24c Washington Stamp

Sorry, I can't see it. Please point them out. I can see stray ink on perfs but nothing that ties either stamp.

Here's my perf comparison using the bottom of the same stamp, brightened for contrast. Some black specks, etc. but it does the job:

If it's reperfed, it's an excellent job atypical of older forgers. If anything, I would say the opposite side is reperfed, with tinier pins used. Or are they just worn? Those are certainly rough. But why not reperf that side, too, if that was done to the left? There's a short perf on the right side that could be eliminated by reperfing and the stamp would look better.

The 24c is/could be original but the forger perhaps "fixed" a straight edge by removing the stamp, reperfing it and replacing it. But again, perf hole spacing and size is typically done wrong by forgers, though there are perforators that match US perf 12.

Forgers don't do blind perfs on purpose because collectors don't like them. This stamp was not well-perfed in the vertical direction in any case.

In addition, scissors did exist in 1863. Since this is a commercial cover, I could see a clerk buying a few 24c stamps, but upon returning back to the office, seeing the unpunched perfs on the left and deciding scissors was the better separation method.

As to whether the stamps belong, I think they do. The target killer strikes and inking, rather weak, match that of the Green Bay CDS from what I can see. Targets are common, but if we can find a Green Bay cover of this period using this size target killer, all the better. The 3c is "tied" by the edge stain and worn perfs; no forger would do something like this.

Further, 27c rate to Belgium: who would know the proper rate for this before the Starnes book came out in 1989? The rate to England, France and Prussian mail would be known by many collectors, not Belgium. Most forgers wouldn't even care. A fair number of mailers back in the 1860s didn't seem to know or care, either, for that matter.

Excellent info thank you! I do feel the stamps belong as well. I don't see why anyone would have faked a cover to Belgium.

Many good points. Green Bay did use a target killer. A Siegel power search using just "Green Bay", yields another cover apparently from the same correspondence.

The tying ink that I thought may have been added are small spots of ink that don't appear to match the black cancelling ink. My mind has not been changed on that point. I will concede that it could just be dirt or grime in very fortuitous locations.

Why did the cancel on the top of the three cent simply stop? It is more then strong enough that it should have continued to tie the stamp to the cover and even possibly to the 24 cent stamp. As to why someone would fake this, we have a mediocre 24 cent that might have hidden damage to boot. As a cover it might be worth at least twice as much.

I vote for genuine. I cannot fathom why someone would go as far as placing the three cent so as to have the perf damage at the top (left side proper of stamp) of the stamp match the ragged torn envelope opening. Seems a bit much.

Not if it already had some. And the three cent doesn't really add anything to the value anyway, all the money is in the 24 cent. It has to be there to make up the rate, but it's just there.

Key point ragged torn envelope if someone were going to forge why pick such a damaged envelope? Perhaps the perf damage has been there all along since 1863. The 3c is tied to the envelope for sure at the top of the stamp. Anyone else have another example 1860s rate from Green Bay Wis to Belgium 27c rate?

Similar item from Siegel.



https://siegelauctions.com/lot_grd....ubmit=Search

To bad my 24c stamp is not tied with the New York cancel like the Siegel one. Wow Siegel realized $350

They would have picked an envelope that had the proper markings and address; the stamps had probably been removed long ago. The plan was very likely not to specifically make a Belgian cover, this was what showed up that matched the available material. Most serious dealers wind up with plenty of these kinds of leftovers, and some were not above creating ways to turn the mediocre into money.