Cut Squares Cockeyed And Haphazard Instead Of Square

Hi

I'm wondering what to do with some of the Cut Squares I've managed to acquire. In some examples it seems the object was to cut without regard to the end result. Margins are important in postage stamps. What is the acceptable margins on cut squares?

Hi,

Generally speaking, I think that most people would prefer "even and balanced on all four sides."

Even if you have to trim the larger sides.

Jim

Margins on Cut Squares are not as significant as regular stamps. A nice wide margin is good. It can be trimmed if necessary. Bad is a cut out that frames the image with no margin. Best is the entire envelop with the image in tact and a nice sliced envelop opening.

Here is a vote for letting the odd shapes be. Removing paper could remove a trace of an identifying watermark.

Some of the cuts could be cut corners (with backside paper present). Cut corners could show watermarks on the back paper.

Thank you. I was torn between appearance and preservation. Thinking about it more I've decided not to touch them with a scissors. I'll give the next owner the choice. Kind of like passing the buck but my conscience will be clear.

This is an area I collect.

There are wide variations in the size of "cut squares," but I collect "full corner" cut squares. These are generally 2" x 2" unless the design is greater than 2" as occurs with some of the later issues.

A full corner cut square includes all of the side and backing of the issue. Here are a couple of examples:





Since what you have is not a full corner, it would be best to square it off. Using the top and right margins as the square component, using a mount cutter, I would square the stamp off, leaving as much envelope as possible.

Size, not centering, affects the value. Read the information in the Scott Specialized Catalog at the beginning of the Stamped Envelopes and Wrappers section. Stamp imprint size and size of the envelope from which it was cut greatly affect the centering. 40 mm X 40 mm is the optimum size because that is the size that best fits the spaces in the Scott National Album. There are exception for the longer items like surcharges beside the stamp, the boxed 6-cent airmail surcharges, transpo-expo, etc. Aerogrammes are always folded entires or at least the stamp/address panel in cut square albums.

There have been several unpleasant trends in creating cut squares. The two least desirable have been CTS (cut-to-shape) and cut with pinking shears (creates toothed edges). Some early collectors remedied the CTS but gluing those onto pieces of appropriately colored paper.

I've come across a few CTS examples. Didn't realize it was a trend at some point. I haven't seen any examples with toothed edges yet. The CTS examples are hard to look at. Get the sense that the example was destroyed by the act. Still, can't bring myself to discard them. Those that haven't been CTS I am still going thru. The collection I purchased includes full envelopes, postcards, cut squares. I'm getting a crash course in this area. Some of the envelopes have paper bands on them identifying dies, cuts, types, etc. I don't know how long the bands were on the envelopes but the bands have created a discolored area on the envelope in the shape of the bands. I'm guessing this is something often seen by those who collect envelopes? Some of the earlier material have designs that are really quite intricate. The designs are impressive.
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