Question About Reperfed Stamps.

Need some advise. When a stamp is reperfed does it lose it's value. If so, does it lose all its's value or only certain percentage.Why are stamps reperfed, is it to increase it's value.Any advise and information will be most appreciated. Thanks.

Alterations such as regumming and reperforating Stamps is usually done to hike up the price. An altered Stamp greatly reduces the value.

People reperf stamps for a number of reasons ... to hide faults, to create forgeries, to make margins look even, and so on. But all those reasons can be summed up with one word: Greed.

As Stallzer stated, it is an attempt to make a stamp more valuable than it really is. Stamps that are reperfed are considered damaged and have considerable less value than the originals.

Brian

When a stamp is reperfed does it lose it's value? YES!

If so, does it lose all its's value or only certain percentage? LOSES 90-100% OF THE VALUE --solely dependent on the collector/Auction House. The most collectors will not touch a re-perfed stamp IF they now its re-perfed . There are other collectors who are willing to buy re-perfs because they know they will never afford the real thing and are willing to accept that upfront.

Why are stamps reperfed, is it to increase it's value? ABSOLUTELY! Bottomline: The purpose is to deceive unknowing collectors -- and it has been going on since perfs were invented (almost). It is the reason you rarely, if ever, see a natural production straight-edge on high-value pre-1920 US issues. Re-Perf Kits were openly sold in the early Stamp Dealer Trade papers into the early-twentieth century. Re-perfing was done to "dress" stamps and to sell hi-value new issues released with straight edges. Stamp collectors refused to buy a stamp with a natural production straight edge; collectors thought the production straight edge meant the stamp was damaged - they wanted perfs on four sides.

"Dressing" stamps (or covers) is nothing new... a perf here... a spot of ink there ... a paper thin fixed... you want one with gum--- no problem... that can be fixed if the dealer knows the tricks. There are some Dealers that have had absolutely no ethics -- it has been all about the money - period.

As for advice: it is up to you. It reflects your stamp taste and what you can afford. The question you need to ask yourself is, "WHAT WILL SATISFY ME?" It doesn't matter what my opinion is --the fun about this hobby is the only one to please is yourself.

To me, a re-perfed stamp is simply a space filler, and nothing more. It's a damaged stamp. It's a stamp not original production condition. But that's me. I set a certain standard for the material I collect -- that reflects my personal tastes. I look at stamps as a personal pleasure first an investment second; I have never seen a real market for re-perfed (damaged) stamps.

Look, let's call re-perfs what they really are -- an altered or damaged stamp. How mush is a damaged stamp worth? If there are only one or two copies of the item, well then yes, there is a value. If it is a more common issue like a $5 Columbian with 27,350 issued or a 90¢ Lincoln of 1869 with 47,360 issued... then its value value maybe x% of catalogue dependent on how good the person was in re-perfing; the symmetry of the stamp perfs and the re-perfed line in comparison to the other sides. There are re-perfs and then there are attempts at re-perfs.

FInally, I've never seen a column in any of the stamp catalogues listing prices for damaged/altered stamps, and I I don't think you ever will because, in the end, that's what a re-perf is -- a damaged/altered stamp.

Hal

Thanks and points noted. Notice that some people are selling reperfed stamps in ebay and some people are bidding high on them. So was wondering if there is anything special about some reperfed stamps. Thanks again for all the inputs.

Reperfed stamps, to me, are of little value.
A regummed stamp bought at a cheap price, can be soaked to remove the gum.

You have to treat regummed stamps as no gum stamps when buying.