Which Stamp Do You Wish Having That You Don't Have?

I think that the jury is still out on this one, but my understanding is that several examples on one of the two purported sheets of unwatermarked paper showed ghost watermarks. I was always a bit skeptical of the explanation of the circumstances surrounding this stamp's existence, so the discovery of several ghost watermarked specimens did not shock me. It is missing in my collection by design, and will continue to until I am certain of its legitimacy. My understanding is that Kelleher, the Harmers and Cherrystone all steer clear of #476A. I do notice that 3-4 examples/year do show up in Siegel sales. For the longest while, I was a perennial under-bidder on this stamp. In retrospect, maybe those were the "Auction Gods" trying to deliver a message. I'm not professing to know the answer to this question, and I'm well aware that Scott still catalogs this variety and PF (and others) still certify it. But, I think spending $4-$5K on a stamp whose future may be uncertain is not the best proposition. Just MHO in the "for what it's worth" department....

Reedededge, I remember Kelleher having 2 of the 476As in one of its Flagship sales just last year (2017). There is no question that it's value has gone down over the past few years due to the controversy and I understand your reticence to get one at this time. Personally, I think it will always be a listed stamp because the experts can't agree on it and no new information seems to be coming to light despite aggressive historical research lately.

THIS Great Britain Postal Union Congress £1 stamp from 1929 would be nice, preferably on a non-philatelic-looking, non FDC cover. They come up for auction every once in a while, recently around $8,000 estimate.

--Jim Wentzell
stampguyaps177-681

There was an extensive article in either the AP or the USS a while back (the last couple of years) which showed that USA Scott 476A does not exist. There were several certified 476A's examined with the powerful scope the PF now has which clearly showed traces of a watermark on all of them.

I have removed that from my want list entirely and when I build that album page, it will not be included. I'll have a note explaining that while the Scott catalogue still lists it, there are no known, recently certified copies.

Stampman, collect what you like and don't collect what you like but what you say above is just not true. There certainly are recent PF certs for 476A and you will need to give a reference for this article you are quoting because I don't believe it exists. (An article may exist giving one side of the story but no article exists condemning the 476A that is widely accepted as accurate.) A decade ago PSE announced its theory that 476A did not exist and they would no longer certify them. When PSAG was founded circa 2009 it announced it would not certify 476A as well. But the PF has never wavered in its certification of 476A and Scott continues to list it, because the evidence remains inconclusive as to whether it does not exist.

This would be my current wishing I had, but I do not have. It is one of the best covers I have ever seen and has one of my passions, jet fighters as the cachet.

Hey Don, I saw your passion for "US #CL1 1877 Buffalo balloon stamp (if I am wishing for the moon please make this a used one on cover)" on page two of this thread.

While looking through Siegel's upcoming auction # 1197 United States Stamps on March 14th and 15th 2019, lot # 2116, I thought of you and this thread.

5c Deep Blue, Buffalo Balloon (CL1). Schoendorf Type III with plate flaws including large white blob in "E" of "Five", unused (no gum), large margins except clipped bottom right corner, thin spots and creases, Extremely Vile, <font color="blue">apparently dropped from the balloon and used by squirrels as nesting material</font id="blue">, with 2018 P.F. certificate

https://siegelauctions.com/imagevie...197/2116.jpg


Even in this condition they have an estimate of $7500.

I'm going to interpret this question as a stamp that I am capable of one day owning. My pick would a mint $2 Trans-Mississippi issue (Scott #293). My mint copy of the 50 cent issue (Scott #291) arrived in the mail today and the $2 stamp is the only one I need to have the entire set mint. I'm hoping to have it by the end of the year.

In a fantasy world where money is no object, I would choose the #C3a Inverted Jenny.

As a followup to my 2/12/18 post regarding Lourenco Marques #27, I did obtain that stamp last year. It came from J. Macas Filatalia in Lisbon.

Great Britain. Machins MH28, MH31A, and MH42.

If I were just a beginning stamp collector today, there are two areas that I think would be of particular interest. One would be U.S. plate number coils. The other would be the Machins. I realize that there is more than one possible answer to this question (based on how detailed one goes in their "flyspecking"), but I'll ask it anyway. How many different Machins are there? And a follow-on question ... are there any rarities & exactly how rare are the "rarities" in the series?

ananthveerappan Its probably a bad sign the $4 Columbian is on the Seigel cover for March 14-15 but wow... it is out there.

How common, err, available at any price, are covers like the one StampCrow posted with the old stamp not recognized? How bad would that one hurt in an auction...ballpark I know.. EDIT. well that very cover is on the largebigterrible auction site for 6500 obo right now
. Thanks, RnC

Rod,

Do you collect the phosphor Machins? Steiner does not provide spaces for them for what I have seen.

Hello Al,
No Sir, I don't, only Phosphor I collect is Canada.

Still trying to complete the BASIC Steiner Machin collection. (Including all REGIONALS)

It really is impossible to give an answer. It goes beyond fly specking - it boils down to how you define different.

For example, on the page above, is the green 2p with the narrow value a different stamp to the one with the wide value? The entire current range had the values re-drawn at the same time, to allow more space. Then there are things like security features. The 2p, for example, also exists with elliptical perforation, and irridescent overprints and security slits. It's not really the same stamp as it started out, 48 years ago.

And then there's different phosphor bands on many of the stamps which produce more varieties. And self adhesive vs lick and stick. It's very complicated!

But to attempt an answer, if you were to collect one of each colour/denomination as first issued, and ignore the various changes down the years, you'd have, according to https://adminware.ca/machin.htm

- 20 pre-decimals
- 248 decimal or non-value-indicated
- 188 with regional insignia in the corner

That's 456 just for a very basic starter collection.

And I think his basic list may not be quite complete - for example there's a gold "foil" £1 which I don't see listed.