Finding Out What Is Needed To Analyse A Stamp.

what equipment is required to find out a watermark' b authority on stamp. c. anything else required.

James, just a black tray and some fluid will do fine. The fluid can be anything from lighter fluid to a special water mark detection fluid. For much more info you can do a search on this forum. A "search" button is on the top of this page.

Peter

You can see the watermarks on some foreign stamps by merely holding them up to a light.

Jack Kelley

Build your own reference library ,check any watermark with like material . Having a notebook with many different stamps that have the same watermark is to understand what your looking for .

thankyou floortrader

Many US watermarks are notoriously hard to identify. Takes practice and you can still be fooled. Many non-US can be seen without fluid as JK posted.

A stamp collector would need also a simple but sturdy perforation gauge, a good (flat image) 10X magnifier with the optical scale in it that allows you to measure with 0.1 mm accuracy, and, especially if you are serious about German area classics, a paper thickness gauge with 0.001 mm accuracy. In some cases, a stamp lifting fluid is necessary, when you need to save stamps stuck to a page or having very heavy hinges.