Treasure Chest

Just last week I acquired a collection full of goodies . Nobody around me appreciate good stamps, so I would like to share it with you . I only have Scott catalog to refer to, so I would also like to see if there anything special about these stamps, not mentioned it the Scott. I'll be going very slow since I have very little free time available at the moment.

I also would like to get an advise on rehabbing this collection. It came in a very rough shaped, all stamps jammed in a plastic bag, all heavily hinged, many dirty. I started soaking some off, very carefully, in slightly warm water, but would love to get an advise on the best way to do so.

Here are some that I have soaked already.

China Imperial Dragons Scott 13 and 14, perforated 12. Love the cancels on this stamps, especially on 3 candarin, and the watermark.

Here is Portugal # 20. These Portuguese stamps will be really tough for me due to many reprints. The first question that comes to mind: are there used reprints? I know that fake cancel can be applied to a fake or a reprint, but in general?

There is also what appears to be a "calender mark" (printer's term - round white spot with black dot in the middle) at the upper right corner near 25. Does this type of printing defect add to the value, or decrease it?

And the last one for today.

Belgium Scott #6. I could see a watermark, but no frame around it so I guess it is #6. It is on medium thick paper, that makes it thick paper variety(noted in scott). I don't see any ribs, so I guess it is not ribbed paper.

No reprints or fakes mentioned, so I guess it is a genuine #6.

I really, really like the socked on the nose cancel for the last one and the lines cancellation around his eyes also gives it a mysterious feel.

A nice stamp indeed. Not of a great monetary value, but definitely a keeper. I assume 156 is from large metropolitan area cause I've seen it before.

This one is from France. Scott # 23. Yellow Green on greenish paper.







Not a great stamp in terms of quality due to thin, but really nice looking one (at least for me), with SON cancel which is also light. Wonder where 3298 is.

Another pretty stamp. This time from Spain, Scott #19. The paper is so thin, almost like pelure.

Back to France again, French Colonies to be exact. French Colonies Scott #20. Based on the cancel, I think it is from Guadeloupe,the city of Basse-Terre.

And the last one for today - Denmark Scott #9 (I think it is Brown, not Deep Brown). What is strange about this stamp,is that Scott calls for it to be Rouletted 11. It does appear to be rouletted at top and bottom, but it looks perforated 11 on the sides.

i don't know the Scott numbers, but this is 1863 4sk worth about $2

the is referred to as "punktured or pierced" in the perforation. foreign catalogues call this roulettet.
if this would have perforation on all sides it would have been much more interested.

For your French lozenge cancel:
There is a list of both petit chiffres and gros chiffres on wikipedia.
Here is the GC list - http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_...ros_Chiffres

Your first two China are poor forgeries.

Great Stamps danko

Thanks for sharing

Dianne

Being very naive and not too educated about such things, can floortrader explains why the Chinese stamps appear to be forgeries? Thanks.

re Floortrader's comment,

" Your first two China are poor forgeries ".

They look like perfectly genuine to me,

Pagoda