Perforation Analysis - We Need To Do More.

Hi guys..I have always been bothered by the rounding off of perforations associated with Canadian stamps in Unitrade and other stamp catalogues...Take for instance these 2 Scott #30 and Scott #30b stamps...Scott classifies it as 12.0x12.0 or 11.5x12.0...Now as you can see, my Scott #30 is 12.0x12.0 as shown...But my Scott #30b is 12.25x12.25...No big deal you say, but with rounding off of perforations we loose site that maybe (MAYBE) the 12.25x12.25 is much rarer than all the rest...This holds true with any stamp..See pictures below.

JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT...Robert

Wert, this is a problem in KGVI collecting as well, but a good problem. Are are numerous uncatalogued perf varieties, though they are minor compared to what you describe above. As one accumulates examples and sorts them, one wonders do these minor perf varieties represent distinct printings or even different printers using the same plates. One also wonders which may be rarities/scarcities to be recognized in the future.

This is what I am getting at shermae...And I know there will be people on here saying I am nit picking, but let me give every one another example..What is the Catalogue people had decided to do the same with stamp colours as they have done with perforations...Take for instance Nova Scotia Scott #2..Scott #2b...and Scott #3..All blue, but distinct..If they had said lets just call them all blue, we would NOT know the variations and the price difference between these stamps..Am I making sense..??

Maybe I should start a database with perforation inputs from all the guys/girls on this site..?

Wert, can you please take your two stamps side by side, line up the perfs and scan them together. Not separate scans and cut and paste together. When I measured the perfs with electronic calipers, I get both your stamps as perf 12 x 12.

Wert: In my old perforation booklet that you have, see page 25 and in my new perforation booklet see pages 36 and 37 which may be helpful about this here.

Both of these measurements are known to exist and they contradict the Kiusalas gauge since 12 is around Kiusalas 65.5 and 12.25 is around Kiusalas 64.5

BeeSee..Here they are scanned together and aligned as best I can..The bottom perfs line up, but the top perfs show the difference.

Doesn't all start from the stupid tradition to round off perforation gauges to the nearest 1/4 or 1/2?!? Even so-called electronic devices do this rounding off! Instead of giving me 11.876 they display 12 where it might as well be 11 3/4 - being 11.875 halfways....

The most often used size for Dutch stamps is 25x36mm and several comb's have been used. Counting 16x25 teeth the gauge will be 12.8000:13.8888 or rounded off as 12 3/4:14, whereas with a slight inaccuracy in measuring 13 3/4 would be just as plausible! And that was what happened! Our dealar's catalogue used to have both 13 3/4 and 14 for different stamps with always the same size involved...

I hear you Galeoptix....My Newfoundland Specialized catalogue has some stamps with as many as 10 or 11 different perforation identifiers...I know Scott and Unitrade call themselves "specialized" but they don't go far enough..That's why I suggested maybe building a small database for every one to input and use as a perforation guide.

And as shermae mentioned, maybe recognize some rarer stamps perforations that as far as we know, no one is aware of yet.

Robert

wert: In my old perforation booklet that you have, see page 25 and in my new perforation booklet see pages 36 and 37 which may be helpful about this here.

Both of these measurements are known to exist and they contradict the Kiusalas gauge since 12 is around Kiusalas 65.5 and 12.25 is around Kiusalas 64.5

Mine only goes up to page 11...

wert: Is the booklet you have incomplete? It's "The Canadian Stamp Perforation Change of 1962". The old one is supposed to have around 28 pages in total and the new one 41 pages in total. How could the booklet stay stapled with only 11 pages which is not even half?

jogil..Relax, I think I have the original booklet in my stuff and the extra you provided for me..Thanks.

Here is a small database example of perforation differences from what is actually out there as to what Unitrade and Scott identify as the correct perforation...I took 10 of my stamps..Any missing from the list are either not in my collection or are as Unitrade/Scott have identified...Now, I know this is not earth shattering, but just say for instance my Scott #17a with the perfs I input do not appear in any one else's collection..Does that make you think..??

Now if I have my perf on a stamp and Unitrade/Scott identified another perf..Then I would have 2 completely different stamps in my collection and not just one...Make you think again..?

Database below...Robert

wert: Could you also show pictures of your 25ii, 27c and 28b from your above chart with perforation gauge on top of the perforations like you did on the above first picture?

jogil...Here they are as requested...Did it in a hurry, dropping wife off at the mall (i hate malls..haha).

Here is one last example to get across what I am in my humble way, trying to explain to every one...Here is my Scott #36D...My Scott #36 is 12 x 12 and this #36D is 12.3 VERT. and 12.15 HORZ.

Scott shows it as 12 x 12
Unitrade shows it as 12 x 12 or 11.5 x 12

If my #36D was say a plain #36 with 2 different perfs..Then we have 2 different stamps, not one.

wert: Isn't it more like 12.2 rather than 12.3 as shown above?