Watermark Frustration

Is there an electronic device for reading watermarks? I just cannot do it. The only WM I ever clearly saw was on an unused revenue stamp.

I have followed some threads here, with pictures. I could'n see anything. Some of the discussion seemed to me to make as much sense as a discussion of reading tea leaves or bat entrails. I've got the stuff: Ronsonol, little black tray.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Don

Don, I can sympathize with you. If you`d like, e-mail me your address and I will send you a couple of stamps where the watermark is easy to read. Once you discover how everything is done, it will become second nature to you. Except, of course, for the difficult colors and single line watermarks and... Well, you get the point. It`s never easy.

But I`m serious about sending you some stamps. They will help you practice and I will send along a diagram of where the watermarks are located.

You have my sympathies - I've got a little better over time, but not brilliant. The Signoscope is the main electronic detector, but I found it no better than lighter fuel!

http://www.worldstamps.co.uk/Access...rk_detectors

Don....maybe the stamp just does not have a watermark??

Watermarks are very frustrating, especially the Washington Franklin single line watermarks. I've been going through a bunch of 454s, and I know that most/all of them should have a watermark, but they are very hard to see. Well, I finally found a stamp with an easy single line watermark, and managed to scan it. Maybe this will help. The stamp is in an old vario with plenty of fluid. It's not as flat as it could be, but still shows up.

Ray

I'm impressed. I'd still not have spotted a watermark. An excellent example of why I decided finding watermarks on US stamps was going to shorten my life, rather than enhance it!

Geoff

This might help you (for US stamps) ...
http://www.stampsmarter.com/1847usa/Watermarks.htm
Don

Thanks for trying to help me, but I'm afraid it's a bit like trying to help someone totally tone-deaf enjoy an opera.
Ray, all I see is the front of the stamp, and some white blotches? Are they the watermark?
KGB,I've sent you an email. Thanks so much for your kind offer.

Geoff, I'm afraid I agree with you, but it does take some of the fun out of collecting.

Don

ddreisba,

Finding a watermark can be frustrating, especially the single line US watermarks. The group has already given you some good advice. Here's my experience:

1. Practice on the easy ones. Some countries (e.g. Germany) have such distinctive watermarks that you can sometimes see them without fluid.

2. Try to watermark a block of stamps. You will be able to see a whole watermark.

3. Don't expect that you will see exactly what the pictures online and in the catalog look like. They are generally not as distinct. Sometimes tilting the watermark tray at an angle to the light will help too.

4. Sometimes with heavily cancelled stamps, the ink from the cancel will make the watermark impossible to see. I put them in a separate pile and assume the lowest catalog value.

5. I tried to embed a YouTube video from Kenmore Stamps on how to watermark but it doesn't seem to work. Go to YouTube and search watermarking stamps.

Hang in there!
Dan

I added a new online tool for US watermarks to the 1847USA web site, it allows users to move a template over the watermark image to see some of the combinations that can occur. There are pages for eacj watermark type (USPS Doubleline, USPS Doubleline reversed, USPS Singleline, USPS Singleline Reversed, USIR, and USIR Reversed.

Of course this screen shot doesn't reflect the ability to move the template around, but you can click link below and try it yourself.

Note; it is possible on single line watermark for a stamp to fall between the watermark themselves, making it appear that it does not have any watermark.
Don

http://www.stampsmarter.com/1847usa...%20USPS.html

After I scanned the previous watermark, I was able to watermark about half of my WFs. Many had the entire letter or most of the letter. I would say just keep on trying, it will finally come to you. I scanned another stamp with a better watermark. I hope. I made this one smaller, it seems easier to see it that way.

IT works best for me to not focus on any area of the stamp, rather just look at the stamp in its entirety.

Ray,
Is that a you in upper left? Did I really see it?
Don

The first one is a you upper left, but if you mean the second one, that's the postmark showing through. The second image is an S upper middle. It's hard to get a good scan, more obvious first hand.

Doing this on tablet, so not exact..

Ray

Now I see it! Really helpful.

Geoff

GeoffHa, you worry me. I just ordered a signoscope T1 ($300!) in a desperate attempt to overcome my British colonies problem. I'll be disgruntled if it doesn't work any better than lighter fluid. I hope you're at least partly exaggerating.

Don, here are scans of the four stamps I will mail to you tomorrow. More to come if you think this is a worthwhile exercise.

The top row are the stamps wet scanned, the bottom row shows the stamps scanned dry.



I haven`t identified the stamps as I`d like you to attempt to match each stamp to its scan once they arrive. I don`t think you`ll have too much trouble, but I personally think the watermarks show up better in a scan.

I can also share some tips I use to get a better look at the watermarks with just the naked eye.

P.S. I`ll send this jpg image to you by e-mail so that you can see the detail better than what is shown here.