Philatelic Phaults - A Pictorial Catalog Of Faults On Stamps

As a resource to those new to stamp collecting and those who are trying to evaluate inherited collections, I present this pictorial catalog of philatelic faults.

A fault on a stamp is something that will cause it to lose any monetary value. It is recommended to avoid purchasing stamps with faults.

Unless a stamp would otherwise by extremely valuable, a faulty version of that stamp has no philatelic or monetary value.

I am grouping faults into various categories related to how the fault occurred. I will add small glossary of philatelic terms later on.

Category 1 - Stamp Perf Faults
These are faults in the perforated edges of the stamp.

Perforations cut off -
Either as a means to separating stamps more quickly, or as in the case of the image below, to make a stamp appear as if it were originally not issued with perforations.

The latter is done when imperforate versions of stamps are more valuable than those issued with perforations, as in the case of this 1884 Hidalgo 4 centavos stamp issued in Mexico.

Knowing the stamp can help. In this instance stamps from this series were issued with generous margins. Narrow margins on imperforate stamps that are normally issued with generous margins should be an immediate clue that something is wrong with the stamp.

In cases such as this, stamp catalogs will only give values for such stamps as a pair, or in bigger blocks which demonstrably confirm that they were issued imperforate.




Perforations torn off -
This happens with stamps are separated and the stamps did not separate at the perforation.

This is more likely to happen when there are fewer perforations or when the paper the stamps are printed on is of poor quality.

This 1983 Agrarian Reform 4 Cordoba stamp issued in Nicaragua is a prime example. The bottom perforations were almost completely torn off when it was separated from the sheet. At the top of the stamp are chunks removed the the stamp above it.




Short Perfs or Pulled Perfs-

Referred to as Pulled Perfs this fault is the least dramatic, and has less of an impact on the value of stamps than the other faults mentioned thus far.

A short perf, also referred to as a blunted perf, is when one of the "teeth" on the edge of the stamp that was created as a result of separating that stamp from the sheet is reduced. A pulled perf is when the tooth is missing entirely.

Here is an example of a pulled perf on a classic United States postage stamp. The perforation tooth below the missing one is a blunted or short perf.




Stamp Separation Gouges -

Gouges in the margin of a stamp are usually caused when stamps are separated roughly.

Here is a Canal Zone 13 cent stamp issued in 1979 with a gouge. While the stamp may have been quite useful for postal use, it is otherwise worthless.

Some stamp dealers may refer to this as a pulled perf, but the damage is much more substantial if you compare this picture with the one above.




Rounded Corner -

A rounded corner is damage on a stamp where the perforation teeth from the corner of the stamp did not separate with the rest of the stamp. Stamps issued on low-quality paper are more likely to experience this fault.

The lower-left corner of the stamp is rounded on this 1988 The People Seeking Healing stamp issued in Mexico.



Category 2 - Physical and Chemical Damage
Thins -

A stamp with a thin is a stamp which has had a part of the paper of the stamp removed, most often as the result of someone trying too hard to remove a hinge. Thins can be small or quite large. Sometimes thins can be very shallow and difficult to see.

To evaluate whether or not a stamp has a thin, when it is not readily apparent, place it in a watermark tray and wet it with watermark fluid. Any thins will become immediately obvious.

Here is the reverse of a stamp with small and large thins due to improper removal of a stamp hinge.



Here is the same image, with the thins circled.




Creases -

A crease is when a stamp has been folded. Even if the stamp has been treated so as to lie flat again, signs of the crease are usually still visible, especially on the reverse. Stamps can be tested for creases with watermark fluid. Sometimes, the ink used to print the stamp will react to a crease.

Here is a 1991 New Voter Registration 1000 pesos stamp issued in Mexico with two creases visible as white lines.




Torn Stamps -

Either as a result of an attempt to separate stamps in a rough manner, or by later mishandling, stamps can be torn. Unless very small and on very valuable stamps, tears will render the stamp as worthless.

Here is a 1948 George Washington Carver 3 cent stamp issued in the United States. It has a large tear on the right side. It also has a crease in the upper-left corner where the perfs are folded over onto the stamp. There is surface thin on the front of the stamp on the right-hand number tablet. On the left side of the stamp, the lower half of the perfs have been removed with scissors.




Category 3 - Restored Stamps


Category 4 - Damage Caused by the Inexperienced Collector and Post Office


Category 5 - Cover Faults

Reserved for additional entries.

Reserved for Glossary

Great thread Smauggie
the 3D title was a shock

Thins?

I have many more images and damage types to talk about. This is only the beginning.

Nice thread, smauggie.

I like the "Reference Material" that we can come back to for years.

Kirk

Good submission. Looking forward to seeing more.

I really apprieiciate the informations and the scans showing on above there.Thank you.

This thread is great...if you need submissions, say the word.

cool

I found this older post while looking for information about faults and it is absolutely terrific.

I started wondering about how different collectors feel about stamps with faults and thought I'd ask the forum. For me the scale from bad to worst is:

1. Rounded Corner
2. Pulled Perfs
3. Thins
4. Creases
5. Perforations torn off
6. Perforations cut off
7. Stamp Separation Gouges
8. Torn Stamps

I'm willing to accept a stamp with faults purchased as part of a large lot until I find an affordable upgrade but generally will not bid on an item with faults 4-8.

Terry

I can tolerate small thins and maybe a pulled perf or two. Rounded corners have always bugged me, but I could probably tolerate a small one (smaller than in the picture). I can live with creases if they're not obvious from the front - but most creases are. I wouldn't collect a stamp with missing pieces unless it was a very expensive item and it was the only way I could obtain one. Long story short, if it looks nice from the front, I MAY be willing to put up with some small flaws. It it's butt ugly, I probably wouldn't want to collect it, faulty or not.

Thanks for the comments.

I am generally not willing to pay for stamps with faults. Given as gifts, I will accept them with gratitude.

In some cases that means I simply can't afford the stamp but I am ok with that.

I am more tolerant of faults if the stamp is both old and expensive. My best example is my copy of Canada #16, used, which has all the perfs trimmed, like Smauggie's Mexico example. It came in a collection I bought maybe 30 years ago.

#16 was printed with perfs and cataloged $6,500 in the 2014 Scott Classic Specialized catalog. Even at a couple percentage points of the Scott valuation, the stamp is worth maybe $100 as a space-filler. I doubt I'll get a sound copy as I can fill any number of empty spaces for the price of a sound #16.

The problem with faults and defects that are not identify in your collection . There comes a time where your family has to sell the collection and if the buyer or dealer can point out some of the defects to them ,it lowers the value of the whole collection .
I once was offered a chance to buy a huge collection from a estate ,I offered a lot lower price due to the few dozen damaged stamps mounted in the collection that I showed the family . You can be assured no buyer is going to open every mount in a collection to inspect the stamps . Once you determine the owner mounts damaged stuff ,you give a fraction of its value ........sorry all dealers will do the same .

There is a new market for defective stamps that show well in a scan or mounted on a page . With everything going on the internet and more and more exhibits are on line . You can bet the damaged backs will pull more if the front shows no damage .