Fake Rs174Bi With PSE Cert In HR Harmer Sale

Lot 1901 http://stampauctionnetwork.com/ha/ha301246.cfm#146in the upcoming HR Harmer auction is a purported RS174bi (S. Mansfield & Co. private die stamp). The stamp is in the catalog as a single (RS174) a pair imperf between (RS174i - used as a 2¢ stamp) and a block of four imperf between (RS174j - used as a 4¢ stamp). The lot is listed as having a 2016 PSE cert noting that it is reperfed at right. The only problem is that the genuine pair is a horizontal pair imperf vertically between the stamps. This vertical pair must have started out as a block of four (RS174j) and was cut in half (the wrong direction) with fake perfs added at right.


edited to add catalog image

Report it to Harmer. They may correct the online listing or, if a printed catalog has been distributed, withdraw the lot and relist it in a future sale with a correct description.

Yes, it has been reported to Harmer and I believe that they are withdrawing the lot. However, it is amazing that PSE could give this a good cert

I noticed that right away this morning as well. Alas, PSE has no one on staff with any serious knowledge of revenues. And the note under this companies issues is insufficient (as is most of what is written about match & medicines in Scott). At least they appear to have gotten the reperf right. Notice the perfs on both vertical sides appear to line up almost exactly opposite each other throughout the pair. For genuine perfs of this era to do that is almost impossible.

Harmer's also missed the John J Levy playing cards provisional cancel on lot 1855. Levy later had a private die stamp (RU12 a,b and e).
I also suspect that the imperf $1 mortgage (lot 1856) has had the perforations added, a not uncommon event, since the imperf cats $27.50 and is fairly common, and the perfed cats $300 and is not so common. It is too small and the perfs look funky.
The bottom perfs on the Mishler Herb Bitters stamp must be checked as well. They may indeed be good, but the Hartman and Mishler stamps were often sliced off the packages, and a reperfed top or bottom is not uncommon on those issues.

The pair referenced above has resurfaced on ebay.

To be fair to the seller, the PSE certificate has the most confusing wording of all time. It basically says that the pair is genuine but reperforated. It is actually as SPQR described it.

Jim

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scott-R1S17...refresh=true



p.s. This is the response from Eric Jackson regarding this pair:

The Harmer auction did not include an image of the PSE cert. Although Harmer called it a RS174bi (horizontal pair imperforate vertically) the cert correctly refers to it as RS174bj (block of 4 imperforate between) - which is what it started out as. Obviously the cert should have mentioned that 1/2 the stamp is missing.

The reperf job looks better than most. Think the block 4 had the perfs added down the middle and then separated (hence the rougher perf tips)? So the other pair may be out there too (reperf left). For my education, what would be the tell tale sign of reperfing on this? Hole size seems consistent (not too round) but some not fully punched.

Canyoneer, the re-perfer failed to blunt some of the perf tips, leaving straight edges at the tips. Also, if you could examine the item in person, you would probably see "push marks" around the perforation holes.