Question On APS Certification Of Unused Penny Black

I was contemplating for a while whether to bid for this penny black on ebay but decided not to go for it. I have questions about the APS certification and whether it really provides only partial description of the stamp it is certifying. In this case, the back image clearly shows thinning at the top left and the thinning shows through at the front image at the top right. As the thinning from the front image is also visible in the picture on the APS certificate, I don't think it came about only after the certificate was issued. How could APS miss out on such an important description for a classic stamp as such and simply stated that the stamp had been regummed? Could this have been an oversight? I hope the guy who paid USD1175 for this stamp knows what he was bidding into.

In the middle is a Crown watermark

Not disputing the genuineness of the stamp as certified by APS, I am saying that the description should have included the thinning at the back of the stamp as that is a significant factor which affects the value of a stamp. What more, the thinning is quite obvious.

If it is thinned, then this is a major oversight by the certifying authority. A certificate should describe flaws which affect the value of a high-price stamp. I find this oversight very strange; are you 100% sure it is thinned?

I disagree that it is "clearly" thinned but I do see that the paper is clearly toned. You would need to have this stamp in front of you to be able to offer any support for your argument.

It looks neither like a tone nor the effect of any regumming to me, looks more like thinning as some paper fibre had been rubbed off. Toning is usually brown and the strip in question looks nothing like a tone spot. The top right margin at the front shows a somewhat translucent appearance due to thinned paper. I am not biased against APS or anything, I was initially keen to bid for this because of the APS certification, but I spotted this possible oversight which deterred me from participating in the auction.

Sinclair2010, be it toning or thinning, APS should be describing the condition of the stamp clearly in the certificate. The certificate is clearly silent on either toning or thinning, bringing us to the question of whether the description by APS is sufficiently thorough.

The raised areas with arrows show the accumulation of paper fibre due to rubbing of paper, a further justification for thinning.

The APS had the stamp in hand for examination when certifying and we are going off of a scan or two. They did not denote a thin because there is no thin. Just an opinion.

Rogdcam, I understand what you are saying. There is always a possibility of human error even for the experts. When buying online, I believe all of us just have to trust and depend on our eyes more. If the APS cert does not show anything at the top right margin that is telling, I would be inclined towards trusting that report and attributing the thinned area to a damage by seller after certification.

I agree with rogdcam. No long time expertizer would miss something as obvious as a large thin, if that indeed is what it is.

There is another option, which I've never tried, but might work. Write to the APS; include a copy of the cert; explain your situation; and ask them to review the expertizer notes. If you're not a member, you can indicate that a 45 year APS member on this board made the suggestion.

ClimberSteve, will just leave at that and wish the highest bidder all the best with this stamp. The purpose of my post was purely for discussion in the forum.

A grease or oily spot could cause the appearance you see, and unless one has the stamp in hand it is too early to declare a thin. Either way, on the day it sold you valued it less than the buyer. Another will come along in time.

Whatever that is causing the spot which is showing on the face of the stamp has not been described in the APS report. Shouldn't any thin, tone or grease or whatever at the back which affects the front appearance (and possibly value) be clearly stated?

You'd have to ask the APS, on a chatboard this is just a rhetorical question and you'll have to be satisfied that you made your point.