Scott 393 2c Line Pair On Ebay -Real Deal

Regarding the 410 coil pair ... my first inclination was to think that this one was likely to be genuine for several reasons. First, it is an inexpensive pair and not a guide line pair. As a result, this pair is probably not faked as often as the pricier pairs. Second, the pair is not particularly well-centered. If one is going to create a fake, one would likely ensure that the centering is better than this pair exhibits. Finally, the perforation holes don't shout "obvious fake" by being perfectly round. But I do have one caveat. The perforations do seem to line up almost exactly, just as one would expect with rotary coils but not so much with flat plate coils. Such alignment can indeed occur in flat plate coils but not very often. Hopefully someone with more expertise will chime in with a more informed opinion.

The line ink color hardly matches the stamps and the line ink is on the inside of the one side of the perfs. Printing including the guide lines was done first, then gumming, then perforation after, so this can't happen on real line pairs.

At minimum, you really need to go through the forum to see all the other examples of real and fake perforation and regumming.

I'm the new collector that does not have the knowledge to spot potential fraud without issue. I'm trying to
Seek out trusted auction dealers (if any on ebay) as a first line of defense. Maybe this approach is too passive for this hobby? That is a shame as it not a healthy sign for the hobby. 90% fraud rate is a joke, and ebay knowing partipates making this a racketeering operation on the general public. Booo. I feel like a deer in the headlights......we know what comes next!

Thx

YoP

Not quite sure its a racketeering operation. There are millions of stamps on ebay and they don't feel like micromanaging every listing to make sure its accurately described and the proper images are loaded up for potential bidders and buyers. There are sellers there that make honest mistakes, sellers that found a stamp album and assume that if it is a 100 year old stamp in must be worth millions, sellers that knowingly put up bad or bogus listings, and sellers like this that simply put the risk on the buyer. If the buyer submits it for a cert and it comes back bad they return the purchase and re-list it again until a buyer stuffs it in an album with no cert assuming it is what the seller stated. If you are going to purchase "better" material on ebay then knowledge is power.

Solution = Only purchase coil stamps that have a certificate from the Philatelic Foundation or equal. I really do not understand the hand wringing over potential fakes. Why bother taking a gamble? To save money? You save nothing even if only a perentage of your purchases are fake. Expertise only goes so far as well when you are sold a watermarked variety that is a different watermark or no watermark or a stamp that should have its design measured in person. Certificates only. And if you are going to spend what it takes to get the real deal seriously contemplate genuine auction houses to fulfill your needs instead of the ebay flea market.

The comment about 90% bring fake is specifically for Wash-Frank coils not everything. Even in the Scott US specialized catalog has a comment about these stamps: "Beware also of plentiful fakes in the marketplace of No's. 348-355, made by fraudulently perforating imperforate stamps or by fraudulently trimming perforations off fully perforated stamps. "

It may seem like a daunting task but collector education is the key that will fix everything. Educated collectors will starve the bad dealers and force them out. Simple.