Be Careful When Buying US Coils!

The following illustrates how easy it is for a razor blade to turn a $10 #426 into a $200 #445 ...





Is there some way to measure the height/width proportions to determine if the stamp has been trimmed?

I collect them in pair

For flat plate issues vertical coils generally measure at least 21.5 mm side to side, whereas horizontal coils are usually 25.0 mm top to bottom.
Don

Don, that is helpful for stamps in hand, but my concern is for stamps being offered. Would you say that 21.5 over 25.0 would serve as a good base for finding X for any size picture measured? (X being what the measurement should be.)

For flat plate coils size is not enough, since they can be made by adding perfs to imperfs as well as by being trimmed. Knowing how they were made (both genuine coils and fakes)and what the edges on genuine coils should look like is also very important. I would suggest that unless you know the seller fairly well that any coils offered should be treated with great suspicion.

Razor blades were mentioned, any coil edge cut by a razor blade will be FAR too sharp an edge to be a genuine coil.

I am not sure you can get a good measurement from an image, it is far better to have stamp in hand. For a #445 you will want to see at least 25mm top to bottom. You may want to pick up a copy of Paul Schmid's How To Detect Damaged, Altered,and Repaired Stamps and/or The Experts Book. These are out of print but I can hook you up with Paul if you want to order them on CD.
Don

Those are great books, anyone seriously interested in W/F coils needs at least one of them and both if possible.

area66

Seriously ????? you need to be very stupid the buy a coil stamp with so narow margin, here how it's look the margin of a real coil stamps

So NO it's not that easy

revcollector

"For flat plate coils size is not enough ..."

I was not attempting to show all the ways to detect alterations, but one way that was obvious to me.

"Razor blades were mentioned, any coil edge cut by a razor blade will be FAR too sharp an edge to be a genuine coil."

That's interesting to learn ... but my original post was not to the experts in the family who need no warning, but to the poor schnooks like me, in the hope that they could profit from my experience.

As for the books mentioned ... Well, I'm 85 and it's much too late for me to try to become expert in the field. When my 50 stamps at my store are gone, I'm looking for a new hobby ... perhaps water-skiing or mountain climbing.

area66

I repeat ... my original post was not to the experts in the family who need no warning, but to the poor schnooks like me, in the hope that they could profit from my experience.

IkeyPikey

I repeat ... I'm 85 ... and in a race with dementia.

You don't have to memorize the books to make good use of them ;)

The other "poor schnooks" who read this will welcome any info they can get. And since they are probably not all 85 they might make use of it.

revcollector

Amen!

Here's a #445 pair currently listed on ebay. Opinions?

Very unlikely to be genuine, in my opinion. For me personally, not a source I would trust for this type of item unless it has a CURRENT cert.