Canal Zone Identification

Hi, I am new to the forum and I am having trouble identifying a canal zone stamp. It is the 50c lilac Arlington Ampitheater with sharp top A's (#94). However, when I the perforations appear to be 11x10 1/2, instead of 11. Both the sharp top and flat top (#80) version are listed as an overprint of US #570 which is an 11x11. There is an 11x10 1/2 US version (#701), however, this is not listed as an overprint stamp in the scotts catalog in the canal zone section. Any help appreciated!

Not the best scan, but the overprint looks fake to me.

MichaelPolelle, if possible could you please post a better picture of this stamp, preferable a scan?

Peter

I am traveling this week so had to use my phone, I will scan next week when I am home. I hadn't seen anything in the catalog about fakes on the on this issues and hadn't thought of it, but that would make sense - funny they used the wrong stamp. I will still put up a better scan next week for reference. Thanks!

Sc. 701 is a rotary press issue, isn't it?

I think the OP is bothered by the perfs and not the overprint per se. I don't know if it's another case of Scott rounding things off or if someone really has forged an overprint onto the later Scott 701. Measuring the dimensions of the stamp--or just comparing it to a known Scott 507--will give something of an answer.

EDIT: It looks like an earlier comment was deleted. I'll just leave this one in place to give the OP a better idea of what I'm getting at.

Thanks for the info. I won't be back home until next week but will definitely compare to the 570 when I get back and will post what I find. I am newer (well back into it after many many years) and am discovering how skeptical one needs to be. Luckily I just found this in my old collection and didn't pay for it, but need to get better at spotting the fakes.

For what it's worth, Michael, your overprint looks closer to the sample printed in my Scott Specialized Catalogue than what I have seen on stamps for sale through ebay. Yours doesn't seem as 'clean' but there is a note, too, in the catalogue that may explain that. We'll all be anxious to hear more when you return home!

Based on what I can see, I'm convinced that the overprint is a fake and the faker had no idea that the stamp existed in flat and rotary printings0

jarnick, why do you say that? I must be missing something.

You've got an overprint, commonly forged,known printed only on flat printed stamps suddenly appearing on a rotary print. Occam's Razor.

Is the stamp from a rotary press? I thought that was to be determined.

Seems more likely that it was not correctly perfed to begin with.

OK, so following up now that I'm back home. As I am just picking this hobby up again after a many year hiatus, I was only able to use an old scanner and old perf gauge, but realize I will have to get a better magnifier/scanner as well as better perf gauge. I forgot how much money this hobby can suck out of you.

Anyway, first image is a better image of the stamp. Again, it measures 10 1/2 x 11 which matches the 701 (not known for canal zone) vs. the 570 which is a known canal zone.

The second shows it on top of my known 570 - it appears wider to me (again, I need better gauges) so it does appear to be the 701 which is rotary.

The third shows compared to another canal zone which is inexpensive (so am assuming not forged) and you can see the letters appear more compressed on the 50c.

So, I have come to my novice conclusion that someone tried to forge the stamp, but weren't very good and used the wrong version to forge. Let me know if anyone has a different perspective - thanks!

Thanks for posting a better image Michael, it is far easier to spot now. And yes, I agree with you and 1typesetter that this is a forgery.

Peter

A fake seems much more likely from the better scan.