Terminology 'Jumbo' Variety-Definition

For me, with perforated stamps there's a point where "jumbo" passes from desirable to freakish and unattractive. The eye of the beholder and all that.

What are these called? I recall reading about them here on SCF, but can't seem to find the topic. This production variety is prevalent with early British Empire stamps, if I recall correctly.


Thanks,

Robert

Are you thinking of wing margin copies?

Yes, agree. "Wing Margin" stamps.
Spink Auctions

Wing margins, that's it. Thanks all.

Robert

Wing margin, mis-perf, EFO, jumbo on two sides?

This US postage due stamp appears to be a "wing margin" stamp, but since it originates from a printed sheet without a wide center gutter, would it be proper to call it such? And if not, what?





Burnside

I don't recall seeing any reference to an US wing margin,
A Brit commonwealth verbiage.
Open to correction.

It is an outer margin stamp, bottom left stamp of left pane.

"Through study of surviving large multiples and full sheets, students of the large Banknote regular issues and Official stamps have long observed that the setting of the perforating rollers for the perimeter rows, both vertically and horizontally, were consistently wider."

http://chronicle.uspcs.org/PDF/Chro...16/12964.pdf

While primarily this Chronical article on centering is about Official stamp, it applies to the other banknote stamps including the large postage due stamps.

Thank you littleriverphil for the great article by Allan Campbell on Official Stamp perforation. Not only does this article explain how the sizes of these stamps are created, but it uses the term "wing margin" as the descriptor for stamps with oversized margins.

So "wing margin" is applicable to US stamps and definitely a better descriptor than "jumbo margins on two sides". And, since the stamp resulted from standard operations, not an error, although the registration of the sheet on the perforator machine appears to have been off.

That said, my stamp's feelings were hurt by this Campbell quote:


But then, I never told my stamp that it lives in the Duplicates Stock Book, either.

Sometimes best to let sleeping dogs lay.

Happy New Year everyone!

Burnside

As far as I know, the term 'jumbo' doesn't have any well-defined objective definition - it is quite subjective. On the 'Bell Curve' of stamp size, a jumbo is at the very end of the curve, and the curve is different for different issues.

I do find it interesting (and mystifying) that the stamp-grading entities can put a numeric value on a stamp's centering, and then tack on a Jumbo attribute, combining a highly defined and precise attribute (centering = 95/98/100) and a not-too-well defined attribute ("Hey Joe! Should we tack a 'J' on the end of this 98??"). As I recall, there was a senator (congressman?) who said, "I don't know how to define smut (porn?), but I know it when I see it!" I think the term "Jumbo" is similar.

I GUARANTEE you that there are stamps that magically morph from 'not Jumbo' to 'Jumbo' between when they are being bought and when they are being sold. Certainly many when they are borderline. I have seen many stamps being called Jumbo with which I would disagree. I just walk away. Remember, the dealer only has to sell it once - he only needs one collector to agree with his 'Jumbo' assessment.

"Jumbo" is also a word that had different applications to different issues. For some issues having a jumbo is almost a physical impossibility because of the spacing between the positions. At least for certain perforated stamps, since an imperf cut right to the edge of the next example on four sides would still be a fairly big stamp.

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart

Jim

http://cbldf.org/about-us/case-file...en-i-see-it/

Jumbo stamps are specific to the issue, and "outliers" to the normal margins found (as a percent of total stamp area). They were seized upon by expertizing firms as a marketing tool, unfortunately, imho.

Wing margins on GB issues used to get trimmed off and reperfed, fortunately now there is an acceptance of them. I am not a fan of the "jumbo" designation, reasonable and natural margins are fine for me.