Scott 116 With 8 Point Open Star - Why Grading Will Not Go Away

Actually I think it is an added perforation rather than a crease.

Didn't say it was a great deal. Said it was a decent buy. It has sharper color than the 3 you posted and a better cancel. Not to mention pile on close to another $70 for the tip.

you can't compare color from 2 different scanners

Hard to comment on color when using images from the internet and as for the cancel being "better" that is very subjective to say the least. If you read my comment the $360 is WITH tip.

"But none have the fancy cancel that the original stamp has. That certainly played a part."

If it were a cheap stamp I'd pay a premium for that cancel, but since this is an expensive stamp where the main value is in the stamp and its centering, I don't like that the cancel obscures most of the design (the second example of that cancel is more pleasing with its open center) and I prefer any of the three posted later.

Which is why collecting is so personal, and so subjective. And why someone might pay $1000 for a stamp that catalogs $30 while most of us would not dream of doing so.

Oh my. Time to go up another magnification level on the glasses, apologies.

Either way, none of them broke the bank. I always look at a nice cancel on a nice stamp as the chips on the cookie.

I guess, to PPG's original point, grading can be said to up the price people are willing to. The eBay stamp and the three Siegel examples I posted do not have grades. Looking through Power Search for used 116's with a grade of 95 or better, all of the results except for one (?) fetched quite a bit more money probably because the SMQ of $1,000 became the reference number rather than straight SCV.

Hardly a surprise given the popularity of the 1869 series.

Thank you Parcelpostguy!! That means a lot coming from a newbie and a dummy who's just been picking things out because they 'look pretty', haha.

I also enjoy reading your posts.. You're like the C.S. Lewis of Stamp Community.