Roman States - Need Advice

Bob, khj and cjd are both referring to paying an expert to certify for you whether or not the stamp is genuine.

Here are some expertisers I am aware of:

http://philatelicfoundation.org/

http://www.sismondostamps.com/exp/expert.htm

http://www.psestamp.com/

Filipo,

On your 3c stamp, I don't see any obvious problems with the design. But I am not an expert in Roman States so maybe somebody else could chime in if they see anything. Vertical divider line at top left corner is continuous (usually means reprint), but it could also happen to be from the far left position of the full press sheet.

Genuine reprints are very common, and some are hard to distinguish. I don't see any obvious problems, but you would have to get it professionally certified if you want to get anything close to full catalog value, since it has a pretty high catalog value if genuine original.

Thanks for clarifying our point, smauggie!

I don't think PSE certifies non-US/area material, do they?

Also, APEX of the American Philatelic Society for certification...

http://www.stamps.org/Services/ser_...ertizing.htm

This, of course, is not an endorsement for any of them.

You are right. I forgot PSE only does US stamps (and not all of them).

It is worth noting that, in many cases, even the reprints are well over 100 years old. So, in my book, they are still interesting.

Nearly worthless from a resale point of view ( ebay notwithstanding), but interesting.

Yes, those first reprints/forgeries were made over 100 years ago. They were made in relatively large quantities, so you will see many dropouts and plate damage/wear. Most of them are still in unused condition, but there are also forged cancellations to catch the unwary.

The first 4 stamps are all Fakes or reprints. The other one is questionable. Send a scan to Sergio Sismondo. Seeing as you are out of the country he is often willing to tell you weather you should send it to Him for further examination and Certification.
I personally would not buy any Roman States Stamp without one of his certificates. He does go to most major shows and is willing to look at material at them. He will normally just say "yes" or "no" on the validity without an explanation. Just don't be insulted by his lack of explanation. Remember this is how he makes his living.

I understand, I want to Thank all of you guys, I know that sometimes a newbie could be annoying asking things every second....

Your Favorite n00b!

:)

Bob

Does this lot more looks to be reprints of forgeries?

They all look like reprints to me. But I did not check each one with a fine tooth comb to distinguish between reprints and forgeries.

Thank you, KHJ!

Revstampman is more knowledgeable than I am on the Roman States. Hopefully, he will chime in to confirm or correct my opinion.

Based on a comparison of the known Fakes/Reprints that I have(about 100 or so). I would say that they all fall into that catagory. Sorry!

But keep looking you never know! I found a few good ones from Parma once for .10 ea

Thanks, revstampman!