When Do You Seek A Certificate?

I am just wondering all the BOB collectors out there. Do you have any quidelines or thoughts on when you will send an item off for a certificate.

I do for items that are imperf or part perf that I am purchasing thru a dealer and we have an agreement if it comes back negative.

I just wonder on items such as silk papers do you send them off for a cert?

Does the catalog value play a big part? if item is under lets say $100 or less you dont?

Items as lets say R27c bottom double transfer at bottom unlisted price in scott would you send that off?

sorry for such a vague question but I have many I am think of doing just wanted to pick the brains of those of you who have certified items or do it alot for your wisdom and guidance.

Thank you....PS I am not doing it for grading I am not into that aspect.

Colonel

Certification costs 5% of current CV or a minimum of $30 with most agencies. You also have to consider the cost of 2-way shipping and insurance. That is routinely about $35-$50 per shipment.

It becomes a simple matter of economics to determine if a stamp is worth the cost of certification based on its current catalogue value and condition.

There are several US stamps (like #39, #85F, the Columbians, #519, and most overprints) that are commonly faked, altered, or repaired, and these should be bought already certified or you should arrange to have them certified genuine as part of the deal.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

I think certificates are valuable when I am trying to sell a stamp or when I am paying a lot for a stamp that I am hesitant about it being real and/or altered. So I'd want a cert for an unused copy of Scott #315, but I probably not bother for a pair. If it were a used pair, I'd want a cert unless I got an exceedingly good deal on it -- say it was only $400.

For me the main criteria are whether the stamp is commonly misidentified or faked, as well as the economic issues previously mentioned. Since we are talking BOB issues, and I don't collect revenues, I would probably seek a cert only for the Shanghai overprints or early Canal Zone overprints if I was suspicious about them after careful study. The factors that concern me are not commonplace with other non-revenue BOB issues.

I only try to get certificates if they have a Scott value over $400-.

Jack Kelley

FYI-The R27c double transfer at bottom is actually more common then the double transfer at top. I don't know why Scott does not list a price for them, they are really fairly common. I would not send that off for a cert.

Great guidance. Thanks all for the post and replies. If I may tag on to the thread- what is the feeling on early Italy, Iran etc. where the forgeries outnumber genuine by a huge factor. I have tried my best by purchasing books like Serrane guide to forgeries, but before cataloging and insuring etc. would like to guarantee my non-expert conclusions. What does one do when looking at 30% of catalog for many thousands in catalog value that are potentially forgeries. I have at least 75 stamps with 10K or greater total that are in question. $3000 to find out I have forgeries is not a good thing.

Just found stampforgeries.com while on another thread. Great site with very specific details on identifying forgeries.

Well, that site does not cover United States stamps, and this is a thread in the U.S. Back of Book forum, so that site is unlikely to help the OP.

Also, be very careful with that site. There's been discussion both here and on other boards regarding stampforgeries.com and that it should NOT be taken as gospel given the number of erroneous listings (both legit stamps listed as forgeries and forgeries listed as genuine). It's a great effort, but should be used along side more authoritative resources, not by itself.