What's Wrong With This Stamp?

I agree with RevStampMan -- the paper of the bottom margin seems brighter/whiter than the other margins.

Quiz 1. Very strange, if the image is 22mm then perf 10 is fine.
Trouble is my personal $1 stamp equates to perf 10.9
Did this issue come in differing perfs?

Yes, this stamp came in 4 basic flavors, consisting of 3 different perforations and watermarked/unwatermarked. I'm ignoring color varieties.

The perf 11 is Scott #518 (May 1917).

WOW, that was quick! Excellent rev' and Kirk!!

Just because a seller discloses a fault, doesn't mean they've disclosed everything. As our eagle-eyed Forum members have observed -- the key is the different paper shade of the lower margin, as well as the apparent slight offset of the perforations in the lower right corner. Examine the before/after picture below.



Someone got some cheap space fillers and put 2-3 of them together to make a better-looking stamp. In this case, a nice stamp that is missing the lower edge, has been "restored" by adding a bottom from 1-2 other stamps. When people try to patch multiple stamps together, it's very hard to get the margin paper tone identical. The "whiter" bottom margin is a warning sign. The fancy cancel is genuine. The cancel in the lower right corner is faked, to cover up the more difficult restoration in that corner.

These are amateur fakes/repairs. The real problem is when it is done by someone who really knows what they are doing! If it looks to good to be true it most often is. Always check the return policy and ask questions or for further pic's or scans!

Excellent Khj
nice topic, and thanks for the confirmation of perf.

I read some time ago of an asian forger on an Australian issue,
who actually manage to split a part stamp in half depth-wise of the paper, and made a sandwich as it were, regarding the wmk.
Something like that, mind boggling in its complexity.

Excellent advice! Ask specific questions and insist on specific answers. Remember, it's your money that's being spent!



These "amateur" fakes/repairs are good enough to fool 95% of buyers. They almost always end up being sold to somebody, often without having to be listed a second time. I would say these types of fakes/repairs are also a real problem. My opinion.

Kim.....


Excellent post and info.......this dicussion could go on for quite some time and could really be addictive.

Thanks, Tom!

I'm going to take a break. If anyone else wants to post a pic of a problem stamp, please feel free to do so. I'm learning too. After deciding that last stamp was restored at the bottom, I didn't look further and hadn't noticed the offset perfs at the bottom right! I like posting these things because I learn too!

k

Everyone who has posted in this thread so far (save for me) would be in the 5% and not the 95%. You guys wouldn't be fooled.

You have to step back and forget what you know to see how easy it is for someone to be sucked in by these, especially when a buyer sees what they want to see and not what is really there. There is just no substitute for looking at stamps...lots and lots of stamps...to start to intuitively see what is wrong.

I couldn't guess how many thousands of stamps I've looked at, but comparatively few 19th-century U.S., which is why I'd be taken to the cleaners if I came back to collecting classic U.S. issues.

Great thread.

Collin

The best defence against being taken is a good offence.
Here are some hints to bogus stamp detection.
Tools that are critical to own!
1)A decent magnifying glass
Not just for the obvious. If you see gum on the perf's the stamp has been regummed. Perf are punched AFTER gumming.
2)Perf gauge
Not just for perfing. Use it to draw an invisable line across the stamp to check for reperfing.
3)watermark fluid
For looking for thins, filled in thin spots and repairs.

With these 3 basic tools you can save yourself alot of grief and $$$

Also here's a pretty good site for forgery comparison. http://www.geocities.com/claghorn1p/

Here is my contribution. You will need to know a fair amount about grills to get this one.








marty

Aaaaah, the grills....

A strange hush descends on the Stamp Community Family ..
The air is filled with an extended pregnant pause.

I noticed the hush too, Rod.

Assuming it is the appropriate thing to do, it's going to be tough to count the rows/columns based on a scan. The grill does look a little large in the vertical direction.

Of course, I guess the entire grill could have been added/forged.

Anxiously awaiting the smart people...
Kirk

Hi Marty......

You posted this in an earlier discussion.......so I already know the answer. I'll stay silent to give others a shot at it.