US One Cent Ben Franklin Stamp Gauging

*** Edited by Staff to clarify the topic title. Please put as much info in the title as you can; they are very important. ***
I've got this stamp that I keep gauging at 11.5 on the right side. Is this an actual thing or am I not gauging correctly?

What is a "dude"?
And do you have a catalog to look this up in?
What kind of gauge do you use?


Peter

The dude is Mr Ben Franklin. And yes I do have a couple catalogs. I'm using a white ace perforation gauge for postage stamps.

Can you post a photo of the stamp's right side on the perf gauge showing 11.5?

Yes, @rogdcam. Yes!

Mr.Big Ben,the Dude,beenjamin still jammin, Franklin

Any suggestions as far as what catalog I should try to find?

Short answer:
The Scott catalog is perfectly fine.
Your stamp is either #331 or #374 depending on the watermark, nominally perf 12x12. (Please do NOT remove it from the card to determine which.)

Long answer:
Scott (and all other catalogs) round the perforation rate to the nearest half or quarter or tenth, depending on the issue and era. In this case, to the nearest half.
And such is true with your stamp. The true rate is 11.92 (Kiusalas 12-66).
The thickness of your gauge in combination with the angle of the photo does not show the alignment very well, but it is clear enough that there is not a perfect match to the 11.5 line
The catalog's rounding and lack of explanation can lead to the confusion you have encountered. Collectors seek a perfect match and there isn't one.
Also, have you checked the accuracy of your gauge against a known-to-be-accurate device? Some gauges are slightly inaccurate.
Lastly, in many cases, it is better to use a stamp of known rate and eliminate the rounding effect of the catalogs and gauges. Compare the perforations to a Scott 300 and it should match.

So I tried out the 300 and that's a no go

Why would you try 300?

Franklin is looking the other way on that. Being green, depicting Franklin, and having a 1-cent face value are about the only things it has in common with your stamp.

Or did you mean you used it to compare the perforation gauge?

I was comparing the perforations, like I thought had been suggested. Perhaps it wasn't really suggested? I'm flexible.

It was. However - and I do not know if this could be an issue for US stamps - care must be taken that the perforators used had the same gauge. A gauge 12.2 and 11.8 can both be catalogued as 12, but comparing those perf. 12 stamps will not give you a match.

That right side is perf 12. The perforation gauge is poorly aligned.