Scott #115 Reperfed?

Surprised that PSE graded it and that, whoever expertized it at PSAG could not distinguish regumming OR that PSE couldn't distinguish OG. At this point, even with PSE felt to be #2 to the PF you really don't know who to believe. Casts a very long shadow over the whole expertizing process with disputes over something basic like RG vs OG. You can see why for many collecting used or foreign and avoiding the whole expertizing mess is attractive to some collectors. Nick Kirke drove himself crazy over the inability of PSE and PF to give a uniform opinion on his award winning used classics collection.

It is a part of the reason that I am out of collecting that type of material.

I wouldn't assume that individuals that have a problem with PSAG certs don't also have a problem with PSE certs. PSE is popular among collectors that don't know any better as well as those who care little about the stamp so long as the market accepts the cert now, and just as importantly, in the future.

Ah yes, THOSE collectors. (sniff)

"You can see why for many collecting used or foreign and avoiding the whole expertizing mess is attractive to some collectors"
If you think there is no regumming of foreign stamps you are deluding yourself.

The real question is whether there is as much info out there on how to tell the OG from the regum in stamps of various foreign countries. There is a lot of info for US material, but is it available for other countries as readily?

Now that you mention it I cannot recall ever seeing a description of a WW sector stamp described as regummed. I sold my Canada collection through Siegel a few years back and Andrew Titley was not sure about the gum on some of the stamps but could not make the call and consulted with an expert in Canada. He did not render opinions on the stamps in question either. I look at a lot of Canada with Greene certs and rarely if ever see a regum called out which does not seem possible.

For me any stamp that is of a certain age that is "MNH" is suspect given that collectors in those times hinged the stamps almost exclusively. Broken multiples can account for some true MNH but for scarce stamps how many of those multiples were floating around?

And Andrew is pretty good on non US material.

I'm not deluding my self that there isn't regumming on foreign stamps and in fact Bill Weiss once called regumming on a high value Austria and Sierra Leone stamp submitted to him but it strikes me the craze about MNH and grading is more of an American obscession. I don't get the sense that foreign collectors or dealers for that matter are cutting up rare multiples or submitting recent stamps from their country with jumbo margins to PSE to get the coveted 100 grade so they can charge 200x catalog —which means nothing to me given the number of stamps for that issue printed.

If there is so much info about regumming American stamps, how could PSAG and disagree on this basic characteristic on the stamp mentioned above by rodgcam?

Because many experts have egos, and some think they are the last word. Just like the experts in any field. And perhaps a few are not quite as expert as they think they are. Also just like any other field.

More Americans are into grading, but Germans are more obsessed with gum condition than Americans. Virtually no one is still submitting recent stamps for grading 0 that died out for the most part years ago (but you may still see them offered as the stamps and their certs have not gone away). NBut why let other people's interest in grading affect what you collect?

Ran across a valuable Spanish air mail set just yesterday that had been regummed (and very clumsily too). This was from an old album so the regumming had to have happened some years ago. What made it particularly easy to spot in this case - besides how badly it was done - was that there was another set with original gum mounted on the next page. I've noticed regumming on some old Canada as well on occasion. So certainly does happen in classic WW, but perhaps not as much as with US.

Widglow46,

If I were buying this stamp, I'd search for similar perfs to ease concerns.

RE: PSAG No. 582940, US# 115 used
The question as to whether this stamp is reperforated or not?
First off, where the top is measured against the bottom margin, the perfs match up perfectly. Second item, the perfs seem to vary slightly from left side to the right. If you check carefully, especially in the diagram of the top against the bottom perfs, both the top and bottom perfs are on an identical bias as to their angle of alignment. The perforations, especially on stamps from top or bottom of any row tend to be slightly different in the angle of alignment but still basically parallel.
When checking for reperfs, one must take all this into account and lacking any compelling evidence to the contrary, tie goes to the runner! Therefore, given these above facts, there is no compelling reason to assume this is reperforated. Reperforations must have compelling evidence, inconsistent gauge, odd performations appearance and perforations not gauging exactly accurately on opposite sides or feathering of performation holes inconsistent on opposite sides. Just looking at a scan is not enough information to make a conclusive opinion.
Randy Shoemaker, PSAG, Inc.

Whenever there is any question or questions regarding a PSAG Cert, please contact our office immediately and we will review our worksheets and most often have the owner resend in the stamp in question. Randy Shoemaker, PSAG, Inc. info@psaginc.com 305-345-9864