Help Identifying This Classic Precancel

Still there is a high resolution scan missing, perhaps a moderator can help you with the file.
The image above is not sharp and don't show details and have not a correct aspect ratio (the design is not a rectangle).

Michael,

I use an Epson WF-3540 scanner and an old version of PhotoShop(CS2)to reduce 1200dpi scans to 200Kb files. PhotoShop, and likely other photo programs give options for "quality" when saving a jpg image. The following image of the $1 Franklin was made at 1200dpi, originally a 2.24Mb file, but saved as a 201Kb file which was easily accepted by the website.



This image (below) of the PhotoShop jpg save function shows the quality options (in this case 5 which produced a 357Kb file). The image shown was saved as a quality level 2.



Anyway, that is my way of producing quality scans. Hope it might be helpful.

Gary

Thanks for the info on pictures. Unfortunately my scanner is not great, and I don't have photoshop. So, I made the decision to just send it in to APS for expertization and see what comes back. Will update this thread when I get the cert back. To the previous question I do have the PSS email so will send some of the other updates to the catalog there.

Michael, Looks like it might to be too late to close the barn door, but did you try the image optimizer that is available on this website. I have never had a problem reducing the size of a file to the 200k threshold

Thanks, Michael...

for the update--that will keep the cynics and pessimists at bay.

Hal

Thanks WIllwood - I have not tried that and unfortunately I literally put in the mail two hours ago. It is good to know though for the future.

--- UPDATE ---

Well, the certification of the stamp was just completed (the result is online, but still waiting for the stamp and certificate to be mailed back):

Final opinion for certificate: 228782
United States Scott No. 354, used with Hartford, WIS precancel on old coil stock, genuine, thinned at center after paper adherence came off, pencil notation on back.

So, I am pretty excited to find this one. As others have pointed out there are no other 354s in the classic 2B catalog (and only 15 from the 1908 perf 12 coil series) so pretty rare. Hartford does have known precancels on the 4c perf 10 1916 issue, so I suspect the post office had some old stock and this is from that. A pretty interesting find!

Will send a scan of stamp and certificate to Ralph Kimball once I receive it.