APS Expertizing Service Errors?

The only problem with that premise is that the first U.S. horizontal commemoratives weren't issued until 1893, long after this cover conceivably was sent. Unless this entire was used out of period, and the green 10-center swapped in for a removed commem in order to make it a more attractive/valuable in-period piece? The problem with that thought though is that the other postal markings look considerably earlier than the 1890s.

Perhaps a horizontal pair that was lifted?

Happy Holidays to all!

While we are waiting for billw2's response, I thought that I would share a PSE cert error. Typos can always happen when typing information, however, re-reading and editing should be part of issuing any certificate!

This example shows a #833, $2.00 green and black block, being certed as a #832, $1.00 purple and black block!

Who's to figure. I have sold this block, so I can only provide an old photo.

that is sad….are they that busy??????

I'm wondering what possessed the submittor to request a graded cert rather than just a regular one. A graded cert is only a positive if the grade is 80 or higher (in my opinion). Otherwise you're better off without a grade and the grade can actually be a negative come selling time.

Very Inexperienced I will admit.

Having very little knowledge, and a salesperson that took 82 of the
goofiest examples of ever submitted material. They graded every possible stamp they could. Most of the grades were under forty. I happily signed the check and sent them off. Beware!

Yes, shame on me.

rlm,

I'm laughing.

Your experience with grading/certification mimicks my experience from my first two submissions about 10 years ago to PSE. It wasn't pretty! After I got back about 8 stamps from PSE in my first submission, I had nothing to show for it, except a bunch of faulty (regum/reperf/minor scuff, 1mm tear, etc) or sub-80 grades. My best stamp from that submission was an unused, original gum 2$ colombian graded 70. (I still cherish it since it was the highest grade I got). To this day, I still think the PSE grader gave me pity on this one stamp. Its disheartening getting back a graded "10" stamp from PSE (of course I thought it was sound VF-80 when I sent it in).

Glad to hear others have had same experience. It turned me off from collecting for at least 7-8 years before I came back to it. On the brighter side, I am way more experienced now and will never make those same mistakes again. I'll try to dig up some of these "goofy"/embarrassing stamps I submitted and show them. At least I'll feel the cert money I spent went toward someone's enjoyment/education here on SCF.

rg

By the way,

I did not send them in to PSE. They sat across from me at their table
at the "New York City Show 2009". They reeled me in like a silly rabbit!

rlm,

That is even funnier. I just spit up. Should start a new thread… "Post pic of your most embarrassing/dumb stamp you sent in for a certification/grade"

rg

I've only had one experience along this line, and I wouldn't call it an error.

I purchased this stamp, with the certificate, on ebay. I thought it would be nice to have a certified stamp which showed straw paper.





Here's the APEX Cert which came with it.




After looking at this stamp for two days, under magnification, with an Ott light behind it, in front of it, in sunlight and at every angle imaginable, I came to the conclusion either I was losing my mind (and my eyesight) or this was NOT straw paper as there wasn't a single visible strand of anything which could be considered a "straw" fiber.

I contacted Mercer Bristow at the APS and told him the problem and he promptly asked to have the stamp sent back. Here's what I received back from APS:







The determination was quite different, but this was a tough item to certify. I would hazard a guess that the person who originally submitted it thought they had a Scott 64 and must have been quite disappointed when they got the certification back. I was a little disappointed because I still don't have a straw paper stamp in my collection .

At the end of the day, although APS did offer to replace my expense from the original purchase and there was no cost for the new certificate, I decided to keep the stamp as part of the collection.

I felt that the way APS handled the entire problem was nicely done. It cost me nothing, I was offered a refund of my purchase price - no questions asked, and I have a neat stamp story to tell.

I had a disagreement with PSE on the Ickes collection certified stamps but that's in another post to this forum. Feel free to look that one up when you get a minute.

So, I can't say anything about PF or PSAG, as I've never had an issue one way or the other with them. In both instances, APEX and PSE fixed the issues and made sure I was satisfied with the end result.

I like it!

So, if you've found a problem, I think the bottom line is to let the certifying service know about it. Give them a chance to review the issue and correct it. Not doing so is a disservice to yourself, to the certificate issuing authority and ultimately to the hobby. What happens if, God forbid, you get run over tomorrow. Are your heirs going to be savvy enough to know that Scott 24 with a certificate is wrong? Would they know enough to send it in for a review? Or are they more likely to put it back into the marketplace and let the next collector make the discovery that it's a Scott 23.

Something to think about.

rg,

I always try to admit to all of my mistakes, as embarrassing as they may be. I do not think I will start a new thread. If you do, I may chime in. I would like to let this thread return to it's earlier thought's!

Thank you for all of your earlier support!

Thank you very much for sharing these experiences, everyone who is reading this has made missteps themselves. Far too often our fellow hobbyists remain silent (or even worse, leave the hobby) when they feel 'taken' by others. By being forthcoming and honest these experiences help others avoid the same mistakes and improve philately.

The truth is that no one loses as long as we don't lose the lesson.

I respect and am appreciative the courage and selflessness that the folks here have demonstrated.
Don

OK guys, here's the problem... The cover is absolutely missing two stamps. The boxed "AACHEN FRANCO" marking is indicative that this cover was carried to Saxony by the Prussian Closed Mail service. Now, prepayment was optional for this service, but this marking indicates that when the cover made it to Aachen (Where PCM inbound mail was processed) it was fully franked for the 30c per 1/2oz rate.

The cover, if you look at it, clearly indicates that stamps are missing. If I had to hazard a guess, I would suspect that a 12c and a 5c were missing but, due to the 10c stamps being much more common, were this cover franked with 3 10c stamps with a slight overpayment wouldn't be shocking.

On top of that, this is a relatively common rate for this period, it's not like a French Mail to Germany or Bremen-Hamburg mail to Greece or some other rather obscure use, at any given time there's probably a dozen or more PCM covers on ebay and they pop up at auction all the time. In other words, if you're glancing at treaty rate covers of this period this is glaring, I caught it from the thumbnail image on ebay.

I did email the seller about this, I highly doubt he is aware of there being an issue as I have had a great many positive dealings with him.

Bill

This example was "my error" in sending in for a cert. Somehow, with no knowledge, to me it resembled the # 181 special printing of 1875 issue, ($450,000) They should have sent Grasshopper home.

If SCF has a Halloween contest for a masquerade type stamp, I think that this could be a contestant.

You might think that if a stamp does not grade as a ? 50, then they might pass on grading it. When I look at the PSE population report, under any issue, I see the lowest score as a 10. I was actually issued a 5. It is interesting that you can pay to have a bad grade removed.

Zachary Taylor in costume as the Lone Ranger. It was graded as a 20.

rlm,

I won't leave you hanging out by yourself. On this particular stamp, you beat me on the downside by 10 points. Congrats (I guess) . This stamp was from my original first submission ever to PSE. I did't realize it was 13 years ago. How time flies!

I thought the stamp was unused OG, previously hinged #179. I thought centering was F-VF or VF. If I recall, I was hoping to get a grade of 80. Well, didn't turn out that way.

And bonus… to go with this thread (perhaps)… I don't even think PSE description is accurate. It should read "REGUMMED over small thins". I actually think they forgot to put the "thins" on the certificate. Otherwise I don't think they would have penalized it 45-50 points for gum-soaked perforations. In other words, one may read the cert and just think its regummed but SOUND, without other faults (except minor gum soaked perfs from regumming job) There are definitely thins.

The regum job is obvious. The thins are obvious. Under mag there are gobs of gum sticking to the fibers where the perfs were pulled apart. And with gum soaking of perfs to boot, I should have picked up on classic regum job and never sent it in. Oh well.

Thanks Don, rg, and to all that have understood how things can go
without having the knowledge to make wise decisions.

Oh, is that what Zachery Taylor looks like?