"Red" 3 Cents Washington Stamps

Dear all, I have come across a "red" 3 cents Washington stamp. Getting excited, but don't know if it worth to send for expertization.

Hello nelsonong and welcome! This stamp was never issued in "red" so yours is either sun faded and/or chemically altered.

Hi Jenny,
I have checked for traces of sun fade, and chemical and can't tell. Can you tell me how to check for this indicators?

Thank you again to advise.

Nelson

The stamp was issued only in violet. The picture you show has the typical hue of an altered color. The whole image looks sort of faded or even washed out - hard to exactly tell without having it in hand. Also, if you look at Washington's cheek, there is something left over, probably a cancel. Someone may have tried to get rid of the cancel.

Peter

nelsonong while many stamp collectors like to flyspeck and find errors of all sorts, the big picture should first be considered. US stamps are probably the most studied/documented stamps (perhaps only second to the penny black) and had this stamp been issued in red in error, it would have been reported long ago. There are times when logic is the only thing that needs checking when trying to identify errors.