Show Your Pairs, Strips, Blocks, And All Your Stamps Joined Together!

ZebraMan......thanks for beating me to the punch. I would have bumbled through an explanation anyway. Your explanation is top shelf. I do have several other paste ups which contain the Bureau logo, some with and others without the star. The Scott #350 does not show the number very well in fluid, but the cert points out that the number is 5422 and the very bottom of the 4 2 2 can be seen on my photo.

Yeah, sorry photo61guy for stealing your thunder and responding before you had a chance to reply. I do admire your paste-ups and I agree with the earlier poster that the quality of your photos is fantastic. Including photos in watermark fluid, something my scanner couldn't possibly do.


Now back to something completely different. A fairly large strip of a 30 cent prexie. I guess the post office ran out of $2 stamps.

Really interesting, ZebraMan! I like the aesthetic of the cancels.

I enjoy having multiples which reveal processes of production and so here comes another which I hope will be of some slight interest.

Here are two blocks from the US Airmail issue of 1983 promoting the summer Olympics to be held in 1984 in Los Angeles. The Soviet Union and some eastern bloc countries ultimately boycotted the LA Olympics as payback for the US and others having boycotted the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The first block shown includes C105,106,107, and 108. Scott calls the block C108b. Take a close look at the center of the block. These stamps show the "bullseye" perf which is gauged at 11.2. The vertical and horizontal perfs were contrived to coincide neatly, so that at the intersection of perforation lines, there is a single circular hole with no misalignment. A bullseye.



At first glance, the next block might appear identical, except that it's a plate block of course. But look at the intersections of of the vertical and horizontal perforation lines. This is line perforated (gauge 11) and at the intersections, the holes do not perfectly align. Some are close, but others are well off the mark. Not a bullseye. This block is numbered C108c by Scott (consisting of C105a, 106a, 107,a and 108a).



One could identify singles that are either 105 or 105a, etc., for example, but this would be tedious. The two perf varieties are almost equally common so there is not a big financial payoff for the work. With blocks - a much easier call for the referee.

Good explanation of the perf varieties, jleb1979. There's another example where there is a big price difference, the 13c Eagle and Shield 1596 with bullseye perfs has a nominal catalog value of 30c, but the line perforated variety 1596d is almost 100x the CV at $27.50 per stamp, and much better to collect in blocks to properly identify them. I don't have one to show a picture, but the features are the same as the blocks you posted. The stamp isn't even priced used in Scott. What I would give for a used block of 4 of the 1596d. OK, probably not too much, but it has got to be scarce.

re 1596d

While not multiples, margin singles show the line-perf quite well. I paid 1.20 for the mint single from a seller who did not recognize the variety.

Generalgouvernement (German occupied Poland)

Poland Scott N103

United States 1851-57 3-cent imperforate pairs in a variety of colors:

Scott #10A, orange brown, positions 18L5E and 19L5E
Scott #11A, orange red, positions 1R5L and 2R5L
Scott #11, purplish claret, positions 65L4 and 66L4

Really awesome philatelic items! Thanks for sharing all this! Classic Coins, these are some gorgeous color varieties! I especially like the purplish claret. Can't wait to receive my color sample.

This German occupation sheet is gorgeous, lithograving!

Nice finds John. I look for them when ever I can on cover. but like you say it takes time and having the cover in hand makes it a lot easier.

Just found this working on a batch of Spanish Colonies and other Spanish back of the book items.
This is Spanish Cuba (1878, I think) revenue, block of 14. Looking at it closer I discovered the lower left stamp is inverted. It's actually my first tete beche item, other than some European booklet stamps. Have no clue if it's something significant as I don't have a Cuban revenue catalog, and Forbin doesn't mention it either. Anyway, thought it was cool. Soory about the poor image, my computer is in the shop right now.

Sorry about the curl. When I take them out of the clear guard I keep them in I guess the full gum causes them to curl a little. And I'm not fool enough to try to change it. lol.

Wow! That's true. Really interesting. I remarked the center of the sheet isn't perforated.Don't know if it's normal.

Nice items, Butchie.

Found an envelope full of stamps from Great Britain with the 1950s and 1960s issues of Queen Elizabeth. Looking for flaws (we never know) or a curious variety. Found this vertical pair and single stamp on piece. This white dot is interesting. Look near the eye of the queen of the bottom stamp of the pair. Do you think it's a flaw? And do you see any other interesting thing on these stamps?

On used stamps, close to cancellations, I never get too excited. You'd have to show a confirming copy to show a variety. Even if you do find one, the variety is very minimal.