30c Columbus At LA Rabida, # 239, How Would It Grade

My analysis is for centering only. VF/XF 80 is the starting point and things are adjusted up or down from there based on the issues of color, perforations, soundness, etc.

51studebaker got it 100% correct with his computer calipers!!! 20% difference between the top and bottom margins. That is the defining centering measurement. So its an 80 (VF/XF) based on centering. Congrats to 51studebaker.

It is interesting how many posters here overgraded this stamp. It is a good looking stamp for sure, but the numbers do not lie. It is not a 90 or higher. If we have a situation where if VF/XF 80 is the highest quality version of this stamp ever found, then the stamp would be considered "gem" and command a massive price for being the best ever found. But I do not think that this is the case for this stamp.

inst the 20% compared to what normal for the stamp instead op plain % the way to calculate??

I graded the first three stamps from the Segiel Auction (see the website below to see the stamps....the stamps are not not nearly as well centered as the auction house indicates with the PSE grading documents.

Stamp 1 is centered VF85...auction house says PSE 95. Color is great and perforations are perfect.

Stamp 2 is centered VF78...auction house says PSE 90 Jumbo. Stamp has only 15% of area in the margins (more than the 13% normally)...but not even close to 20% Jumbo status standard.

Stamps#73 is centered Extra Fine/ Superb 91 to XF 94...auction house says PSE 98. 13% of the stamp is in the margins.

Based on this quick analysis, I would make the following comments.....

1. I do not trust any PSE grading document as it pertains to centering. Do your own centering analysis. Just because PSE says this or that means not mean that their analysis is accurate. How are you going to know the skill of the PSE grading professional? OF the above three stamps, PSE graded the stamps all well above their true centering grade. As for color, perforations, etc, these three stamps above were very high quality.

2. PSE also listed one stamp as "Jumbo" based on 15% of the stamp area being in the margins. It looks the a regular high quality stamp has 13% in the margins. So, it is possible for this stamp variety that 15% is the determination for Jumbo status. But I generally don't call any stamp Jumbo unless it reaches 19-20%in the margins.

3. IF PSE overrates stamp centering generally, as it seems to do here with this stamp variety, then your stamp at F/VF 80 could actually be graded by PSE at above VF85, and possibly even XF 90. But your stamp's perforations are comparatively not very good versus the other three stamps I looked at. Note how on the second stamp, the centering was only VF78 (lower than your stamp), but it has 15% in the margins versus your 13%. PSE says that this stamp was superb 95.

With this in mind, you can make your own analysis of how PSE would grade it.

Alas, none of that actually matters. PSE grades a stamp as X. Whether a collector thinks it's really X+ or X- has no bearing unless that collector has both the interest and the money to bid on it. The people with both are only going to care what that X is 99.9% of the time, not whether some other collectors disagree with that number. And for the most part they really don't care how and why that number was reached.

Not quite. He's doing his own analysis of what the grade "should be" for the purpose of determining whether to bid at all, or what his bid should be. It's input into his personal sense of valuation.

hi don,
quick question on the catapilars, I got the program but cant seem to:

1. get more than one at a time
2. make them smaller

the help does not help me, hoping you can

revcollector and cjpaermo; I own the stamps and are trying to determine to send for cert or not (before selling them)

Hi Dutch,
I made a quick video below (make full screen to view) to help you.

To add additional calipers simply start the application multiple times. One thing, it sometimes adds the new caliper exactly on top of the an existing one. You have to grab and move the caliper to see it is really two instances (see video).

To open/close the caliper, 'grab' one of the caliper side by clicking on it and holding down the mouse button as you drag it (see video).

You can change the caliper from horizontal to vertical by 'grabbing' it and dragging it sideways (see video).
Don

don, your the best, thank you so much!!!!!

i was having a stack of them...

There has been all sorts of commentary about how this stamp grades and whether that is even important. For some people, they don't care. If the stamp is "good looking" (whatever that means, as being good looking is totally subjective), then the logic is that the person should be willing to pay more. If that is the case, I really hope to meet all of these people as I have a bunch of cool looking stamps that are well off center and I would love to sell them.

I recently graded a Russian stamp from my collection with a Jumbo 21 Extra Fine 91 grade. Basic catalogue value is $2.50. However, because I was able to clearly document and establish the centering and the Jumbo size, this prompted a buyer to pay $10, or four times full extra fine grade catalogue value. I always grade my stamps (whether buying or selling). This is only one of dozens and dozens of cases where I have correctly and precisely established the centering grade of my stamps thereby leading to achieving excellent value for the item. These values achieved are often many multiples of catalogue value. I paid good money for my stamps and have enjoyed them for decades. I refuse to sell them without giving them their proper grade and value.

That's fine, except that there is no such thing as a 91 grade. Grades are 85, 90, or 95 in that range. And selling a $2.50 stamp for $10 might well happen anyway if it looks good enough with or without a grade. Some $2.50 cat stamps will sell for $10 just by being sound, regardless of centering. It all depends on the stamp.

SewallH - The point is that there are a whole buncha collectors that do not need an assigned number to determine if the centering is what they want. If a number makes you part with more money for a given stamp you should realistically expect a much smaller group of people to be willing to do the same if you want to sell it. Let's see, an XF for $100 or a 96.987 for $200, not a difficult choice. I will accept the XF and spend the other hundred on another stamp or perhaps a cheese platter.

What you are promoting is just marketing and not groundbreaking science. Nothing wrong with that. Just saying.

$100 cheese platter - that would be some wonderful cheese!

The cheese is graded 100 Jumbo.