Valuation For What I Think Is A Single From SC 501B

I'm grading and valuating a US collection I bought. I found this amongst the unmounted stamps:



Unless I am wrong it is a single from 501b. However, I am finding it difficult to find comps to set a value. All but two of the items I found are the entire pane of 6. The two I found were going for $8 and $12.

So two questions:

Is it a single from 501b?

What is a fair price?

Terry

The short answer is zero. Aside from the occasional collector looking to reassemble a used booklet pane, especially First and Second Bureau, there is no market for booklet singles. This is unfortunate because almost all flat plat booklet singles can be identified by size (and the earlier ones by watermark). One major exception is AEF booklet singles. Because booklets of 30 were issued, top row, top corner, bottom row and interior stamps exist that do not match any of the normal side or bottom corner booklet pane singles. AEF singles on cover can be identified and are often expertized. A few off cover examples are known, but they rarely show up in the marketplace. In some cases a normal booklet pane single on cover could be worth having, particularly if it happened to be the earliest documented use or was used for an unusual rate or destination.

Most collectors kick the can down the road, either leaving them in a stock book somewhere or dropping them into a mix or kiloware. It is too bad, because the booklet singles are slightly shorter and wider than normal sheet stamps making them easily identifiable. Later, after the production of flat plate booklet panes ended, the remaining paper was used to print higher denomination Fourth Bureau issue stamps, called the special paper variety. The size difference is enough that some inexperienced collectors confuse booklet singles with rotary coil waste stamps. A few have had perforations added or removed to resemble, not very convincingly, a flat plate coil stamp.

The copy illustrated cannot be a sheet stamp because a corner copy would show the center lines of the sheet. Some booklet pane singles exist showing parts of the center line in a perforated margin, something not possible in 400 subject sheet stamps.

Clark

Clark: Thanks for the explanation. I'm taking this to my stamp club so I'll probably just price at 5-cents.

As a followup, is the lack of cataloging booklet singles a US collecting thing? I know that Unitrade catalogs all Canadian singles.

Terry

edited to add cataloging Q.

Terry,

Failure to catalog booklet pane singles (and straight edges) is related to collector preferences and cataloger prejudices. More modern stamps that were issued only in booklet panes had to be listed because every example has at least one straight edge. I believe the policy is wrong and leaves out many interesting varieties. If special paper is ever listed, the size difference could set a precedent. Some booklet pane singles are difficult to find. While there is no size difference between rotary press booklet pane and sheet stamps, try finding a used perf 10 583a booklet pane single, especially one with jumbo trimmed margins. Also, some very interesting EFOs exist where perforations and booklet printing was out of sync.

Clark

Clark, could you go into more detail about identifying AEF singles both on and off cover?

I don't have images handy right now, but I can describe the test. I use a lay down test to compare the subject stamp (or the "patient") with a standard sheet stamp. If the patient is slightly wider than the standard and possibly a bit shorter, it would have been printed on horizontal grain paper used for booklet production. Also, some examples may also have a wide top margin with no center line visible. Stamps on AEF covers may or may not be booklet pane examples. The attached cover example does show fairly clearly the height difference between the 1¢ 498f (AEF booklet pane single) and the 2¢ 499 top margin sheet stamps.

Clark

Clark, you mention a wide top margin, is it possible for the AEFs to have a wide bottom margin and wide left margins? I've this 499 on postcard with the design measuring 19.25x22.25mm. w/Wide left and bottom margins. I've not seen any examples of an AEF with those margins. Dated 2/21/19 w/U.S. Army cancels. Don't think its an AEF, but not sure it isn't.

I think the answer is yes, but an expert should chime in.

A normal booklet pane stamp may also have a wide left or right imperf margin or a left or right bottom corner with a vertical joint line making it impossible to distinguish and AEF pane singles. The plate layout and position varieties are diagramed in the Scott Specialized catalog. The center line may or may not be captured on the end three stamps farthest from the tab of an AEF booklet pane.

The wide left margin on the postcard should have captured a piece of the vertical center line if it was from an AEF booklet pane. Even with that, it still would not be possible to distinguish from a normal position C, I or D booklet pane. This is difficult to describe without having a diagram of the AEF and normal booklet pane sheet layouts. Scott assigns a letter to each collectible position, making some booklet panes more desirable than others.

Clark

I suspect that this one is a 300 booklet pane single as I can see a portion of the adjoining stamp on the side margin.

The wide margin, capture of a small piece of the next stamp and no center line capture would make it a booklet pane single. The cancel date looks like 1908. The size can be verified by comparing with a 300 sheet stamp. In the comparison image below, the stamp on the left is a 319 booklet pane single, a 319 sheet stamp in the middle and another booklet pane single trimmed to resemble a coil on the right. The size difference should be apparent.

Clark

While Scott doesn't list singles from US booklet panes, check out the listings for Sweden. For instance for #264 the have a minor letter 264a listing for perf on 3 sides.

Thank You Clark ! The size difference is quite apparent.

The interesting cancel on this stamp is from a Northern Michigan short line railroad, Northport & Walton. It was only in operation for a short time. It's on a picture postcard that was sent to my Grandmother from her sister.