2c Wash Stamp #463 Or 492?

I am having a time with the 2c Washington Stamps. So far, this is what I can determine about this stamp.

What I've determined
Perf 10
Flat Plate not rotary (based on vert. frame measurements)
Questions:
Is it Red or Carmine Rose?
Should I remove from envelope to check for watermark? I have the fluid and ability to do so without damaging the stamp. Thank you.

It's not 492 (coil). It could be 425 or 463, depending on single line watermark vs. unwatermarked, but I guess that's what you meant. Are you saying that you can detect the WM without removal? If so, then definitely do it. I'll believe it when I see it!

Thanks. No, I have to remove. Should I? Is the big question?

No. What you should do is show a better scan of the front so the cancel date is visible. That should make it easier to determine which it is likely to be.

What I recommend:

Leave the whole thing intact. The cover is tidy and attractive (at least to some people), so the correct identification of the stamp itself may not be the most important aspect here.

What I would do:

Soak the stamp off of the garbage it's stuck to, then look (maybe in vain) for the S/L wmk.

Also, the few pixels on my screen indicate red.

garbage ?

Peter

One man's garbage...

edit: Don't get too excited about the garbage comment. As I would never intentionally acquire such an item in the first place, the horrible specter of me destroying it would never occur.

NO, (yes uppercased and shouted), do not remove the stamp from the cover.

This is a good example of the value of the entire mail piece as an item of postal history above and beyond the minimal value of the stamp (whatever it identity might be).

As pointed out, a high-resolution scan (like 300dpi) of the whole stamp will likely allow for full identification, or narrow it down to two common options, both worth far less than the fully intact mourning cover.

According to the Scott US Specialized catalog, 463 was issued Sept 1, 2016. The earliest documented use recorded is September 12, 1916. If the stamp is perf 10 and cancelled before Sept 1, 2016 it must be a Scott 425 with a single line watermark.

It would have been helpful to show the stamp and cancel in a scan at 400 to 600 DPI. The entire cover should also be shown at 200 to 300 DPI. Software exists to save .jpg images at low enough resolution to fit the procrustean image size requirements imposed by this board without reducing the image size. A more effective way to check perforation spacing or design dimensions would be to directly compare with other stamps having known characteristics.

OP images of the stamp and cancel is too small. The remaining images of the stamp in contact with a metal perforation gauge/ruler provide no useful information. A Kiusalas gauge designed for United States stamps would be more accurate. A metal millimeter ruler is not accurate enough to "measure" stamp design sized. Comparison of design width or height with a rotary press stamp is likely to be successful while measurement by a metal ruler is likely to fail.

Garbage ?
(shaking my head in disbelief)




Excellent advice, Bailey, please do not remove from this lovely cover.

Thank you all for your suggestions and help. I greatly appreciate the feedback. I have a total of three intacct enveloped with the 2c Washington. Postmarked:
5/10/1916
12/26/1916
5/1/1917
Given the above...and with the right measurements tools I should be able to identify these. The last two could have be 463?? Either way, I will leave them intact. Thank you again.

Bailey500.

On my Monitor your 2c stamp (section) shows up as Rose-Carmine.