The Conundrum Of Valuation.

Sooooo; alleging that I have a Scott catalog 596. What would it be worth, on cover. Thanks.

how much consideration have you given to actually looking up the stamp yourself in the Scott catalog? That would seem to give you a baseline.

Without a cert, perhaps $10-$20
Don

Yes, I have checked the catalog for the price, off paper. Of course, all of the examples, are listed (siegal), as used. The value, in my 2019 cat is; $200,000.

The odds of finding a 596 are very, very long, let alone finding one on cover. There are lots of look-a-likes. As you have correctly concluded, they are rare and valuable. However, a 596 will require a certificate to be marketable. As an initial step, I would encourage you to post scans of the entire cover and a closeup of the stamp here for informal opinions before spending any $ for a certificate. (In other words, concentrate first on confirming the stamp ID and not any potential value.)

Is your stamp pre-cancelled?

It is not pre-canceled. It is perf 11 x 11. It is the shade of green necessary for the issue. It is 22 1/2 x 19 1/4. It is on an Air-mail cover. I am close enough too the upcoming Stamp show in Sacremento, that I will bring it for some first hand evaluation. I just thought I would reach out to the community, for an estimate. I know, a 594 exists on cover, as well.

My apology for being very blunt.
How can you expect an idea of ID or value if you don't supply an illustration?
You supply us nothing. You deserve to get nothing in return.
This is a community of sharing, not coyness ... just saying.
Again, my apology for being blunt.

Agree with John (though not as blunt). It is very, very, very difficult to assist without high resolution scans of the entire and closeup of the stamp.

Hmmm, blunt would not be the word, I would have used. Brash, maybe. This would be the reason, it is so hard these days, too expand the 'hobby.' Let me, give you all, some background on 'me.' I learned philately, as child. I grew up, and moved on too other things. 3 years ago, I picked up, the obsession again. Excuse me for seeming coy or vague. It was just a question. For some reason, I can't upload my photo's. Sooooo thanks anyway. Seriously thou, how can a hobby, expect too grow and flourish again, as it did, in the 50's; 60's; and 70's, with such brash and condescending leaders?

This is a forum for sharing information and images. It is a two-way street. If you follow my posts, you will find I have posted over 2250 images since I joined. I will be more than happy to apologize publicly here again when you post images - or better yet, post a confirmation of an ID of 596 after taking it to GASS. I'll buy you a beer if you indeed have a 596.

Really, I'm not trying to run off the rails, here. I don't need an apology. But, how would you attract people, (the younger generation) too the hobby? You have been a member for how long? Is this your M. O. (B) D. of operation, with all new guests? Your brash reply's make me think, I should never ask again. Oh, and I got sober, in 1991. I'm 53 now. Wow........

Ok, I'll try again. Let me repeat my first post to this thread:


Yes, I was expressing doubt that you have a 596. I thought the request for images was a reasonable request to you to get you the best quality responses in return from the members of this forum, but apparently not.
The point is, no matter what internet forum you go to and ask about a value, they will ask for an image. The same is true of taking it to GASS, or any other stamp show - every dealer will want to see it to make an evaluation. It just can't be done sight unseen. Market value depends on more than a correct ID, There is the centering & condition of the stamp; the attractiveness of the cancel and the condition of the cover, etc., etc. In a word, valuing postal history in an art taking many factors into consideration.

Where-as; I understand the frustration, of answering novice beginners, of philately, it was a hypothetical question. I will work on getting a set of photo's uploaded.

There are many here who will gladly answer questions from novices. However, your question was in the form of "I know I have this, so what is it worth". Frankly, most of us are in the position of "If I had a dollar for every time someone thought or claimed to have a 596, I could buy that C3a I always wanted." So people tend to answer such remarks with a healthy dose of skepticism. It is really not rudeness, just that it has been repeated so often that it becomes a very short, rote kind of answer due to so much repetition.
As has already been stated, the odds are EXTREMELY long against actually having one.

A person would not get an opinion at GASS without the stamp being present and the expectation would be no different on this forum. Quality images are even more germane and critical on this forum because we do not have the benefit of having the item in hand. That being said, the clues will come down to verifying the perforation rate, checking for setoff and of course measuring the design. That is for the stamp only. Being that it is on cover that adds an entirely new dimension and more clues such as cancellations, dates and other markings/writings.

It is, as has been said repeatedly now, impossible to render any opinion without the benefit of images. Much like alleging that I have that missing Renoir but you don't need to see it and I need a value, thank you very much.