Please Help ID This Possible 37d... Too Good To Be True?

I was looking through a kiloware of older canadians I purchased recently when I stumbled upon this one which I thought was a color I've never seen for #37 / #41...

I have to admit, I'm having a hard time sorting out #37 from #41 by color alone as there seemed to be infinite shades.

But that one definitely struck me as something unusual. Looked through my collection and found one that was close enough and that I had previously identified as a 37, then looked at the paper (looks like a wove), then got the gauge out and, whoa, 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 ????

Never had that gauge on a 37 / 41. Unitrade says it's a 37d, but it's too good to be true right?

Looks like I need this board advice!

First is a scan of the stamp to the right of what I think is a 41a rose carmine


Then, photos with the gauge. The color difference is due to yellowish lighting.
First 12 1/2 vertical :



12 vertical :



12 1/2 horizontal :



12 horizontal :



To be honest, the horizontal gauge is probably more like 12 1/4, but the perfs on both horizontals are a bit worn out.

Anyway, somebody got an idea or comments to share about this one?? :)

Seeing that big thumb on the stamp made me a bit queasy.

Tell me that's a thumb shaped set of tongs.

Sorry about the thumb!

In my excitement I did not edited them out
They kind of draw the attention away from the stamp!

Can you change your title to Canada possible 37d - to good to be true? This way more will be able to chime in . I've gone through 1000's of small queens and for anyone to certify it it will be done on a different gauge than yours. There is a wealth of info on this site about 3c small queens and there characteristics. I tried using my E perf gauge which is a computer gauge but the image is not right size. If you can send me a 600x600 scan I will take a closer look also a 300x300 scan with black background and I can check with a different software as well. To send please use my user name @bell.net
From the ones I have seen certified the perfs on yours don't look quite right and it has to be 100% 12.5 all 4 sides. There were many odd perfs within this series and different printings. Small Queens = Big headaches but great challenges.

Well, it is more the idea of your skin oils soaking into the possibly rare and valuable stamp that got me.

As long as your hands are clean and dry, touching or handling stamps with your fingers or hands will not hurt them, especially used stamps. Mint stamps can also be handled but need more care in doing so. I have seen numerous experts examine thousands of stamps often worth tens of thousands of dollars in their hands when necessary, as have I.
Of course care must be taken to prevent damaging the perfs or causing bends or creases.

revcollector, I have had a similar experience!
I once took two of my best GB stamps to a Stanley Gibbons valuation day, carefully using my tongs to put them into a small stockbook.
When I got there, to my horror the SG man simply whipped the stamps out of the stockboook with his fingers (he didn't seem to have any tongs with him), pronounced my £1 PUC and Edward VII £1 green "good enough to sell on ebay, but not good enough for us to buy", then dropped the PUC stamp on the floor!
Suffice to say I wasn't too impressed with the experts!
DavidR

I do not deny that there are certainly "experts" that do not deserve the title. Some people only care about their own material and will treat anything else in a very unprofessional manner. That does not change my basic premise, however.

here is the link to probably the best thread on 3c small queens anywhere on the net and of course it is here on SCF.
https://goscf.com/t/22248&SearchTer...,small,queen

I think this one might be useful.
http://www.rpsc.org/Library/SmallQu...l_Queens.htm

Great link revcollector- I think as with all studies the importance is to enjoy and and not get overly frustrated . Trying to absorb paper types, perfs, and colors all at same time is a challenge - slow and steady always wins the race.

Thanks a lot to all the contributors who helped me get a better grasp of the 3 cents Small Queen! Really appreciated!

Nitrolures helped me to figure out the perfs on this one, and it is definitely not a 37d. The scan I provided him gives a 11.75 all around perforation, which brings more question than it answer, but isn't that the fun part when dealing with the Small Queens?

I have used a steel ruler and a magnifying glass to measure by hand (by eyes!)the stamp and I doubt that my scanner is calibrated correctly. I will need to make other tests.

The measurement I obtained with the ruler gives 12.1 x 12.3, still not a 37d, but it would be more logical than 11.75 I guess.

I've order an Instanta gauge, when I receive it I will update the post if it gives a different result.

Still a puzzle but I'm beginning to think that the color is probably oxydized?