A Beautiful #122 For Grading

I have a beautiful #122. The nice thing is the face-free cancel. I am thinking to send it for grading. But I want make sure that it is sound and with the grading. I examined the perforation, thins, and repair. It appears very fine to me. Please let me know your opinions.

Anytime I see a well centered #122 I look closer at the perfs. To my hobbyist eye, the top/bottom perfs need to be looked at closer. I would also look closer at the cancel. The typical cancels tend to be killers; this makes sense since these pricey stamps made reuse more likely.
Don

A really nice looking stamp. I don't have much time to really spend looking at it because we have a illness in the family. I just thought I would give you this link you might find interesting.

http://www.usphila.com/us/stamp/pri...t-122-page-2

Left margin looks reperforated from a straddle margin example. Even if the perfs had been genuine, at best it would be an 85.

That is a beautiful stamp but it won't grade 85.

If it were mind, I would get a PF Cert on it and not have it graded. Grade? 70-75. Here's a link to 122s that have sold at Siegel and graded 80 or better:

https://siegelauctions.com/lot_grd....emailflag=on

@revcollector

Thanks for your opinion. Can you tell me why you think the left side is possibly reperfed? I did a match up between the perfs left and right, upper and lower, lower(rotated) and right, they seems to be ok. Please see my attached images.

@51studebaker

That is true that most of this stamps are heavily cancelled to prevent the reused. Lightly cancelled #122 are scarce. BTW, could you please take a look my newly uploaded images on the perforation comparison? Do you think they are ok?

Thanks,

They have too many that are the wrong shape, and the left margin is too big relative to the right margin. Compare the perfs to the other three sides.

Unfortunately stamps of the 1869 issue were notoriously off center leading to temptation...

The top and bottom margins are too small. The bottom margin looks to be reperforated. The left margins is also problematic because the perforation tips are too straight and the quality of the perforation holes is marginal. It is likely that the stamp was worked on more than once.

After Kiusalas started distributing the US Specialty Gauge, fakers soon caught on and started using perforating machines with more accurate perforation spacings and hole sizes raising the ante for expertizers. Still, many alterations are easy to detect.

I would not rule out the possibility that the stamp is a perforated shaved proof. Usually such items are too bright and the printing is too crisp to be confused with an actual postage stamp.

I'll take the side of optimism here:

I think perfs are good, would grade VF 80 if sound, and light, face-free cancel makes it a great stamp!

I don't know if I would go for grading, unless it's a minimal charge...
I'd be more interested in a clean cert.

I have my conventional 122, my first purchase of this catalog number, that I should get certed.

Anyone have any thoughts if it is a re-perf, and what grade it might get?

Looks reperforated on bottom margin with possible damage at the right margin in the vicinity of the third perforation from the top. If the stamp won't grade at least 80 (very fine), it is probably better not to have it graded. In this case the centering would be fine-very fine at best.

Hi Douglas, could you scan the reverse side and show us.

Also watermark it.

Stampmaster

Douglas,

It's been reperfed at right and bottom I am afraid.

"I would not rule out the possibility that the stamp is a perforated shaved proof".

Looking at the grill closely tends to reinforce this possibility.