Lifetime Stamp Collector Desperately Seeking Professional Philatelic Advice ...

Hello gentlemen, and ladies perhaps,
I am new to this forum and thankful to be in the company of enthusiastic and knowledgeable collectors. I've been fascinated with this hobby since I was a pup, and have been saving many , many stamps for over 40 years. I have never spent as much time as I would hope to immersed in the dynamics of philatelic studies, and someday I hope to afford the luxury. In the meanwhile I've been buying collections over the years when they find me, and have seemed to have accumulated tens of thousands of stamps over the decades.
While examining some of the contents of a long-ago estate sale purchased, I came across this post card amongst the items belonging to an avid collector from near Cooperstown, NY.

Please forgive me, as I am well aware of the ever-present hysteria over the Scott # 594-596, and have done quite a bit of hours of reading content on this forum , as well as other known sources on this topic.

Please be certain that I would not approach the group if I wasn't at a point in my research and study that I could use some outside opinions on this one. Everyone's time and wisdom is of great value to me, and I would not want to waste it on another claim to one of the lost 594 or 596.

The date and location is what has me very curious about this one.
The perforations, color, and measurements all add up as well.

I'm guessing it's not a 594 as the width is 19 1/4 as opposed to
19 3/4. I don't have my hopes up that its the 596, and I'm having a hard time convincing myself that its not. I'm guessing that someone here could perhaps let me know that I can keep my day job.

All the Best and Many Thanks to everyone...

Can't tell from the scan. You need a cert. If it was right in front of me I could tell you but....

I would risk admission of being a novice collector , and dare to ask if it would be best to leave as a cover, or to remove the stamp for closer examination ?? Best to leave as is ?? Please advise.

The Postcard reads on the obverse :

" I wish you a Merry Christmas "

you don't need to remove the stamp to get a conclusive identification...
but it looks like SC 552 to me
(edited to fix typo)

Thank you Stuart and chasa .

I thought 552 many times over as well , yet the measurements seem off . What are the mm measurements on the 552 please ?

This stamp measures 19 1/4 X 22 1/2 mm.
I am unable to find reference to the measurements of the 552 .

Find a 552 and lay it down on the stamp on the cover to compare height and width. Two off center copies will be the more effective. Also, it is possible to compare perforations. To verify rotary press size, use a 632 sheet stamp for sheet stamp rotary size and a 597 coil to match wide rotary width. (A 604 vertical rotary press coil is very slightly taller than a rotary press sheet stamp.)

Attempting to measure or use a cheap perforation gauge can lead to errors and will definitely result in frustration. To verify a rotary press stamp, use a rotary press stamp. To verify a flat plate stamp use a flat plate stamp, but keep in mind flat plate booklet pane stamps are slightly wider and shorter, but not as wide as a rotary press horizontal coil stamp.

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Measurements are not the method used to determine the flat plate printing. Apparently all were produced by the wet printing method, but paper water content could be variable: http://www.stampsmarter.com/learnin...Methods.html second sentence only. This means the paper shrinks along the grain when it dries. Different water content means different shrinkage, so measurement can be variable by about 1/4 mm. That gets us nothing in terms of using it as the only identification method for this.

It looks to be a perf 11 sheet stamp, so it's #552.

May I also ask what you are using to measure size? And if you are splitting the zero marker line with the outer edge of the ink line and not placing the ink line next to the zero marker line?

No ruler is accurate enough to measure stamps. The dimensions given in the Scott Catalog are not precise enough to be useful. A stamp with known characteristics can be used for comparison. It is important to use rotary press stamps to confirm rotary press or flat plate sheet stamps to confirm flat plate sheet stamps or flat plate booklet stamps for flat plate booklets. Noting that two stamps differ in size can determine what the stamp is not. A stamp matching in size can help determine what the stamp is. A ruler can do neither.

Hello Monkey,

I also have seen quite a lot 552 which measure more than 22mm height. As they were not on cover I could easily check the reverse to rule out a 594/596. And so I looked closer and saw that mostly the 552 has had much ink, so that the lines at the bottom and at the top are also a bit thicker.

So the best way is indeed to compare with another 552, but also compare the inking of both then.

Here's possible "proof" that you have a flat plate stamp (Scott 552). I took a scan of a certified flate plate Scott 552 (top right in the image below), plus the scanned image you posted (cropped & straightened, at top left), then resized the 552 (maintaining aspect ratio) so that the top-to-bottom dimension of the frame lines were exactly the same as your candidate. I then overlaid the images (superimposed images at bottom) with the 552 at 50% opacity.

The overlay of the two designs lines up perfectly at the sides as well. That means you have a flat plate stamp. If yours was rotary press, you would have seen a visual difference in side dimensions vs. the 552 flat plate control.

BTW, I agree with Clark that measurement with a ruler is extremely difficult and likely to yield misleading/incorrect results. Comparison with an actual known flat plate (or rotary press) stamp is far easier and more accurate. I essentially did what Clark suggested you do, just did it digitally. I hope this is helpful.

Hello Monkey. Although there is some great information here by folks more knowledgeable than me, I would suggest that you pick yourself up a Precision U.S. Specialty Multi-Gauge!