell? I see the irregular openings but is that always the case? I'm sure there are hundreds more things about this stamp, but I don't know all the questions - so I put something up and try to learn what I can and what is offered about that item. (No, sorry, I don't read and retain well - a BIG problem - so good folks like you get bothered by people like me.) I understand that time is an issue and inclination, too. I do appreciate the time that is given by those that visit the forum and share their knowledge.

People reperf stamps to increase their appearence and of course, their market value.

As far as posting questions, that how we all learn, and bye the way for someone who "doesn't read and retain well" you do write well, can spell,and even know how to punctuate, which is not always the case on internet forums.
Welcome to the site and keep posting.

littleriverphil - Thank you for your response. I had mentioned about the 3 sides because the top looks more uniform than the rest and was wondering if I was missing something.

Yes, I'm afraid the 'doesn't read or retain well' stems from a combination of being dyslexic and having had a couple of strokes. However, attempting to use correct language skills is all the fault of my great-grandparents, by whom I was raised all those many years ago.

Walkabout, to me the Sc. #72 looks reperforated at the sides. Perhaps one side originally had a straight edge (no perforations because it was located at the edge of a pane--this stamp was printed in two panes of 100 stamps each side by side that were cut apart with scissors). Collectors generally value stamps with straight edges less than those with perforations on all sides, hence the motivation for fakers to reperforate. Once this side was reperforated then the opposite side would have been done as well to try and maintain the appearance of uniform perforations. You can see especially well in the back view that some of the side perf tips are unusually angled compared with the top and bottom, the result of unoriginal perforation holes.

Here's an 'off the wall' though..If people keep reperfing those natural straight edges of the stamp on either side of the seperation gutter, how long before they are scarce in their narural state?

Absolutely. What an irony that would be. Straight edges would become the indicator of non-doctored stamps, so then naturally fakers would start trimming real perfs to simulate natural straight edges!

dudley - Thank you, very much. After the subject was brought up, I noticed the slant of the ones on the sides, but also thought I noticed it at the bottom and not so much at the top, thus my query. Thank you for the explanation.

littleriverphil - Well, once they get done poking holes in all the sides, they can then start removing them - making straight edges again. You know, everybody needs a hobby. >;>

Dudley - even as I was typing (which I'm slow with, as well), but as they say, 'Great minds ...' and all that stuff.