#21 - Hanging Perf Vs. Blind Perf Removal

A beautiful #21 in the upcoming Siegel auction has an interesting history of previous sales. In 2007, the hammer price at a Siegel auction was $15,500. The next year it sold at a Spinks sale for $37,500. What struck me from images of the sales was the indisputable clean up of several perforations after the 2007 Siegel sale. My question is, how much of this is allowable without considering it an alteration? I guess the answer to that question is ultimately up to the buyer, but is it just a crap shoot to try and second guess what the PF or PSE will say? In this case, the PF certified it both before and after the perfs were cleaned up, and apparently didn't mention any alteration. I couldn't check either PF cert because the PF database is down right now. The 2011 PSE cert (#1237140) is clean, however.

Who owns the stamp also writes the rules for the stamp. If it were mine I would have pulled them as well.

My personal opinion is that it is fine to do as was done in this case; i.e. remove the "hanging chad" perfs. The stamp itself was not altered. I do believe we should not try to cut new perf holes into blind perf areas, which is not the issue with this stamp, as that alters the stamp itself.

I think there was an article in Linn's many years ago about this.

Something like 5 things to do to freshen up your collection on a rainy day?

One of them was to use a straight pin to clean up stamps by removing the hanging chad bits. It did not suggest to cut out blind perfs.

I have to admit I have done this very same thing many times. I have always been cautious and slow and have never had a problem tearing a perf or into the stamp.

$14,000 + 18% tip this time.

Some folks 'clean up' their stamps, whether it is removing chads or using peroxide to chemically change the color. Our hobby, unlike other collectible hobbies (i.e. coins, antiques, etc.), seems to accept these practices.

In my opinion we are temporary caretakers of our material and we should be responsible for its conservation. While it is easy to say 'conserve, not restore' the rub is how each of us defines 'conservation' vs 'restoration'. If the marketplace rewards 'cleaning up' a stamp then the message is sent to everyone that this is what they should do.

I still have my Whitman Lincoln cent folders with all the shiny pennies that I cleaned in 1964 when I was a kid. While I thought they looked better I quickly learned that the coin marketplace did not share my opinion. For me, my pennies did not lose value because they taught me a valuable lesson.
Don

I really don't consider removing chads restoring or preserving. I don't even view it as cleaning. These should have been removed in the natural printing process.