Help With 5 Old Italy Stamps

I mentioned in another of your threads that Scott has a Basic Stamp Information section at the front of the catalogue. You really want to read the first 30 or 40 pages of the catalogue.

It is not my goal to discourage your plans, but the five stamps above are not going to sell for much, if they sell at all.

Keep in mind that any damage at all drastically reduces values. Straight edges where the perfs have been trimmed off, like your top right stamp, are basically unsellable without some other redeeming feature, like an especially rare postmark.

Stains and toning are also turnoffs to most buyers. As are missing perfs.

Particularly on the items with the higher catalogue values, a sale at anything near those prices is typically reserved for spectacular examples.

The intro to Scott also fully explains centering of the stamp design. For most stamps, a stamp that is off-center enough that the perfs cut into the design is far less desirable. (In those few instances where it is more acceptable, Scott says so.)

Please read the intro materials. You'll be glad you did.

Yes, I thought you were talking about the cancels. Well, I have absolutely no idea what kind of cancel these two are, but the stamp is used. It is a pretty stamp though, and you may get more than $4.00. But probably not a whole lot.
By the way UFO, if you like to see a watermark look at stationairy from an insurance company for instance. If you hold that paper up to the light you can see a watermark ( provided it has one! ). Old paper money very often has watermarks also, as do some (!) older stamps.
With stamps you have to look for watermarks in a fluid, preferably in a black dish.

Hmmm now that's very interesting Cjd and I thank you very much for that information.I see now under closer observation that I jumped the gun on the honeycomb watermark,,at first look it looked just like,then I see that BIG DIFFERENCE now..ok great then another featehr in theee hat on the learning of all this,,I really got this one now but would be scared to use lighter fluid on any stamps hahahhaa man I would be shaking in my shoes hoping not to ruin them..,,guess I will have to get me some fluid soon!
Thanks so much Cjd once again and everyone else here
Still would like to know about the value on that Scott #26 5 centisimi from 1863-67 top left stamp
Scott's states this for values in Italy-
Values of Italy stamps vary tremendously according to condition.
Quotations are for very fine examples,and values for unused stamps are for examples with original gum as defined in the stalog introduction
Extremely fine and superb copies sell at much higher prices and fine or poor copies sell at greatly reduced prices.
In addition,unused copies without gum are discounted severely

So where would you say that stamp sits from reading that guys?

Even if the #26 was very fine (VF), it would be worth no more than the $4.00 (although that is 2008 value and 2013 might be a tad more). Your stamp is something less than VF. Read the introductory Scott catalog section on centering etc.

Frankly, one could acquire this stamp probably for less than $1.00 by purchasing a collection on ebay. In fact, I have a copy from a collection I acquired for less than 10% of catalog value. I'd scan the page if I had the energy). The page has #26, 27, 28 etc. and some earlier ones. My #26 is better centered than yours but has a little foxing that I need to clean up. I essentially paid 40 cents for my copy.

Just checked again and I have another copy from another collection I acquired for less than 10% of CV. The page has #22-#27, #29-32, #34-36.

So, from looking at my page, your first stamp is #26 and the second on top is #32.

I'm not trying to discourage you. Just trying to let you know that catalog values are at least 50% higher than reality and the stamp has to be in pristine condition to sell for even 50% of CV. The examples you have posted are not in great condition. But keep looking and just enjoy the stamps for their own sake, not because you're hoping you've struck gold.

UFO, using Ronsonol lighter fluid will not harm the majority of stamps. You just should not have open flames around. The ronsonol is all I ever use. It is a lot less expensive than watermark fluid.

I think that I remember that the use of Ronsonol is not recommended for stamps printed by photogravure. A catalog will tell you the printing method for the stamps in question.

I am going to become an official stamp grader...
We'd all be rich!

Look at the backs of some of your early British or Jamaican or Indian stamps and you should see a watermark very clearly. Any paper adhering to the backs will probably hide the watermark. I picked those countries because they seem to have prominent watermarks.

U.S. watermarks are some of the most difficult to identify, as you have no doubt discovered while examining your 1910-1930 material.