Rant: Why I Despise The Professional Grading Of Stamps

Note that I say grading, not expertizing. Grading promotes the destruction of stamp multiples to artificially create jumbos that can then be charged insane amounts for.

I just received a marketing email from a dealer that specializes in graded stamps, and all of the "stamps" below were contained in it. Absolutely NONE of these items would ever occur naturally through normal commercial use. Only through intentional destruction of multiples could these items be manufactured.

And no, I'm not going to link to or name the dealer, because I don't want to encourage this destructive behavior.

All have PSE 100 or 100J certs. Idiotic asking prices shown.

Scott 314 pair: $550.00




Scott 320b: $400.00




Scott 320 pair: $900.00




Scott 345: $375.00




Scott 368: $275.00




Scott 373 pair: $400.00




Scott 383: $150.00




Scott 408: $125.00




Scott 409: $175.00




Scott 482 pair: $200.00




Scott 483 pair: $400.00




Scott 754-755 center line blocks: $450.00

if nobody bought them they wouldnt do it

But, but the president of PSE, an unbiased observer, cited professional grading of stamps when asked what was the most positive development in the stamp hobby during the last five years during a panel discussion at the recent APS stamp show.

Since these stamps are all imperforate, were there not more than one or two stamps that were also well-centered in the multiple that they were taken from? It would be better to have the whole complete multiple including the well-centered stamps which are really uncut stamps. Otherwise, the multiple could be considered damaged. Since when are one or two stamps surrounded by intentionally damaged and mutilated stamps considered desirable? Also, this may be easy to do with imperforate stamps, but with perforated stamps it's another matter because their centering has already been determined by the perforators' perforations. As time goes on, more of these imperforate multiples will be destroyed making them more and more scarcer and expensive. They are also potentially destroying full multiples which is how these imperforates should usually be collected in full pairs or more rather than in singles to prove or show that they weren't perforated stamps that were trimmed into imperforate stamps. Sorry, but I am against any mutilation of stamps on purpose.

I also look upon these stamps as damaged blocks of what ever. And extremely unattractive examples of what I would refer to as just another type of cut-out.

Since the title sez "RANT"...

PSE is neither unbiased, impartial nor competent.

This is what happens when coin collecting standards are applied to stamp collecting!

In my less than humble opinion, creating items in this manner is akin to polishing a coin. Grades of superb/gem should be only applicable to normally occuring stamps. I would bet my soul that everyone here considers reperforation and regumming as detrimental to a stamp's value, yet these abominations draw a premium. What the...????

I would NEVER purchase such an item.
I would NEVER purchase from a dealer who deals in such material.
I think that the ASDA should suspend any dealer involved in the creation of these un-rarities for a minimum of one year.

...and so as to rant in a somewhat impartial manner...

Why wouldn't a dealer take stock which has little to no "market value" / saleability and turn it into something they CAN sell, and at a price which exceeds the "catalog value" of the stamps destroyed in its creation?

I was being a bit sarcastic BTW

I know two people who purchase slabbed and graded stamps. One is a collector who has a small number of these items because he feels they are "the best I can buy" and are part of his 19th Century collection. The other is a non-collector who has drunk the Kool-Aid and thinks he is "investing wisely" for his retirement!

Oracle's sarcasm was duly noted. I simply prefer to be as clear as I can, especially since nothing is worse than an incoherent rant on the internet. Besides... I was up front about being a troll when I joined! (edited poor spelling)

I've never known anyone who collects the kind of aberrations shown by revenue collector, but I strongly doubt that they are knowledgeable philatelists.

From my perspective, all of the above comments are focussing on the dealers; their motive in creating these contrived items are clear. I would like to shift the focus on the graders and expertizing organizations. A marketable grade does not exist until it is put on a certificate. I think it is the responsibility of the expertizing organizations to decline to grade such items or to put the big red warning stamp in the center of the certificate the way The PF did in the 1980's-1990's.

I would think that a dealer who markets these imperforate Jumbo Superb Gems and pairs and sells them above the market price for a block of 6 (or whatever the block value is) is counting on ignorant buyers who don't realize they could get a block at a lower price...

BUT I DON'T CONDONE this kind of butchery!

It is rather nasty, isn't it?

Alas, the basic idea is not new however. Clearly there are far more examples such as these now, but even 50 years ago there were stamps such as these around. This is certainly one of the reasons I hate grading, but it is not the only one.