While you're still learning,
measuring perforations is not as useful as
gauging perforations. For now, worry most about finding which known type that your stamp matches. To hopefully clarify, care more about the perforations being close to a particular type and don't worry about them matching perfectly.
Perf 8.5, 10.5, and 12.5 (infrequently) are the non-whole number gauges that you will typically encounter. Using
http://www.stampsmarter.com/1847usa/index.htm will let you know when to consider them.
For now, know that you have identified a perf 10 (10 horizontal by 10 vertical) stamp.
The excess ink is probably due to ink dripping from the wiping blade after wiping the plate. I don't think that they are very common nor particularly valuable, but I personally do set these aside as "nifty".
Posted 05/11/2016 5:05 pm
