New To Stamps - Not Sure Where To Start

Link to pictures

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...NV9ZUENKM0Jn

I have these stamps and I am unsure where to start my research. If anyone could tell me if these are real and where to further research them I would greatly appreciate it.

Have a look at this recent thread
https://goscf.com/t/56614

Thank you for the response. I did take a look at that post and I'm apprehensive about purchasing 3 - $80-100 books. Are there any free resources available or people here with knowledge of these stamps?

Hello. I'm sure that there are lots of people here who can tell you about your stamps (of whom I'm not one). The best approach is to make good quality scans of individual stamps so that others can see their characteristics and comment. Good luck!

Jeffalex

Your collection is interesting and would be very very valuable if the local/carriers are the real deal.
However most posts of collections of these local stamps are filled mainly with facsimile and forgeries.
Generally I have noticed there may be authentic cheaper stamps mixed in with the reproductions and forgeries in these types of collections.

I hope you prove me wrong in your collection. Unfortunately I have yet to come across an "expert" at this forum on these particular local issues. They are challenging. I have, like others, dabbled in looking up to see if some if my locals are real. Generally most of the valuable ones are forgeries. Good luck. Perhaps scanning a single individual local stamp that you think could be quite valuable onto this forum would allow for an analysis to get you started.

They look way too fresh to be 160+ years old.

You are looking at a collection of forgeries. Worth about $5 each - mostly made in the 19th century.

Think what your goals are with a stamp collection and then do some research a find a reputable dealer in the field who is a full time pro with experience.

Thank you all for your responses. It would be very disappointing to learn these are forgeries since the rest of the collection seems to be meticulously maintained. Could anyone suggest the best stamps to get a higher resolution scan of to make sure?

It may have been someone's reference collection, and as such will help form a catalogue of the various spurious stamps out there. If they do all prove to be "fakes".

As mentioned in the other thread, these require specialized knowledge. You're going to need access to the book on Locals;
Larry Lyons' three-volume "The Identifier for Carriers, Locals, Fakes, Forgeries and Bogus Posts of the United States"
Maybe an inter library loan with the APS?

You do not need Lyon's book to detect forgeries on local posts - comparison with originals is good way to tell (or handle genuine examples for 50 years).

On the first page there is a crude Wyman's for example. I have a genuine use of the stamp on cover here:
http://www.philamercury.com/covers.php?id=24135


You might check your other forgeries against genuine examples by visiting the Philatelic Foundation website and searching certificates for a given Scott number. Or, you can visit the RA Siegel Auctions website and do power search on the Scott numbers.

You will quickly tire of this and allow that I am not guessing when I tell you they are forgeries.

Hi Jeffalexstamp, you might check at your local library, see if it takes part in the "Inter Library Loan" program. If it does, you could borrow these sited references (that is if any library has them).

Stampmaster

jeffalex, you mentioned that there is more to your collection than these locals. Can you describe or provide some images?

I'm going to post a few albums later in the day once I have a chance to take some more pictures. I don't think there were any more locals. I'm still at the point of trying to assess the totality of what I have.

EDIT: Fixed the links

These were in the same binder as those apparently fake locals.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...RHd3a0duMVRB

This next album contains over 20,000 stamps including:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...QUZEUk1zZmhR

~200 us219
~200 us219d
~200 us220
6 us221
~120 us222
~150 us223
2 us224
~300 us225
~250 us226
~4000 us231
~80 us246
~130 us247
~480 us248
~130 us249
~250 us250
31 us251
~50 us253
~250 us 254
~450 us255
~90 us256
~200 us257
~460 us258
~600 us264
~1200 us265
~80 us266
~100 us268
~950 us269
~900 us270
~50 us271
~3800 us272
4 us272a - wmkd. USIR
~3100 us273
~40 us279
~160 us280
~40 us280b
~560 us281
~40 us282
~600 us282c
~40 us283

I still have to go through quite a few stamps that are in envelopes. If I have time I will make an album of those as well.

Well, we have found out where all those #231s went to!

These are more promising than the locals (you don't need to buy books or go to the library for those, you can take what Richard has posted as gospel.)

I do not see any rarities but it certainly is enough stamps to spend many, many, many hours enjoying and hunting through for some interesting examples.
Don

So I went through some more envelopes. Towards the bottom of the album are some pretty cool things like Brinks stamps, beer stamps, tobacco stamps, and a 1 cent post card with some watermarking.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...UTVuQjZpSjNR