US 132 - 90 Cent Lincoln

I found this stamp in a purchased collection. It has 2 certificates which agree that it is genuine. This lists in scott at 3750 mint and 6000 used.
The certificates claim the cancellation is fake. If true how do I figure a value on the stamp?

Hi Bluebear,

To offer any comment or advice we'll need to see the stamp.

Could you please post a scan?

You may not be aware that catalog value is not the whole story on valuation. There is also overall condition, centering, heaviness of cancel(s) if used (this might have been used already with a better-looking cancel added).

Presuming that someone soaked the gum as part of faking a used stamp, one approach is to use the mint no gum value in Scott ($1500), then reduce the value by 50% because the fake cancellation is equivalent to a major fault. (A common rule of thumb is that each major fault, like a tear, pulled perfs, or other problem, reduces the value by a successive 50%.) You would then reduce the value further based on the overall condition, centering, and heaviness of the cancel(s). You cannot use either the mint or used values in Scott as a starting point, in my opinion, because the stamp isn't either one. "Used," in Scott, means "genuinely used," not "fake used."

I will guess that this will end the day as a $300-400 stamp, and even that requires finding a buyer who accepts all the faults.

I will upload tomorrow. My initial concern is how a fake cancel would affect the value of a stamp which is certified as genuine. Due to the scarcity of 132 used, the fake cancel makes some sense to those who do such things.
In this case, the cancellation increases the listed value by $2200. Mint no gum it drops to $1750.
I am pretty new to classic collecting. I thank you for the information and education. I am looking forward to how this unfolds.
I do understand the various condition factors, the stamp is sound, 3 clear edges Right side just touching.
The cancel is segmented cork with a mostly clear face.and I had not considered an over-cancel. That creates a different story line.

Thanks for the valuation guide. I will amend my comments about the cert. in that one is unsure and one is sure. They are somewhat dated, so I can only hope that with new technology it turns out to be genuine. Either way it is an excellent way to learn about this topic.

You might save yourself some $ in certificate fees if you post a good quality scan of the stamp, including the back, and both existing certs. Yes, this is an Internet forum, but some members have incredible knowledge.

A fake cancellation does not turn a unused stamp into a used stamp, it turns it into a damaged unused stamp. ZERO of the added $2259 value between genuine unused and genuine used comes into play. The faked cancel does not make the stamp used. What the certificates are telling you is the piece of paper is genuine, meaning the basic 132 is just that a stamp issued by the USPOD. Placing it on an envelope does not change the stamp at all, but it does not make an "on cover" example, nor does marking it with ink, change that it is still a genuine but damaged stamp.

Now if the used value was $22.50 verse unused at $3750.00 there would be fewer fake cancellations on these stamps. Sometimes, such as here, it is more important to certify used stamps rather than their unused count parts.

Sadly I must add, new technology tends to find move fakes than reverse an opinion of a falsified cancel.

Is this the stamp?

yes, I believe it is. While there are only some 40 used copies known, I am impressed. What are your thoughts.

Which certificate data base did you pull this from rogdcam?

Edit to spell name correctly.

If it is a fake cancel, I will hope to learn how one can detect that. In terms of the collection, I had assumed it was a 122 by photo...so now a learning experience.
Design? type of ink, penetration of paper? Given the age, I would wonder when it was done,
BTW. Did you find it by auction or through the Certificate data base?

the certificates..I should have led with those? Weis dec 2009 #16 13215 states no opinion on cancel. then Feb 2010 cert. F 207974
the Philatelic Foundation.fraudulent.

I have a quasi-similar item. I have a fake-cancelled USA #39, also with a PF Cert that I got in a collection decades ago. Like the 132, it is worth $1000's used and $1000-ish if unused no gum. I have shopped it around over the years and all the offers have been in the neighborhood of $100, so I have hung on to it.

There are a few stamps where a used example is worth more than an unused example - you and I each have one. People that are not in the know sometimes think they can cancel an unused copy and make it worth a lot more. The prices for used examples are for cancels that can be identified as contemporary and genuine. For all those examples that are identified as fake cancels, their value is very low - in the end, it was a VERY BAD idea to try to 'enhance' them.

If you 'lose' the certificate, and try to sell to a naive collector, you will be as bad as the original faker, only a lot less creative. Anybody with any stamp sense will not pay for your stamp as a sound used stamp, cert or not. My advice is to embrace it for what it is - a rare stamp that has been altered for the sake of $$$ and it ended up dropping in value for it. Having said all that, I wouldn't throw it away - it has some value as a fake.

The 132 looks like someone "canceled" it with their thumb and an ink pad.