Deception Of Regummed And Reperforated Stamps

To further muddy the waters the PF will add a "XQ" designation to a grade, i.e., 90XQ, which means grade 90 Excellent Quality. Given the standards shouldn't the "excellent quality" be baked into the grade? I have owned such stamps and pricing them was voodoo magic when they were sold for me.

I have also seen certificates with grades qualified by the word "apparent". Huh?

Note: You frequently see Siegel verbally head scratch in auction catalog descriptions over why a stamp received the grade that it did and express their own opinion.

I was a fan of grading, but it looks more and more like a rat's nest to me.

The XQ is added to indicate that the quality of that specific stamp is special relative to other examples of the same cat number. It should not be used across different numbers, only in comparison with other examples of the same cat number.

Does the submitter get hit with an additional fee if XQ is bestowed?




It seems that it shouldn't even be used against other grades? Is a 90XQ better than a 100Gem?

"I can only afford a 90, but I want it to be the best 90 I can find." Is that a fair assessment?

I have always assumed that a 90XQ is sort of a 90+. It's better than a normal 90, not as good as a 95. I make a similar assumption for XQ when applied to other grades. But that is an assumption on my part. I have been told that XQ is superior to J (for Jumbo) ... but I have not seen this in print.

That is an assessment that each collector would have to make for themselves.




I think so.

So there must be a 90XQJ? Sounds like a Volvo product.

Do these 'eye appeal' numeric grades account for just the centering of the stamp entire design (i.e frame and vignette on early US two color engraved stamps) or just the frame? I believe that 'grading software' has no way to determine any offset of a vignette and only looks at the centering of the frame. SO if some organizations are using grading apps, do they spot something like this and 'over-ride' the judgement the software has determined?

Similarly for modern multi-color printed stamps, a stamp can be centered perfectly overall but slight color shifts in the printing can lessen 'eye appeal'.
Don

These two 98's from Siegel would seem to indicate that the vignette may not matter to the grading score:

In my opinion this kind of shoots a hole in the 'eye appeal' argument.

Don

It would probably be 90JXQ, but I do not recall ever seeing any. And if 589107 did not get that, I don't think any others will either.

The 524's both e-grade (centering) about the same, one on the top is 90, bottom is 91. The one on top has an underink defect (almost looks like a scuff) on the bottom design border (in my opinion) and a blot of black ink at the top of the vignette. The quality of the lower stamp looks better overall, but has the vignette shift. I'm not sure how either of those could have arrived at a 98 grade.

I dabble a lot in graded Federal US duck stamps... best I can tell, the early self-adhesive panes have 3 factors that go into the grading: Centering of the entire design within the outer border. The stamp design centering within the inner cutout and then the stamp design within the perforations. These are some of the hardest ones to find items good enough to send out for grading.

I have generally understood the XQ suffix to mean a stamp that is intangibly better than the designated grade, fresher color, fuller perfs, cleaner cancel, or generally nicer looking or better condition than others at the same grade.




PSE sometimes does this (or at least they used to), "Apparent centering: 98." but with large thin, so final grade: 75.

For some years I've shared what are apparently Roger's and Don's thoughts on the lack of consideration given in grading to the centering of the vignette within the frame when the patient is a multicolor. In looking for my own Sc. 523, 524, and 527, I found this a pervasive problem. Quite a few graded or highly graded examples with vignettes off center, sometimes far off center. To me, these off center vignettes were just awful. I found it rather perverse.

I will add, though, that with the C3, I do not mind it so much, perhaps because it's become something of a name game to have grounded, landed, low, slow, high, fast plane varieties..... But on those high value Franklins it bugs me something fierce.

I find the application of cutesy names to be a distraction at best and a lame marketing ploy at worse.

'Fast train', 'landing plane' etc.
Yuck.
I think that some EFO sellers overuse this 'naming' tactic in an attempt to give more legitimacy to their listings.

But I have always found vignette centering and multi-color alignment to impact my opinion of 'eye appeal'.
Don

Good luck finding the high value W/F issues with both high grade and centered vignettes. They didn't print them for us collectors.