1 Cent Cut - Opinion Request

Good morning,


in an old album I found the stamp visible in the photo. It is cut on the right side (originally? In this case do you have any idea about its value?). Thank you all.

Can you show us a photo of the back, and also can you perf it? My incling is perf 11, but can't tell from the photo.

It appears to be Scott 538, P. 11 x 10, but with scizzor-cut perforations at right.

The 2019 Scott catalog values it at $9.00 used VF. This stamp has average centering with perforations cutting-in at bottom. With this centering and the perforations cut at right, it's retail value should be about 10% at best of catalog value (90c) from a dealer, and less if you would want to sell it.

The left and right perforations of a Perf 11 x 10 coil waste stamp, Scott 538 must be aligned because a stroke perforator was used to perforate what would have been the coil perforations. The top and bottom perforations would have been added to the coil web fragments later with a flat plate line perforator. The top and bottom perforations gauge perf 11. The left and right side perforations, or what is left of them appear to be perf 11 also. The width of the stamp will have to be checked using another flat plate stamp from the same series. Odds are that the stamp is a Scott 498. The odds that the stamp is a perf 11 coil waste Scott 545 are low. The margins are too big for a coil waste stamp.

Thanks you very much ClassicPhilatelist, orstampman & cfrphoto. I send a back picture of stamp.

Hi elettro69,
Ok, now we have mostly enough to identify this.
It's a flat plate printing, we can see by the bits of green ink on the back of the stamp.
It's either Perf 10 or Perf 11, I'm going to guess 11, just based on view.
That matches only 1 stap, a Scott #498. It has a catalog value used of about 35 cents. It is one of the most common varieties of the 1c Washington. It will also be without watermark.

Of the slight chance I'm wrong about the perf, the other possibility is perf 10.
That would make it either a 424 (single line watermarked) with a CV of 25 cents or a 462 (no watermark) with a CV of 35 cents.
If you get a perf gauge and it perfs 11 you know what you have.
If it perfs 10 then you need to put it in watermark fluid to make a positive ID.

The pefs at the left (front) of the stamp have simply been cut with a scissor, probably when someone opened the letter it was originally on...

Edit: Picture added below to show your perfs are the same at top/bottom as left/right so it is NOT a perf 11 x 10...




I used Photoshop to copy the perf from top and aligned it to the side, they are identical.

A count of complete perforations between the left and right side of the design identifies the stamp as perf 11. Setoff (ink flecks) on the back identifies the stamp as flat plate. Only one choice remains: Scott 498.

Thanks, Clark and Classic - I stand corrected. I should have checked the photo aspect ratio, and noted the stroke perforator alignment, which this stamp does not have.

orstampman, you know, when trying to ID a stamp from a photo, it's really double tough. I make mistakes looking at photos that I would never making having the item in hand. But it frustrates me nonetheless when I do. ><
That's why with perfs in particularly lately I've taken to using Photoshop to verify them before I make a call. And counting the perfs I had expected it to be perf 11, but with a wide margin stamp like this, I just wasn't too sure.
Clark is of course the Godfather of WFs, so whatever he says is right! :)

Thank you, I learned so much from your experience. I am grateful