Help Center For Japanese Stamps

Glenn (and anyone else),

Should I decide to have this or any other Japanese stamp expertised, whom would you recommend that I contact?

Eric

DrewM says:


And I say: ditto.

For newer collectors not familiar with what a tourist sheet is ,here is my copy . It is so large that I had to fold it in half to see it large enough to see the details ....

I did wonder what a tourist sheet was. Actually, it's rather lovely in a way. Are all the stamps on it facsimiles/forgeries? Or are some authentic?

The revenue stamps are real on the sheet . All the Kobans are fakes except for the very lowest value . WADA didn't fake the lowest value because it was so cheap ,that is the black 5 value stamp .

EMaxim: Hi Erik. I apologize! I screwed up twice in evaluating your stamps. When I said:



I was looking at the wrong stamp in my catalog. #53 is not rare at all. My catalog prices it at $12. I was looking at #51 by mistake. Your copy of #53 is probably genuine, but at $12 value there is no point in expertizing it.

Also, when I said:



Your 2 sen yellow is definitely #54, with the ribbon tied on the crossing kiri branches. Definitely genuine.

Now I remember why I set this group aside years ago and never finished going through them! I need to find a better way to group them by design. Scott's makes it unnecessarily complicated.

I usually use APS for expertizing. Their price is based on current catalog value. Prices for members:

$200 or less : $20
$201-$500 : $25
$501-$1000 : $30
$1000 or more : 3% of current Scott value regardless of condition

Non-members pay $20 more or 5% instead of 3%.

You get a printed, signed certificate with a photo of the stamp with the expert opinion. It is well worth doing for the more expensive stamps if you ever plan to sell them.

Or, if you don't want a certificate and want to save money, check out their offer here: https://isjp.org/introduction/
I have never used their service, but may try it out myself sometime.

~Glenn

Hi Glenn,
Glad to know that you use APS for expertizing. I'm a member, so it's pretty convenient. I sent them a stamp last year (first time I'd ever tried for a certificate). It might've been worth something, so the fee was high. But, since it turned out to be a fake, APS refunded all but the $20 minimum. Nice, though really they have to, no? Otherwise many fewer would use their service, given the likelihood of fakes. I don't know anything about other expertizing services, so I've wondered. I should search this site; there must be a thread or two.

As for your Japanese stamps:



Do you mean grouping the identical designs, or the merely similar designs (e.g., kiri branches tied with ribbon and not so tied)? I liked the way ISJP's site shows them grouped first by design (dragons, cherry blossoms, kobans), then by face value. Is that what you're after?

Eric

Thank you very much restoman for the clear and detailed look at the stamps.
The yellow 4 sen does seem to be engraved as I can see a light shadow as you mention on the stamp lines. The stamp is definitely 3D and not just printed. Among all the other stamps I posted, it is the only one like that. Also it's very fine lines do give it a sense of authenticity compared to the others that feel more rough.

On another note about 'souvenir sheets', the most common form seems to be the one floor trader posted. However I do have seen less colorful leaflet styled ones like in the pictures bellow.

Once again, can we assume that a great many of the stamps will be facsimiles or fakes? Would any souvenir sheets comprise only genuine stamps? And why, as in floortrader's example, would the kobans be fake but the revenues genuine?

Hi. I know next to nothing on Japanese stamps, but I wish to know your view on these, that I've found in a long-neglected stock-book. Thank you very much in advance.

Wow!
if they turn out to be real, super stamps.
Sc#1-8 it appears.
Waiting to hear the experts. I'll check my catalogues

Suggestion
1. R1 1871 48m Brown Unwmk Ungummed
2. R4 1871 500m blue green as above Thin native laid and wove paper.
(Change of currency system)
3. R7 1872 2s Vermilion Unwmkd Perf 10.5 and compound, gummed and ungummed.

Dragon designs, (Naga in Sanscrit) originated in Indian mythology.
Regarded as one of the 4 sacred animals.

Stamp designs maybe the scaled dragon, that is supposed to ascend to the heavens in rain.

Thank you very much Rod.

A good thing of the 7 weeks lock down (that seems, hopefully, to be ending) is that I've time to go over my boxes and stock-books, finding some interesting items. Perhaps, I'll start a Japan collection...Who knows?

How do we explain / understand what is meant by "Heisei Stamps"
the apparent definitive series 1992?
Thank you.

Heisei stamps would be any stamps issued during the Heisei Era, which was the reign of Emperor Akihito, from 8 January 1989 to 30 April 2019. We're in the second year of the Reiwa Era now.

The Japanese era names are often used with a sort of generational meaning. Shôwa-era Godzilla films vs. Heisei-era Godzilla films, for example.

I reckon your definitive set was the first new definitive series of the Heisei Era.

Thank you erilatz,
I had it completely back to front, thinking it was outside the Heisei era.
(Having just ended, not begun)

Thanks for the correction.