Show Off Your Gems. You've Earned That Right.

The community here tries to support folks who collect anything philatelic. While certain material might not be someone's 'cup of tea' others might really enjoy that aspect of our hobby. By including every collector in the hobby, we cast the largest net for the health of the hobby.

I do not collect or own any graded stamps but I think that many folks have always sought out stamps they 'self-grade' and have purchased stamps which looks good to their eye. But lets not let this thread sink into another grading argument; lets see some stamps!
Don

Thinking about the word "gem" I went to ebay to see how it is used there. As you can imagine there are plenty of stamps described as gems that most of us would not think of that way. I checked my own listings. I used the word 8 times (out of 363 listings). I was pretty happy that I didn't stretch the definition much. Don is doing the right thing by encouraging us to post those stamps we feel are gems to us. Here's one more from my collection that meets my own definition.

Scott 400

and then there are your perennial favorites.

and then some are just difficult to begin with.

This has a PFC. I love these margin copies with initial.

One of my very favorite favorites, Scott 228:

Scott 219D



Scott 220



I love this Scott 152:

Some 3 Cent Washington's. 10A, 11 and 11A from top to bottom.

Loving these Special Delivery's, E3 and E8.

So many beautiful stamps shown, but your E3, rogdcam, is just magnificent.

Is it any wonder why we do what we do? These are pure works of miniature art.

Here is a used US 120 of which I am fond.

In addition to the usual "gem" criterion that the stamp be well-centered with respect to the perfs, the vignette is centered in the frame moderately well. It is a pet peeve of mine when a two-color stamp is being called "gem" or "XF" and the vignette is way off-center or mis-aligned within the frame.

Rogdcam, I like that 219D you posted.
One of my favorite stamps after I ran into an intensely colored example which I prize greatly and have as my avatar, although it is not a "gem" in terms of centering. So my own personal sense of what constitutes a "gem" includes vivid coloration.

But here is a used 219D I could not resist picking up just because I like this issue.

And then there is the common stamp with far better than normal centering.