Possibly A Rough 103?

Is this a 103? I have measured the best I could and the perfs that are there seem to measure perf 12 and no grill but I'm not sure what paper type this is. I love these Jackson's design. Stamp is in rough shape unfortunately. Thanks for your help!

It would have to be a die 3 without a grill. This stamp, to the extent the image allows me to see it looks like a die 1 making it a badly damaged Scott 73. Sorry.

The 2 cent Black Jack die varieties are described in the Brookman book series or possibly articles on the United States Philatelic Classics Society web site. Joining would be a good investment. USPCS now owns the rights to the Brookman books.

Clark

Welcome back to the list, maverickx.

If you seriously think this is an 1875 reissue, then why not submit it for a certificate? The PF has a reduced rate now for high cat stamps that are less than pristine.

An online list is not well set up to help you decide that. (As I am sure you already know.)

Thank you gentleman for the help. I really didn't think it was but wanted to throw it up here just to get some opinions.

Essayk- Would you recommend sending it? Is it worth it? What is PF and how much exactly would it cost? Thanks for the welcome back. I have been pretty busy lately so haven't been on much.

Thanks again,

......and Bill Weiss has a $5.00 ID service, either online or by mail where you can find out if it's a 103 (it's not!) quickly and cheaply. Or you can spend $30./50. the other way......

Hoping to land a big one, are you? Whether or not it's worth getting a cert depends entirely on you. My personal inclinations have no bearing on it, since I don't know what you know. The PF is the Philatelic Foundation. You can Google that and once on their site you can get the most up to date quotation for a stamp like this. I could not give an EXACT estimate of the cost, but the more you think it is worth the higher the cost of a PF cert.

If you are having doubts, you might send it to the William Weiss service for a faster opinion.

Thank you Bill and essayk. I appreciate your info and expertise. I don't think any of us would mind "landing the big one" lol. Always nice to think about it. I am not sending this one anywhere. Thanks again!

Sure thing. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention; irrespective of how I felt about the stamp, I would not attempt to sell it as the higher priced version without a cert. I know you have some experience with that, but I thought it worth mentioning.

Thanks for paying attention to my previous post. There would have to be some dots in the upper scroll just to the right of the left 2 to be a die 2 and also a "star on the left cheek (on the right side as viewed)" to be die 3. I don't see much point in the discussion since the stamp does not seem to have any of the characteristics of die 2 or die 3 required before it could even be considered to be a special printing. Also, because almost all of them are accounted for, it seems very unlikely that one would have lurked in the wild to be suddenly discovered now.

The Scott catalog should be a lot more clear than it is about the likelihood of finding a previously undiscovered special printing. Except for some 1875 reissues found to be surplus and use for postage around 1880, special printings stamps were not randomly purchased and then pasted on letters for mailing.

Clark

Good points Clark. But I found several 2c 1863 reissues over the years ID as normal #73. Also the 5c and 1c reissues. There are still some of these rare things lurking around. You are right - not many, but they are there. Gotta run, I am reviewing your Summer Seminar power point presentations!

Thanks again everyone. Very informative!
Esayac- Thanks for the input. I would never sell or advertise a stamp falsely. I do not do business that way. I try to live by the Golden Rule. Thanks!

Your a rare breed maverickx..Don't change...

Thanks Wert! I was lucky enough to have been raised that way. Will never change.

Absolutely. However you should also know by now that it is human nature to want to believe, as the firt choice among several possibilities, that what we own is likely the rarest or most expensive variety that exists, not the most common!

I'm going to stick my neck out very far in this reply, so please tell me if I am being inappropriate. maverickx doesn't appear to ever intend to upset anyone. However, many seem to find it offensive when he asks questions that are normal for a novice collector.

I want to know why he garners such negative attitudes. Is it because he might not thoroughly understand jargon laden and technical replies presented to him? Is it because he doesn't fully comprehend your replies such as you would expect from a very experienced and educated collector? Maybe he does understand what you are conveying AND implying but reserves himself from engaging with petty attitudes.

What makes it appropriate to treat anyone in this manner?

Maybe he is is fully cognizant of your replies but there has been a misunderstanding in communication?

I just don't understand why he is held to a standard that makes him subject to such criticism. Let alone the deceptive treatment that I see occurring here.

maverickx, I applaud your effort to learn. I applaud your adherence to what you feel is morally correct. I applaud your resistance to being affected by the negative attitudes presented to you.

Some seem to criticize him for what I see as innocent objective questions.

He is very respectful and thankful for the replies that he receives.

I applaud him for not becoming upset at the negative attitudes presented here. He took all of your dirt and replied with thankfulness.

Are we a forum of objective help or are we a forum of subjective attitudes?

The Internet is fraught with misunderstanding due to many things including a difference of perspective. Someone's words on an Internet forum do not necessarily present a comprehensive understanding of their intentions.

Maybe we should reserve our judgment and especially do so when the person in question is presenting themselves as trying to be respectful.

Please tell me if I am perceiving the negative attitudes that I see here incorrectly. Please tell me how anyone ever deserves such treatment unless they are intentionally trying to upset others.

I am upset at how maverickx is being treated on this thread. Please tell me if my perception is incorrect. If so, please explain to me how your behavior is justified.

HDNAC, I applaud your sentiments. As an outside observer of this thread, I'm not seeing the things you describe. I can't speak for those that posted here, but I don't see any mean spirited intent.