Scott# 136 3 Cents Green Unusual Marks On It.

So, I have had this stamp since I was a kid and I was always curious about the marks on it. Just above the work three there is an angled line of indentations that goes all the way to the right side of the stamp. It can be seen more clearly on the back of the stamp. There is no cancellation marks that I can see on the front. There are hinge glue marks on the back of it. Since I never purchased stamps that were expensive, I always assumed it wasn't worth much. I am just wondering what the mark on this stamp is and how much it might be worth? This is my first post. I have more stamps but they are mostly used and probably not worth much. Any information would really be appreciated.

pen cancel appears to show on the neck

Maybe the bottom has been re-attached.

It's just some kind of damage. It's not a bad looking stamp to start learning with, but it isn't worth much. They go for a couple of buck on ebay. Feel free to ask questions as you start going through them. I'd suggest getting a Scott catalog. You can get one from a few years back quite cheaply on ebay and sometimes they have them at libraries. Try to get things organized and I'm sure more questions will come up. Banknotes (136 is one of them) have several varieties and there is plenty to learn to start sorting them out.

I agree with Chasa, the stamp is used.

Two thoughts come to mind about the row of roulette slots.
1. Bad: Damage from a tracing wheel which was in every sewing basket of the era.
2. Somewhat good: also some resemblance of piercing wheels used in fumigating mail, although one would expect something more aggressive. Not being on a cover it is essentially impossible to prove.
I lean toward tracing wheel damage at this point, but would be very interested in other theories/explanations.

I agree with chasa, cleaned pen cancel on front. If you run it through RetroReveal you can see two pen strokes on face.
http://stampsmarter.com/learning/Ho...oReveal.html
Don

If someone tried to remove cancel, then who knows what might be happening on back.

Not to mention that it is not a 136.