George Washington Stamp 1861 3 Cent. Rose Or Pink

Can anyone help me, with the colors of these stamps.


* * * Subject title changed to correct misspelling of George so that future searches may be able to find this thread easier * * *

Niels, they are both #65, rose.
Can't tell with an image on the web, or without a date and year if they are any of the specialized 3c 1861 colors.

Hope this helps, Ray

I think they have a chance of being 64b's but it is hard to tell from a scan and without having some other examples scanned alongside. That's just how it looks on my phone.

nielsjust,
If the image is a photograph and without additional information on how the image was generated… see this page for the influence that ambient lighting has on digital images.
https://stampsmarter.org/learning/G...lorTool.html

If the image is a flatbed scan and without additional information on how the image was generated… see image below for two scans of the same item.


The two responses above are from notable and highly experienced people. But I am quite sure that I can fool them by intentionally manipulating an image. I am NOT saying that this is happening here at all, but it has happened in the past in this community.

My point is this, stamp color ID by an image posted online is far from a satisfactory identification. As sinclair2010 mentioned, there is a bit more value in having the stamp in question imaged beside others. This helps some because people then have a little more info on the numerous varibles that impact digital image colors.
Don

I have just found another of my own, the three in the middle is mine, and the stamp on the far left side is a pint, and the one on the far right is a rose, I have found both on the internet.

Although you did a nice job of cropping everything together, the three inside stamps were done in one scan, and the other two outside stamps were done by another source, and then added to your picture. Still can't tell the true color, though, and they all may well be Rose. Good luck.

Looks like the 4th stamp has a grill, if that matters for color. According to the catalog, the pink does not have a grill. The middle three all look rose to me.

Thanks for all your help, I know that it is not easy to see the right colors. But it is not easy for me to send them to an expert in the US, Is there an expert in Europe.

This is a 64 I owned. It gives you an idea of how pink it was.

The Royal Philatelic Society London can expertize these, although you will wait many months for their opinion.

Hey all,

I think I've got a pink here - but if so, not sure which one! For comparison, I've included a confirmed Scott 88 (E grill) on the right to hopefully represent the rose color.

Scanned inside a dealer card (black background) and the regular white of my scanner lid for comparison. The alleged pink is in pretty rough shape so I'm not expecting any big windfall, just trying to get a sense of color here.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I know that identifying colors on a computer screen is nearly impossible but I see a lot of blue in that pink. Does anyone else see what I see? If it looks the same in person as it does on my computer screen, I would definitely send it in for a certificate.

I don't want to get your hopes up too much, but I did a Siegel PowerSearch for 64a. They have sold just 120 Scott 64a through the years (including duplication) and 8 of those (if I counted correctly) were postmarked in Portland Maine in October 1861, between Oct 1 and Oct 26. Yours with a clear Oct 14, 1861 Portland cancel is right in the middle of that span.

Wishing you good luck and curious for other opinions!

Interesting, thanks! I didn't even really consider 64a initially, given the high cat value, but appreciate you mentioning PowerSearch. Definitely seem to be a run of these from Portland in October 1861, so mine fits the bill, at least in terms of time and place.

Coincidentally, this stamp is from an 1888 Scott International I bought at a used bookstore in Portland. There were quite a few stamps (including revenues) with Portland and other Maine cancels, so the collection must have been built and kept locally.

I guess the only way to know for sure with respect to color is to send it in... although if it is a 64a, I'll be out a pretty penny for the expertizing bill for a stamp that isn't worth much given its condition. On the other hand, it would make for a good story...!

Do folks have thoughts as to which expertizing group to use? Or maybe a solo expert?

I agree with ZebraMan - good possibility that the stamp on the left is a 64.

I'm surprised that more people didn't reply to this thread. The provenance that you describe is helpful to lean more towards the 64a possibility. If the collection was bought from a stamp dealer or auction house, and if it is a 64a, it would have already been cherry-picked long ago. Regardless, keep the stamp out of the sun so that it doesn't fade into a lesser valued shade.

The PF offers lower price caps for expensive stamps with condition issues, but I think the minimum CV is $5000.

I don't know if William Crowe's pricing is more flexible regarding market value versus catalog value. He is a member of this forum (wtcrowe), you can send him a Direct Message to ask about rates for his certificates and whether he thinks the stamp is worth getting a certificate for. Or search eBay for Crowe 2024 and you should find some recent certificates that have his full contact information.