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Replies: 16 / Views: 456 |
Valued Member
Japan
177 Posts |
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Rotary, Flat Plate, Offset, 10-11-12 perf, Single WMK, Double WMK, No WMK, Precancels, sizes that can adjust the price depending on 1/4 of a mm... I can see why there were so many errors/rare varieties in this time-span because WOW, the details are extremely vast and nit-picky despite the basic design elements ultimately maintaining an otherwise uniform appearance. Do you guys have any advice on how to check/organize these in the least stressful way possible? I've been on both stampsmarter and Swedish Tiger so far and found that there are even certain varieties on one of those sites and not the other, and vice versa. 
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Valued Member
United States
457 Posts |
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Start with: The Micarelli Identification Guide to U.S. Stamps : Regular Issues, 1847-1934 by Charles N. Micarelli
then: The Expert's Book a Practical Guide to the Authentication of United States Stamps Washington/Franklin Issues 1908-1923 by Paul W. Schmid
The first book should be available at a reasonable price. The second, not so much.
The Stamp Smarter site will have a lot of useful information, too.
Yes, a complicated series and you won't figure it out in just an hour. It does require a time commitment. Good luck. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
8422 Posts |
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Moderator

United States
11204 Posts |
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The Johl books are also free to download from the Stamp Smarter Library https://stampsmarter.org/learning/Home_USID.htmlThe Expert's Book a Practical Guide to the Authentication of United States Stamps Washington/Franklin Issues 1908-1923 by Paul W. Schmid in hardcover is out-of-print and can be costly. But I digitized it into a PDF for the author a number of years ago, I believe he still offers this digital version on disk at a reasonable price (it was under $20 back 2014, not sure how much it is now).  Don |
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Pillar Of The Community

United States
1143 Posts |
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There is also Geo. Howards "The Stamp Machines & Coiled Stamps", Steven Belasco's book "Guide to United States Vending and Affixing Machine Perforations" for when/if you find any private perfs. in collecting W/Fs, and the United States Stamp Society, which you can join, has a lot of W/F info. in there publications (searchable on-line). There is also Martin Armstrong's book "Washington-Franklins 1908-1921".
As stated, it takes a lot of time and study to learn all the varieties and scuttle differences in this series. |
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United States
11204 Posts |
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In my opinion a person could invest a lifetime studying this series. Given the challenges, the decision to do a 'deep dive' should not be taken lightly without a significant commitment of time and money. Don |
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Pillar Of The Community
United Kingdom
7021 Posts |
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Moderator

United States
11204 Posts |
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Quote:I decided the "least stressful way" was to sweep them from the desk and put them on eBay. Funny, that is what I do with Machins!  Don |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
6465 Posts |
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Even easier, I sort them by color and place them in a stock book and leave them there. |
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Pillar Of The Community
United Kingdom
7021 Posts |
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I managed to dispose of huge heaps of Machins in a large eBay lot. My collection of them consists of a mint 1967 set, without varieties.  |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
8422 Posts |
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They are really not all that difficult most of the time, although I admit that I do get to see a lot of them on a regular basis, and have for the last 10 years. Perf check first, then watermark where needed. Only the 2 and 3 cents have types, and learning to recognize offsets is not very difficult. The flat plate coils are really where most of the problems are, along with some of the watermarks being difficult to see. As I said before, knowing the story and why things happened helps a lot. |
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United States
11204 Posts |
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Agreed that ID process steps, which is used with this simple-to-use tool https://stampsmarter.org/features/S...rank_ID.html is straight forward. It also helps greatly to be able to ID the three different printing processes, often done by experienced folks just by eye or tactilely. And there are some very good info online like Chris's article here https://stampsmarter.org/learning/I...arities.htmlBut many inexperienced people start with 'I have a 595' perspective and simply cannot give it up. And having the majority of the W/F coils faked/altered makes navigating these a challenge. Don |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
8422 Posts |
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Quote: But many inexperienced people start with 'I have a 595' perspective and simply cannot give it up. I agree, although 595 is not a W/F. They do have a 482A mentality, however. There is no question that it takes a desire to both read up on them and to look at a lot of them if one is going to become reasonably proficient. |
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Valued Member
United States
58 Posts |
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51 Studebaker thanks very much for the info on Stamp Smarter Library. I had no idea about this wonderful resource. |
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Valued Member
Japan
177 Posts |
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Quote: In my opinion a person could invest a lifetime studying this series. Given the challenges, the decision to do a 'deep dive' should not be taken lightly without a significant commitment of time and money. Thank you for being honest. *_* I kind of figured that would be the general consensus... I think I'm in Geoff's boat on this one. |
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Valued Member
Japan
177 Posts |
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I'd like to go through them relatively quick, while still not overstepping anything potentially unique. Revcollector, I think your way seems best! And that link on Stampsmarter is genius... I'll definitely be on there 90% of my time with this. |
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Replies: 16 / Views: 456 |
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