Help With Wmk And Expert Mark.

Whatever information would be great.

Please post scan of the front.

More info on your stamp (it can only be one watermark) https://stampsmarter.org/1847usa/18...tml#Scott281
Don

Remember that collectors and dealers, as well as experts, marked the backs of stamps.

The watermark is a reversed double line S. Easiest to see if you look at it with the right side turned to the bottom.

Don, if life has taught me anything. It has taught me anything is possible and to never say never. Lol
Yes I understand a lot of people fill the need to leave there mark.
Gentlemen my question is have you ever seen an S wmk like that before?

Various references show the 8 permutations of the watermark positions depending on how the paper was fed. This is scanned from the Scott U.S. Specialized catalog, with a red square added to detail what appears on your stamp. The illustration does have the letters too close, so just imagine them with a gap between each letter.

https://stampsmarter.org/learning/M...ermarks.html - click on 'Pop-up watermark tool'
Don

Thank you gentlemen very helpful as always. I think someone should write a book on all the different S watermarks published.

I do love print books, but it would be tough for a book to achieve the interactive functionality of Don's pop-up watermark tool at StampSmarter. Very nice Don....

Looking at the owner's or expert's mark on OP's stamp, it appears to me to be a "J" and a "B."

I am aware of the experts' mark site at https://www.filatelia.fi/experts/index.html which has been mentioned in one or two other Forum threads. I looked somewhat quickly through the B's (surname) and did not see anything likely.

I would also be very interested in some similar site giving owners' marks. Anyone know of one? Many such marks would be unknown I'd bet, but there might someday be utility in something along these lines that showed these sorts of marks. Or at least a vehicle to partially satisfy curiosity....

Here's one that I picked up a couple years back on the verso of a rather pleasing US 397. Was the owner a big chess player as well as a stamp collector? Or perhaps s/he was named "Knight?" Does anyone else have a stamp from this owner? Or from our OP's "JB" or "BJ"?

Trish Kaufmann's site has a page of expert/owners' marks specifically related to Confederate philately:

https://www.trishkaufmann.com/provenance