With Wingate Only A Week Away, The Health Of The Rare Stamp Market Will Be Tested

I was out of town for a week on a business trip, and when I got home, a pleasant surprise awaited me, a package from Siegel; Wingate Lot #32, Scott #5, Pos 7R1E. Here are some images....IMHO, it's a beauty!

do you agree with the PF's opinion regarding the cancel. I can't see one in the scan. I messed around with the exposure/contrast etc but I still see only perhaps some shade in cheek or perhaps down shoulder.
But not enough to say its a manuscript cancel. I believe this stamp was thought to be unused for many years and is still controversial?

Congrats on the acquisition.

I spent about an hour with the stamp today before mounting it in my album. I studied it in fluid and under ultraviolet light, and for the life of me cannot see a cancellation. Scott Treple also expressed his doubts. The stamp has been cataloged in the past as unused, so you are correct, there are varying opinions. The bottom line for me, I have been shopping for a #5 that is both within my budget and aesthetically pleasing. This addressed both areas, and I am thrilled to have it in my collection. Perhaps, I will send it back to PF at some point to get a new cert, and see if their opinion changes. Irrespective, it is a beautiful stamp and one of the nicer examples of Scott #5 that has come to the market in sometime.

Reedededge, what a great stamp, deserving of your great collection! I think you are right on to enjoy your #5 as is for a few years and then, if you like, test the unused/used waters with a new PF cert submission. My only suggestion is, if you do that in some future year, send it in this time identified as unused. (You would of course disclose the previous cert.) Your 1999 PF cert for it seems to indicate it was submitted as used instead of unused at that time. Might not make a difference but it won't cost you any more to send it in as unused since you will be at the max fee anyway. Regardless of whether the PF deems it unused or used (and they are the right agency to have look at this one), either now or in the future, it is a great stamp and I know you are very proud of it, as you should be!!!!!!!

Congrats Reedededge on a great stamp & an awesome purchase. And it certainly completes a spectacular page. (!)

The page is decidedly unbalanced & very disconcerting - you clearly need another #2 to go in the 2nd row on the top right of the page. If you could get another vertical pair of what I presume is a #7 to go on the right side - to balance the vertical pair on the left - it would be perfect!!

But my biggest question: what do the red stars indicate???

Red star indicates the stamp has been certified.

Amazing provenance as well.

The pair on the left that you reference is a sound 5A-7 pair (position 5R1E).

...And yes you are correct, the red stars indicate PF certs.

Thanks for posting your new purchase.

It is very hard to find a 7R1E that looks like that, as you know. Great job. Very nice album page as well - that 5-15R1E pair is a really good item.