Scott #1625B (Tag Omitted) Value?

Hi all,
I have found a used Scott 1625 (Flag over Independence Hall) which definitely appears to be "tag omitted". I do see it listed in the Scott Specialized Catalogue but without a value. Does anyone have an idea?

Thanks

How about a photo under UV light?

Has this stamp been expertised? If it shows the slightest hint of tagging it is not considered untagged


Peter

If you find a dash in the price column in Scott, it does not mean the item is rare nor valuable, it also means there is a limited market for such it items which have little to no value and trade so infrequently that a value cannot be established. SEE: The first paragraph of the Understanding Valuing notations in the Introduction section, Scott Numbering Practices and Special Notices.

This is under UV with a tagged one for comparison. I do realize it may or may not be valuable. I appreciate the input.

I detect a small difference in the brightness of the background where the block tagging should be on your "untagged" stamp. It's just a little darker where the block tag should be than the area to the left and right of it with plain paper.

If I had to guess, the taggant was washed away during the soaking of the stamp. Used stamps are problematic in that regard. Block tagging is a surface tagging method (the taggant is on top of the stamp), it can be removed by "creative methods" or probably simply by soaking too much.

I agree drkohler

Especially noticeable from bottom red stripe of flag and horizontal line of "ground" below building.

So soaking can and does remove taggant this easily? Or do you think it was done with a special fluid?

p0506img thank you for posting this thread and the stamp in question. I appreciate it and would like to know the device you have for the ultraviolet light if you would be so kind. I also had no idea that a simple soaking would remove the tagging so completely. The knowledge being shared here is much appreciated once again.

For tagging on US stamps, you need a shortwave (254nm) uv light source. There are handheld devices that operate on 4 AA batteries, and desktop devices that operate on 110/230V ac that are much stronger. Personally I built my own devices (short 254nm and long 365nm) with UG11 filters to exclude the spurious visible light all tubes produce. The handheld thingies are ok to answer a yes/no question as far as "is it tagged" must be answered, but they don't eliminate all the visible light (which makes the image look much bluisher than it really would be without the visible bits of light).

Tagging comes in umpteen variants. The taggant can be in the paper (prephosphored) mixed into the ink(s) (embedded), or on the surface (overall or as blocks), with many nuances. If the taggant is applied on the surface, you can rub a finger over the stamp and your finger will glow under uv light as some of the taggant has been picked up by your finger.

Intentionally removing the taggant is only possible on surface weakly tagged stamps. I haven't ever tried to remove taggant but my guess is you start with a set of erasers, the usual chemical(s) people use to remove a specific color or experiment with soaking.

The difficulty is to "make disappear" the tagging glow under a cancel as that is the top layer on a used stamp. Hence the flag stamp above might still be genuine if a microscopic examination of the cancel areas do not show any glowing spots.

More information can be found here
https://stampsmarter.org/features/T...ng_Home.html
Don

This is the link to the lamp I use:

https://www.uvtools.com/products/co...073663242459

I probably need to try to post a better picture of this stamp. I see what many of you are saying about the possibility of the taggant having been washed away, but I'm still not sure.
Do you think it would be worth the expense of expertizing to find out?

Thanks and I will try to post a better picture.

I still question soaking a stamp to remove the tagging. Even using certain chemicals to erase would most likely alter the color of the stamp paper and other inks on it. That being said can you show and image of the stamp under natural light next to a tagged stamp?

"I still question soaking a stamp to remove the tagging. Even using certain chemicals to erase would most likely alter the color of the stamp paper and other inks on it."
I tend to agree.