Scott #1 With Added Artistry?

To me it looks like a top and bottom border was drawn in with a thin crayon. I'm thinking they wanted to complete the border at the bottom?

Also, the red grid cancel looks rather 'sketchy' in all sense of the word. What say everyone?

I agree

Also looks like there is a tear top center going down through the "O" of OFFICE that has been repaired in some way.

Matches up with the shield shaped area on the back that looks like a filled thin.

Good eye. I don't know if there's any stigma surrounded repaired stamps but I kind of appreciate it if it's nicely done. Much like curating a mini piece of art.

Both the top and bottom borders look fishy to me. And then there's the filled thin mentioned above.

As for stigma and repaired stamps... I think you'll find that discussions on that topic are endless and without consensus.

A repair may be artfully executed, as noted by auction houses or dealers in describing stamps as "expertly regummed" or "expertly repaired." For as much as adding any kind of ink to a stamp may have been executed with great skill, the question must be asked about the intent of such work. I think it's a mistake to conflate notions of conservation, repairs, and artistic accomplishment. It's all about intent: "why did the stamp doctor doctor the stamp"? Perhaps even more importantly is the matter of disclosing said alterations.

There are any number of absolutely legitimate reasons to "fix a broken stamp." Depends on the stamp, though. Collectors of early US taxpaid stamps often have no choice but to purchase spliced or otherwise repaired stamps. In that field there are no arguments about what constitutes an "ethical repair."

Should covers be cleaned or have foxing removed? Depends on who you ask. Arguments for "preservation and conversation" may be countered or contested with accusations of deception.

Anyway, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Thank you for that incredible reply, essay. Yes, it's the tip of a seemingly endless iceberg

I would say this: since there's no way for us to know the true intentions of another person, intent is only relevant to the person who holds it. We tend to go down a dark path if we think about it too much, and you are 100% correct in saying any alteration should be made known in a transaction so it doesn't turn into a stream of bitter dissent.

The best way for a seller to erase all doubt is by
1) having clear photography, and 2) being responsive with requests.

Even if someone highlights a certificate from a trusted grader, but doesn't have a clear picture of the stamp, I will usually pass on it because I don't know what happened to the stamp after it was certified.
Having a certificate alongside the points mentioned above is the best scenario, but I will still value the clear pictures over anything else because I can make a determination for myself on whether or not I want the stamp (and I can return it if it's not up to snuff with the pictures).

That's just my own point of view.

Could I ask your opinion on the red markings as well?
There's a deeper red in the repaired tear that StateRev pointed out which is probably further evidence that it was penciled in after being removed from a cover.
What would be the purpose of that? It's my understanding that the red grill cancel is rather common, so it shouldn't increase the value...

Would be very helpful to see the stamp "dipped" and backlit.

Thanks Rogdcam. Do you mean putting a light source behind the stamp while I pull it out of fluid?
Should I turn all other lights off?

Hi Stephen-P,

You're welcome! Can't comment on the cancelations. Outside my area.

As for intent:


When it comes to altered stamps, I don't think there's much room to be liberal with interpretations, or generous with trust. I'd think it's crucial to understand (or divine) why someone took pen to paper, or otherwise tried to improve on a stamp's appearance. Also, the consequences of altering a stamp can take many forms, as discussed below.

First, let's compare your stamp with four other examples which were posted on this forum previously (originals found at https://goscf.com/t/74487#664652).

This comparison alone makes it pretty clear that someone tried to improve the upper & lower frame lines on your example. But for what purpose? It's easy to ascribe or imagine both the most innocent and the most cynical motivations for someone having taken pen to paper. If a seller of this stamp fully disclosed the alteration and priced it accordingly, then I'd say "no harm, no foul" and there'd be no need to fire neurons wondering why the stamp was altered. On the other hand, the stamp may have been altered by a deler to improve its appearance with no intent of disclosing the alteration in the hopes of getting an unwitting buyer to pay full pop for it. This isn't a case of being negative or thinking the worst of people. Rather, it reflects a common type of unscrupulous dealer practice.

The internet makes it easy to view multiple examples without the aid of magnification. But a potential buyer has to be savvy enough to even know to do that. Imagine a situation where someone's daughter wants to buy "the first Franklin stamp" for dad who's wanted one his whole life. The stamp is offered online at a reasonable price, perhaps even with the disclosure "framelines enhanced." But that might mean nothing to the daughter, who ponies up for it. Unbeknownst to her, dad is intimiately familiar with the stamp and now has to navigate both the pleasure and the disappointment of the well-intentioned gift.

Below is another example of alteration, using two stamps from my exhibit. The stamp on the right had its upper RH corner repaired/replaced. The alteration was well-intentioned, even "artistic" to some degree (though more like "clever"). However, I didn't notice it when I first bought it quite some time ago. As the years went by and I became more familiar with the design, I had an "aha moment" when I finally realized why the corner looked funny. But in this case we're talking about an early taxpaid stamp, and over time I learned that when it comes to these stamps, repairs are both commonplace and to a great extent expected.

The repair wasn't disclosed when I bought it. Was I deceived? Not really. "Taxpaid" and "repair" go hand in hand. In retrospect, I paid a fair price for it, and it's still one of the nicest examples of this stamp I've seen to date. No regrets. Had I known enough at the time I bought it to point out to the dealer that it was repaired, I can imagine his response: "Yes, it's reparied, but regardless, you won't find a better one for 10 years." And even though that's an imagined response, it reflects the truth about this particular stamp.

Wow, those are new to me. If I were selling the one on the right, I probably wouldn't have noticed the repair to be honest.. Heck, I still can't see it!
But technically the seller wouldn't be lying by saying it's a... "manufactured" type;)
(ku-du--ching)

Really near pair though. I wouldn't have any regrets either.



That collage is a HUGE help. Thank you for the time. It certainly adds confluence to have many comparisons.




Absolutely agree with you. This was part of a huge collection that couldn't give a detailed account of every stamp.. but I'm very happy with the purchase.
I buy about 90% of my stamps in Japan and I'll tell you this: you will never find a more sincere people.
No matter what you're searching for they go through great trouble to point out every flaw.

As per the intentions behind the added postmark, I question it because it wouldn't increase the value of the stamp if it WERE real.
It already has a pen cancel, so wouldn't it just hurt themselves to try and apply an another one?
Seems more like it became a child's canvas than a modification meant to deceive people.
Just speculation. Not so serious that I need to figure it out :p

It should not be a surprise that less common stamps with faults and condition issues often end up in lots, accumulations, and collections offered for sale.

Post-internet there is a significant population of sellers who are also collectors and they will typically upgrade their own collections by exchanging stamps.
Don

It's amazing you give this allegory
I recently was gifted a set of Meiji period silver coins that I knew right away were fake (silver in hand is impossible to replicate).
It IS a strange feeling, because in a sense you want justice for the victim, your friend... but also you have a chance to throw away that petty nature of "being right" for "being right's" sake and replace it with a joyous fervor that pleases him, which then pleases you.

I could come to the conclusion that it WAS a scam, but there's still a possibility that the seller didn't know either. So, I ball up those negative inclinations and throw them away, being more the wiser for next time.

I've spent probably around $1000 on forgeries when I started collecting, unbeknownst to me at the time. I NEVER put them back on the market, because, much like negative thoughts, the temptation itself is not the sin. Feeding the temptation is what allows us to become a slave to it in due time.

I'm elated when I see fuzzy pictures in auctions BUT know from experience that the coin is authentic, because it means that the other bidders probably won't go all in!
It's given me quite a collection and a nice profit, so those hard lessons in the beginning can really pay off if we keep a good mind about them.
I enjoy reading your posts because they seem to share the same position.

Ultimately, I agree with the PF's attestation that "it's always more desirable if everyone becomes an expert".

That is VERY true, Don. Especially in the case of UNREAL, WILD BLOWOUT ESTATE lots on eBay
(I don't dare touch them)

It is very easy to spot the red flags, but it's also easy to spot the green ones if you train your mind in such a way (first by acknowledging that they even exist).

Here's an example:



This was barely visible in the top corner of one of the 12 pictures from the same lot. There were many like it that were difficult to see, but I knew what they were. This could imply that the store is unaware, potentially ignorant to stamps in general.

Another point is that the description was extremely vague/generic. It's from a second hand shop that pushes out hundreds of items a week without thoroughly investigating them (they profit more in such a way).
In Japan, these shops are too numerous to count.

Point #3 is that the advertisement was simply the front of both albums. Again, very generic.
But the albums were very nice compared to most of what you can find.

And sure enough, to further validate that the assumption was correct, upon receiving the albums I opened up to pages that weren't even in the photos. Pages that contain, as per one example, the entire banknote series... which apparently was not as important as showing an entire page dedicated to Harriet Quimby

So I'd like to stress again the importance of staying positive and using logic rather than letting the 'traps' get the best of us.

If you see something shiny on the beach, there's a very high chance it is NOT gold. If you see something shiny in the Muruntau Mines of Uzbekistan, you'd better take your gloves and get there first.

I typically calculate my philatelic material buying risk based upon my understanding/experience with humans and their capacity for greed, not location. <shrugs>
Don

Truthfully, there are knowledgeable dealers who would have left that 505 block in a large lot because of the centering. It's really only worth a small fraction of catalog. Especially if it happens to be hinged.