More Ebay Regumming?

I noticed a nice 20 cent Admiral in mint condition with NH original gum going for a good price on ebay today. After looking at the scans more closely, I noticed that the stamp has what I call "clear tips". These are perforation tips that look like there is more gum than paper. They have a transparent look from the front but look more normal from the back. To me this would be a sign of a regummed stamp.

I notice that the seller has a variety of Victorias, Edwards and this Admiral all showing the same strange look to the perforations even though they are described as NH/OG. The seller has a perfect feedback rating of more than 1500 and seems to provide very decent scans of the material for sale.

Does anybody here have any informed opinions about the type of perforation tips I am referring to? Is this a sign of regumming or am I just missing some nice deals? Below are links to the Admiral in question plus the seller's other items for sale. The Victorias and Edwards all seem to show these strange perforation tips to some degree.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181640535676

http://www.ebay.com/sch/roes-shells/m.html

Re-gummed stamps posing as NH on ebay? I am shocked!, shocked and appalled. Seriously - anybody who insists on NH backs who buys stamps online is asking for trouble. They are hard enough to detect when you have them in your hands. Collect used - or better yet, precancels!

chasa..You hit the nail on the head...True stamp collecting is collecting used stamps.

Well chasa, I do not happen to agree with wert's comment about your post. I think is was one of the most unhelpful, sarcastic and insulting posts I have read in a while. Plus you are taking it upon yourself to tell other people what they should collect! On top of that, you are seriously suggesting precancels as an alternate for avoiding fraudulent stamps. Precancels and other overprints are one of the easiest and most faked categories of stamps that there is. In my opinion, this very interesting category of collecting has never been extremely popular simply because of the simplicity of faking.

And wert, you are normally a poster I respect, but to suggest that only one kind of collecting is "true" collecting is also quite narrow-minded and disrespectful of other collectors. My specialty is VFNH mint Canadian stamps but I also love collecting used stamps and agree that they are particularly interesting because of the wealth of diverse material available. However, I would certainly not try to tell other collectors how "true" collecting is defined.

I posted a new topic in the forum to try to get some advice or informed opinion on a particular subject and not to be insulted or told what to collect!

Scottamer...Sorry that you feel that way..Let me ask you a question..If EVERYONE on this forum collected MINT stamps, what kind of enjoyment would we have.(BTW, I still respect you even after your comments)..?

So, if we all had mint stamps, then every bodies collection would be EXACTLY the same..Where is the fun and excitement trying to get a better stamp that your buddy or trying to get a better stamp..???

it was just my opinion and agreeing with chasa...DID NOT mean any disrespect to anyone on this or any other forum..If you find it beneath you to apologize, that is up to you..But at least apologize to chasa

The preceding four replies are off topic. If you wish to debate what to collect, start another topic. This topic is for discussing the original post, namely whether certain attributes indicate regumming. Please help keep the signal to noise ratio of SCF high by staying on topic.

cjpalermo1964..i apoligize...your right...

Before everyone gets bent out of shape with this post and my comments, let me say that I for one am not telling anyone how or what to collect. I like mint Canadian stamps since it is a great way to experience the quality of the engraving and printing without any wear or postmarks to blemish their appearance. I also like to see a page in my album of stamps that look just as they did when they arrived in post offices many years ago. There is something tangible for me to handle a stamp that looks and feels just like it did a hundred years ago. This is also one of the reasons that I like older Canadian booklets as well.

In no way am I suggesting that everyone should collect mint stamps although I do not see why this would ruin the forum as has been suggested above. I love used stamps and have a vast collection of them which I add to every month. I am also interested in precancels and have recently purchased a variety of literature on them since I wanted to know more about them.

My original post asked for some straight advice about a very specific issue I was observing in the images for some auctions. What I received in reply was a very sarcastic reply telling me that I was wasting my time and that I should collect something other than NH stamps if I care to buy online. This was then followed by a reply stating that only the collection of used stamps was "true" stamp collecting.

My response was to state that I thought these narrow views were disrespectful of other collectors who should be free to collect what they want. I see no reason why I should apologise to anyone. I am not disagreeing with what you collect or whether you like what I collect. I am only stating that I believe collectors should not try to tell others what to collect or what is "true" collecting.

No more comments my friend..And if you care, I still consider your input important and STILL consider you as a friend..end of story...

Hard to tell for the regumming but I have my doubts. His reputation is good and returns accepted so Worth taking a shot in my opinion. The delivery charge of 4.15$ is outrageous though.

Going back to my original topic, does anyone have any experience with the "clear tip" perforation issue I have asked about? In another recent post, pepere_jack asked about a 2 cent small queen that he felt might be regummed. I was not as convinced of this as other members were but I do notice that his images show the same type of perforation tip phenomenon that I was concerned about in my original post. The image below shows pepere_jack's stamp and an admiral that I was interested in with the "clear tips" highlighted. To me, this is disturbed gum or regum that has moved into the stray fibers at the edges of the perfs. This is why they have a "clear" or translucent appearance to me whereby the black background shows through this part of the perforation.



I avoid purchasing these stamps online since they seem to represent gum problems. I am wondering if my fear is unfounded or if other members agree that this is likely caused by regumming on supposedly NH stamps. The Admiral pictured above is listed as NH and the dealer seems to have experience and a perfect ebay feedback score.

Both those stamps have been re-gummed. Stamps that are original gum, have small fibres protruding from the perforations as they are separated from each other. Also the holes of the perforations, should have no gum in them. As the stamps were perforated after gumming. I too collect MNH Canada, and I can assure you, if it is too good to be be true, then it is. You get what you pay for. There is even a large scale Canada only dealer located in the US, that sells re-gums, and too top it off, he provides his own certificates. So you have to be vigilant with what you buy out there.

Scottamer... Would the perforations edges on re-gummed stamps have a sort of a blob affect..??
While fresh original gummed stamps be crisp and more uniform..?
Robert

Sorry if I offended anybody - that was not my intention. We should all collect what we enjoy. I have collected NH Canada for many years and have learned the hard way that it is difficult to identify OG NH stamps.

Chasa...Dont worry about it...We are all friends here on this forum...
Scottamer is a good guy and I consider myself the same..Lets just have fun and learn...

Re-gums have the blob effect on the perfs. Original gum have visible paper fibres on the perf tips. Very easy to spot with a 10X loop. What is harder to detect, is gum that has been re-distributed, to make the stamp look NH. Have been fooled a few times with this. So have re-signed myself to buying from reputable dealers, that I meet face to face, and reputable auction houses. Nothing beats a Greene Cert. You have peace of mind with the proper cert.