US Scott 76 & 76A

Both khj and revstampman indicated that the stamp in question had been reperf'd.

Can someone help me understand what led them to that conclusion and what I should be on guard for?

I've attached the image from the questionable lot for reference purposes.

Thanks, in advance.

Sorry Gaff for hijacking the thread and Tom that #30a was just an example of what sellers try and do get a way with,if you have a look at the perfs on the #30a you will see that they aren't uniform and this is on all sides where as yours look like it's been reperfed on only one side or maybe two(someone with more knowledge will chip in),I think that this is an attempt to make it more saleable with total disregard for the buyer .
Sorry all just my venting .

Hmmm... The "unused" stamp (with the washed off cancel?) is listed as 76 A. I'm now guessing that the A is for Average.

The other, however, is still listed as a 76a VF/F. It does not look brown/black though...

Both stamps now have several bidders...

In Scott Specialized Catalogue it quotes the #76a as a Black/Brown 5 cent stamp with a (2008) value of $275.00 used,this is most likely what he is referring too Gaff so again I would be very careful with this seller especially when you say it doesn't look Black/brown.

I'm steering clear and even thinking of restricting my online buying (for now) to sellers who either:

a) have sold me good stuff before

b) are members of this forum or

c) are selling can't lose items (like recent mint for under face value that I will use for postage).

I can't speak for KHJ.

My 1st tip off is that the size of the perf holes don't match. Perfs should also match up Horizontally and vertically, these do not. So, In this case 2 strikes and your out! Do not wait for a third.
But, if you want a third anyway. The depth of the perf's on the left side are not uniform.

Yeah, that's the ticket. Revstampman got it right on the nose. Feel free to speak for me anytime!

It's a pretty bad job as reperfs go; it's pretty obvious he/she didn't use some basic tools.

As you all know, I really really frown on altering stamps without full disclosure. And in general, I frown upon altering stamps because someone else later might buy the altered stamp fully disclosed, then deliberately not disclose the alteration and try to pass it off as a sound stamp or feign ignorance. Yes, there are sellers who do that! It's hard to prove they are deliberately doing this, and that's why they get away with it.

Kim the way you matched the perfs on the #313 was a great job and looks easy enough to do,any mismatch and it stands out like a sore thumb good one mate .

Wow what a great thread!

I have been thinking that it is time to start start, buying some of the of higher value stamps(higher of course is dependant upon budget). I think after reading this thread I will stick to buying from people from my stamp club or people I know from this forum.

Thanks for all your great input guys.

Dianne

Revstampman and KHJ, thanks for the help! If I'm going to participate in the online stamp world it appears that I'll have to get much better at picking up on these visual cues.

Not altering stamps at all makes the most sense.

Stamp collections get passed on all the time (at estate sales, etc), where full disclosure may not even be possible.

Hmmm...

The "unused" item sold for ~$18, with the description updated as follows:

"This stamp was mistakenly listed as unused. It is Used with pen cancel removed."

Our griping here maybe made a difference...

still wondering why he said unused to begin with. The pen cancel was so clearly visible.

A common tactic -- change it when enough people gripe.

You'll know if the seller is sincere if no more similar problematic listings come up. Yes, good sellers do still make listing mistakes. The bad seller is the one who toys with you and see who might not notice.