Scott 219-D Quality Comparison And Evaluation

I would like to know what sets these three stamps apart from one another, besides the fact one is known to have a certificate I intend to eventually begin adding to Gramps' collection. I'd like to learn how to detect when a nice stamp is sitting right under my nose.

I'd appreciate opinions, to further my education on what distinguishes one stamp from another, in quality.

What am I looking for, here? Perfs? Color? Alignment? These three appear to be very close to one another, and yet, they are considered very different. Why? To a novice like myself, they look almost the same.

Are you a writer for "Sesame Street"?

"One of these things/is not like the others..."

Now that you mention it, I guess that is what I'm asking.

Assuming that all three stamps are genuine, I guess it comes down to aesthetics and personal preference. (I suppose professional graders have some sort of "objective" criteria, but that would be for the marketplace.)

I like the center stamp best myself. The cancel is strong and clean and well-placed. The perfs and margins are great and the color looks bold.

The stamp on the left is fine, though it shows its age more. The color is a bit washed out and the perfs seem worn.

I like the contrast found in the last stamp, that on the right, but the perfs look funny to me, especially the top. They look more like a saw tooth than a crisp perf, but what do I know?

There are other qualities involved, of course, but one would have to actually see the stamp up close and perhaps even give it a feel.

it is in general a low value stamp and all look fairly centered, for the used stamps in my book I look for light cancels or a nice date cancel. Out of the 3 pictured all look average for a used 219d. I make sets out of them so I almost always have at least a dozen of them. Too low of value to sell by itself.

"On my monitor"... none of these appear to be 219D Lake - I do not see enough "purple" on any of them. I would say these are all Scott 220 carmines.

• The first stamp has thinning at UR which affects perforations at top and right. Not very desirable.
• I agree that the second stamp is the most desirable of the three - although it does have a pulled perf at LL.
• The third stamp has questionable perforations at both top and left, although a quick srail test did line up pretty well.

I don't see any caps, not any sign of a double transfer, so not sure what would warrant a certificate. I guess we'll find out at some point, right?

Would be curious, for my own learning experience, what telltale signs indicate a thin on the first stamp.

they all look lake to me, do you see a differance in these 2 rows

I dont see a thin in the photo either, I have to hold them up to a light to tell that

Yes. I will post later, once I have formulated a response to the excellent, and interesting, opinions posted. There has been, for my education, much food for thought, already served up.

jim - Your selection of stamps provides an excellent example of what anyone asking for color assistance should strive to provide. This puts much of the whole "monitor issue" to rest, having comparative pictures. The top row is of the Lake spectrum, while the bottom is of the Carmine spectrum. The difference is obvious.

oracle & jim - Of course a good light, Ronsnol/wm fulid or even a picture of the back will clarify the presence of a thin. As the OP asked for opinions based on simple front photos, here is what I saw as possible thinning:


The greying of the five perf tips may indicate a thin at UR. It seems inconsistent with another cancellation to me.

cet_gg - Do you have scans or pics of the backs of these three stamps for review?

Here is a quick splice-job of jim's photo reference, with two from the bottom row added to the top. It really makes the Lake pop out, at least to my eyes.

Back of the first stamp, which is the one in question, regarding thinning perfs.

Thank you, to everyone who commented. I appreciate you taking the time to consider these three stamps and posting your opinions.

I understand there are many variables that affect perception, regarding true color, as well as clarity. As KGB pointed out, it is difficult, unless you are holding the stamp in your hand. Monitor settings, a person's visual acuity, a person's ability to scan at high resolution to get the best image, even the scanner used, itself, all contribute to how well a stamp looks online.

From the comments posted, if I am reading them correctly, I now, also understand that I need to look at perf condition, clarity and boldness of color, signs of fading due to age and it's overall condition that may present how well it's stood the test of time, as some of the things to look for.

The difficulty, I am finding, as a novice, is to discern exactly what is a fair trade, or would be a good trade up, from what I have, if I were to either trade my stamp, or purchase one I do not have.

Per advice given to us newbs, when trying to learn what that trade or value is, I have a Scott Catalog. I have EZ Stamp. I have looked at the ebay sales, and I have looked at sales from various auction houses. I don't know about anyone else, new to ohilately, but the prices I am seeing are all over the place, for a used 219D. I've seen them go anywhere from $2 to over $100. I started this thread, to see if I can learn more about how to assess what I am seeing.

To answer questions some might have, the first stamp, in the OP, is mine. I have no value assigned to it. Off the top of my head, going solely on what I have seen said in the community, in regards to 'low value', lack of desirability, and it's commonness, I'd place it, in my inventory program, at about .35 cents. Based on the centering I am seeing, perhaps it might be the $2.35 my inventory supplies. Or is it the $5.50 Scott says? Or is it the better centering and $5.88 the inventory suggests?

The second stamp is from an auction house. It is the one with the certificate. It was sold as part of a set that saw $200. (The other was a 220, and had a star cancel) Only the Lake stamp image was shown. I may be wrong but I suspect it was the one carrying the sale of the two, since the other stamp image was not posted. I have some really nice 220's. If I were to pair one of them with the Lake I posted, as jim says he does, without certificate, I'd probably place the value at about $4 for the set.

Then, there's the third stamp. It is an ebay BIN for $15. I saw others going for over $20. Then, there's the one that sold for $75.

Now, I know the 219D Lake, no matter how good it's condition, is not going to net me tuition for my child's college. I suspect this is why many are saying it has a low value.

Then, again, I dunno, maybe I might have one like this, a result from a simple web search. (I didn't post the external link, since I am still fairly new, and I don't want to cause conflict in revenue links with those in the community, per the listed rules, so I posted the pertinent info, from the page)



Seller may know his way around stamps, better than a scanner. That is why I asked about image comparison and consider the fact of color and clarity aren't always going to transfer properly to a monitor. The stamp in the image above, looks to me to be a 220.

I wonder is this stamp really rare and worth that amount? Is this the type of guy exactly why I'm asking these questions so I know to avoid those like that? According to what he says on his home page, he is what I mentioned in my paragraph above in this post, someone who knows stamps, but not scanners. You would think, however, for the price being asked, the image would come out as well as the one for the auction house that sold the set for $200.

I might be overthinking this, on a low value stamp, but I need a baseline of factors I need to learn to consider, when determining what is a fair value, for trade, or purchase. You guys don't want me to come back here, every time I run across a decent looking stamp and ask what do you think, or how much, anymore than I want to. I have four volumes of classics alone.

Some might see that I'm also asking more than one question, or perhaps KGB can come back, and simplfy what might be my true question, I'm unable to get to, down to Sesame Street level. I do tend to 'go around my elbow to get to my nose'.

Thanks for reading thus far, and for any following comments, or suggestions. I look forward to learning more.

Hahahahhahaa!

What the 'ell?!

Needless to say, the seller of the million dollar stamp is unlikely to ever actually complete that transaction. :)

The lake shade in my 2009 catalog has a used value of $5.00, a flyspeck version would at most sell for under 100 times that. A misidentified carmine that's dirty, off center to the point of having perforation cutting into the design, with problem perforations and an indistinct cancel is kiloware fodder.