Sc. #635 With Unusual Perfs

This stamp appears to be perf 11 1/2 on top. Bottom is 11 as it should be and sides are 10 1/2. Is there a known compound perf like this known for this stamp? Is it something I should look into further?

Its a #635 and you just got the measurement of the top a little wrong, which is easy to do.

That is very possible. Probably even. However I am going thru a pile of a couple of hundred of this 3 cent stamp and the top perfs are different.

ronv, if I might ask which Perf. gauge are you using, and what is the material your gauge is made out of?

Cheers

David (Stampmaster)

It is metal. Aluminum maybe.

ronv,

To show us what you mean by "different" let me suggest this:

Take one of the other stamps you've been working with that has what you consider "normal" top perfs, and line it up on your perf gauge.

Place this stamp on top of that one so that the top perf teeth line up but are not covered.

Flip the whole works onto your scanner, make a scan of this "stack," (one where everything stays in alignment) and post it for us to see.

The "normal" stamp is upside down for contrast. I attempted to line up the perfs on the left. Thanks for all the help. I know this is going to end as a wild goose chase but I gotta make sure this is not my million dollar stamp. LOL.

Even though it looks like it is in a stockpage, the picture of your stamp in the original post does not appear to be "flat", so we can't really make any comparisons. You will notice the top frame line is noticeably bowed. While we can rotate the stamp in the picture, we can't flatten it. You will need to provide a "flat" picture of the stamp.

If the stamp in the pic is indeed already "flat", then I'm wondering why the top frame line is not straight.

Wow. Good eye khj. It is bowed for real. It is flat in the scan. Let me try to figure out how to scan that.

I'm not sure I can show this well. The "white" border below the perfs is the edge of a straight edge.

Your image was a bit small so despite the pixelation I blew it up to do an overlay comparison (not exactly a Srail test, but on that order).



Obviously the target perfs do not line up with the reference perfs you provided. I still don't know how either of these sets lines up with the measurement marks on your gauge, but the target set is not as it should be (as if you didn't already know that). It gauges too small. Not sure why, unless the perfs were altered. It may have been reperfed as a practice piece or to create a false "rarity." I do not know how to account for it as an authentic perf variety, but that is where the burden of proof will lie. Bad until proven good.

Edit - this did not take the "flatness" issue into account. That was being written at the same time.

---- If you are sure the stamp was lying flat for the imaging, then the curve of that frame line suggests there is a distortion in the fabric of the stamp itself, which occurred some time after printing. Uneven paper shrinkage comes to mind. Perhaps from long term drying in a curved position? I'm dubious that it is an artifact of manufacture.

I agree with essayk that it is possibly reperfed for some unknown reason.

Although perhaps less likely, the original image makes it look like the top of the stamp from around the triangles up shrank and warped.

It's not just the top frame line, but also the left frame line. I only mentioned the top to avoid confusion. In fact, if you look at the frame line just to the left of the "U", it looks like the frame line is shifted over -- paper crease? Does anything look odd on the back of the stamp (including any discolorations)?

I see what you mean, khj. A back scan would certainly help.

It would also be helpful to know if the stamp is flat or if it needs some weight on it when it is scanned.

There appears to be a break in the left frame line between the you and N of united. There is also a small scuff on the back of the stamp at that point. It is almost as if the top left quadrant of the stamp is rotated clockwise a bit.