Scott #389 Orangeburg. Anyone Have One?

Not sure at what point I would sell, but certainly not until 5 figures. As a stamp collector I find it very hard to part with any rarity, no matter how valuable, and would keep it just for the joy of it. At some value (I unfortunately haven't reached yet) I would worry about screwing the stamp up somehow and feel better selling it. Thankfully my wife would agree although she has no say in the matter anyway (and I don't tell her when to sell her yarn).

That is correct. If this stamp is 1. Genuine Perf 12; 2. Has a single line watermark; 3. has a genuine guide line at left -then it *MUST* be a genuine 389 coil.

Which is why I said that if it was mine, I couldn't get it to an expert service fast enough......!

Again, oodles & oodles of valuable information! Thank you all. Love the pics too. I would give the left and maybe the right one for this stamp!

And like the others have said, if this was my stamp, it would already be in the hands of a professional to get it expertized !

Hi all, thank you for your opinions. I am really happy

And now the problems come over...
Let's say, I have a genuine #389 which is priceless without a certificate. How to get a certificate is quite clear but still I have several questions.

I am from Czech Republic. If I send my stamp somewhere to USA I will be nervous like hell. It has to travel all around the world...

How can I be sure that I get my stamp back?

I don't know how to send it = pack it correctly to avoid destruction of stamp...

For example PSE certification offers so much certifications and I don't know which one is the best for my stamp.

As you can see from my stupid questions I am a newbie in stamps but my collection is huge and valuable. It is a common story - heritage.

Is there someone who can give me some advice for getting a certificate? Or is there some thread where it is discussed?

Thanks for all, you are a great community!

Whatever mail option is available, take the one with insurance to cover more than the actual CV of the Stamp. Also, pay for the certification service to return it via insured mail.

Jinji,

In the matter of shipping to the States and back, don't mess around with the government carrier services and insurance. Pay the money and go to FedEx or similar service and make sure they will cover the value. Here is contact info for a FexEx outlet in Czech Republic:
Address: Na Radosti 399, 155 21 Praha, Czech Republic
Phone:+420 800 133 339

Talk with them about indemnity services and coverage in both directions, pick the one that works best, then have the experts use the same carrier for the return. Do not assume that all the protection available in the US is available from the same company in Czech Republic.

As for the kind of certificate you want, that depends upon your final plans. If you just plan to keep it, then just certify the identity. If you intend to sell it immediately, then also have them grade it. If you want to keep it a while, then just get the ID and go for the grading later.

None of this will be important if the stamp is certified for a common variety, but given the comments here, you are wise to treat it as an Orangeburg until confirmed otherwise.

As for agency, for something like this I prefer the Philatelic Foundation for ID but PSE for grading. That's me.

Here are some simple observations. Even though I carry private insurance for items sent to me or being returned from me for up to $50,000. per shipment if sent by either Registered or Express Mail (including FEDEX), if this was my stamp, I would want a PF certificate.

However, FEDEX will NOT insure the stamp. In fact, last time I looked, Collectible Stamps are a prohibited item, but as a practical matter, if you don't tell them you are sending a stamp, they won't ask, so using FEDEX is fine. But there will be no insurance, either coming or going, so you simply must accept that gamble and realize that shipping by FEDEX is "safe" 99.9% of the time and the chances of your stamp being "lost", stolen or damaged is very small. So again, if it was mine and I lived in the Czech Republic, I would use FEDEX and I would send it to the PF - even though the cost is going to be very high (over $500.00). On the other hand, if they find it is NOT a genuine #389, you will only then pay the minimum fee and shipping, which will be around $50. But if you get a good PFC, the stamp will be very saleable.

Following this up by doing some research - I am wrong to say that collectible stamps are prohibited. They WERE at one time, in fact I once wrote a Linn's article on this very subject, but they are now OK. However, if I read the rules correctly, collectible stamps can only be insured with FEDEX for $1,000. per shipment. See the following (sorry for the length!);

E.Shipments (packages or freight) containing all or part of the following items are limited to a maximum declared value for carriage of US$1,000 per shipment or US$9.07 per pound, whichever is greater. Import of any of the following items may be prohibited by individual countries, and a lower declared-value limitation for a country will control this stated limitation for such items: 1.Artwork, including any work created or developed by the application of skill, taste or creative talent for sale, display or collection. This includes, but is not limited to, items (and their parts) such as paintings, drawings, vases, tapestries, limited-edition prints, fine art, statuary, sculpture and collector's items.
2.Film, photographic images (including photographic negatives), photographic chromes and photographic slides
3.Any commodity that by its inherent nature is particularly susceptible to damage or the market value of which is particularly variable or difficult to ascertain.
4.Antiques, or any commodity that exhibits the style or fashion of a past era and whose history, age or rarity contributes to its value. These items include, but are not limited to, furniture, tableware and glassware.
5.Glassware, including, but not limited to, signs, mirrors, ceramics, porcelains, china, crystal, glass, framed glass, and any other commodity with similarly fragile qualities.
6.Plasma screens.
7.Jewelry, including, but not limited to, costume jewelry, watches and their parts, mount gems or stones (precious or semiprecious), industrial diamonds, and jewelry made of precious metal.
8.Furs, including, but not limited to, fur clothing, fur-trimmed clothing and fur pelts.
9.Precious metals, including, but not limited to, gold and silver bullion or dust, precipitates, or platinum (except as an integral part of electronic machinery).
10.Stocks, bonds, cash letters or cash equivalents, including, but not limited to, food stamps, postage stamps (not collectible), traveler's checks, lottery tickets, money orders, gift cards and gift certificates, prepaid calling cards (excluding those that require a code for activation), bond coupons, and bearer bonds.
11.Liquor stamps and tax stamps.
12.Collector's items such as coins, stamps, sports cards, souvenirs and memorabilia.

So again, if it was me, I would take the gamble and use FEDEX. In fact, I can tell you that there is a rather well-known world-class exhibitor who lives in Prague named Nick Kirke and I know Nick very well, and I can tell you that Nick ALWAYS uses FEDEX and swears by them!

Thank you for information. FEDEX will be good choice. In the case of genuine #389 I will think about selling. That means PSE cert is better because of grading.

I will let you know when the result come back.

By the way, I realized one quite suspicious detail... to have #389 is great but to have also #387 and #388 is really crazy . I will probably send more stamps for certification with my Orangeburg's item.

Anything new to report on this, Jingi?

Hi all!

I am back with results. It took 7 weeks to obtain certificates but they just came to my place. It is just like really nice christmas present :)

I sent 2 stamps #388 and #389 for certification. Stamp 388 is a fake. It is #375 with trimmed up and bottom. Not a big surprise...

but The Orangeburg coil is genuine!!

You can imagine that I am really happy.

Thank you all for your opinions and help with FedEx and PSE submission form. Have a nice christmas time and good luck with stamps.

Well CONGRATULATIONS! That is magnificent! Perfect timing for the holidays. Thanks for sharing the news.

Awesome! Thanks for updating us.

Great Find! Congratulations

Congratulations What a fabulous holiday gift.