Stamp Decoder Ring, Hidden 3-D Images

So im going through my
Scotts Catalog looking up
US 3261 $3.20 multicolor
Space Shuttle Landing
Then I read
Hidden 3-D images can be seen on Nos. 3261 and 3262 when viewed with special "Stamp Decoder lens sold by the USPS.
(ENTERPRISE/COLUMBIA/CHALLENGER/ATLANTIS/ENDEAVOR/DISCOVER)
Any one have one of these decoders ?

Yes, I have one, but what is your query, as you seem to already possess the basics as to what it is all about? There were 42 USPS stamps that incorporated scrambled indicia from 1997 through to 2004, if I recall correctly.

If interested in an in-depth 45 minute analysis of the decoder and scrambled indicia by collector Henry Jehan, go to APS Stamp Chat on YouTube at

I have several of them but never use them. Too bad the concept could not be used to detect fake stamps.

Apparently still available from Mystic:
https://www.mysticstamp.com/sd1-scr...amp-decoder/

Thanks for the input , since this was my first time seeing
then learning about the decoders I thought the efforts
would he beter spent by posting on here so others would
have a place of reference.

65170 : I will be watching the YouTube video you posted today, thanks for the info ,
Germania : thanks for the link , I found some to be cheaper on ebay, $12.99 while others matched MysticStamps price of $19.99 and some where even higher than that.

Angore : That would be the perfect tool to get passed all the fakies out ther

Lalo.Man and Angore: The Stamp Decoder would indeed be good for detecting counterfeits, as the feature will not photocopy, or be able to be printed by fraudsters. However, the purchaser of forgeries for postal use would neither know, nor probably care, about checking for authenticity before purchase, so long as they get stamps for a cheaper than face-value price.

Use of this technology would make it an expensive "after the event" feature for the USPS if used on all stamps. Admittedly it would prove to jurors in a court of law that the stamps are either genuine or counterfeit "beyond a reasonable doubt", but the Post Office would be able to prove that a stamp is not genuine without the use of Scrambled Indicia (SI®).

It must be remembered that despite the novelty effect, SI® was created as a covert security feature initially, and incorporates 'anti-scanning' and 'anti-copy' devices within its software. The effect is created as part of the pre-press stage and not the stamp printing stage of production, so it costs no more to print with this technology. The high costs come from the fees charged for its use by the patentee, GSSC.

Having discussed this matter at the time of its use with industry insiders (I worked around then for a major global bank in the division responsible for security print), the conclusion was that it was less of a security feature when used for stamps and more of a marketing gimmick to promote sales and stimulate interest in collecting stamps.

Incidentally, Britain's Royal Mail used this technology (but with the use of a different decoder to that supplied by the USPS) for its 2005 Battle of Trafalgar commemorative issue, but never announced the incorporation of SI® until I revealed it in my "Dummy Stamps Newsletter", following a whisper that they might exist. They are not rare, as every Trafalgar sheet printed used the technology. They used three hidden texts on the miniature sheet, namely ENGLAND EXPECTS / 1805-2005 / ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY. Personally, I imagine that they never announced its use because reading the text proved difficult. Simplicity is the key with SI®! It was never used again on British stamps... unless you know differently.

GLENN