Measuring The Centering Of A Straight Edge Stamp

Eight years ago there were postings about the value of straight edge stamps. No one has indicated how to go about measuring the centering. I have a beautiful example of the beautiful US 292 1898 $1 Trans-Miss. Although it appears very well centered, one of the edges is a natural straight edge. Any guidance would be appreciated.
Vanguard

I think PSE and PF consider a straight edge a "fault" for grading. I don't like that position as most of the columbian, trans-mississippi, etc. straight-edge stamps have been damaged by reperforating. A straight-edge copy is likely to be genuine, and they are quite scarce compared to both genuine 4-side-perforated, and reperfs. Your stamp is very nice- well-balanced and with a guideline showing, but it won't "grade" well. I don't think you really can "measure" the centering, at least left/right centering.

A huge beautiful margin, and faulted for it. That's not right. Quite a stamp.

Assuming that it was perforated instead, it would only be an 85. Both of the vertical margins are much wider than both of the horizontal margins. It's a nice stamp, but that is all it would grade.

A side issue related to this is that PF and PSE will bump a grade 5 points DOWN if a guideline is shown on perf tips. I found this out the hard way. No that seems crazy. In my mind, a guideline is unobtrusive.

Also, knowing plate layouts, a person can rule out reperf by it's presence. For a 292, a perfed horizontal guideline is legit. A perfed vertical would be a reperf - these are knife cut where the full sheet into 2 panes.

You are so right. The stamp below was mine that I purchased at a Siegel sale and it was dinged for the guide line/arrow. Just silly really.

This stamp would probably get an 80 regardless. Really hard to give it an 85.

Rev - I agree with you. A shame it is dinged for being a position piece though.

I agree completely; the line is natural so it should not detract.

How do you know it was dinged? Your comment suggests a graded cert somewhere?

Although very attractive as a position piece, if one removes the guide line with Photoshop, it is centered very high.

From recent experience. When I asked why 70 they said the worksheets show F-VF initial grade but reduced to 70 because of guideline. Cert itself doesn't mention this.

Graded certs are for number collectors, not philatelists.

Stupid philatelists think some things other than the number grade are important.


As is said, one needs to read the room and know your audience. The grading services do understand.

Regarding the 293, that's rough. Definitely a case where I would say "only give me a grade if it is 80 or above". That 70 grade drops the SMQ of that stamp to half catalog, which is a shame because otherwise it has quite decent centering for that issue.

I do enjoy collecting guidelines and other position pieces, but I understand their reasoning. The guideline can be distracting, and in a clean mint collection, with a page full of otherwise nice and well-centered stamps, a guideline will stick out like a sore thumb, hence it stands to reason that it should be graded lower. Given the choice between two identical stamps, one with a guideline and one without, I anticipate the majority of collectors would choose the one without the guideline. Many people won't care, but many others do care. For people collecting graded stamps, they want perfection, so I can see why the PF would downgrade for the guideline, and more-so for the straight edge, even if it is a natural occurrence.

Zebra - I have to agree with you. I had a gorgeous straddle margin US Scott 100 that was the last stamp to sell out of my entire collection when Rupp sold it stamp by stamp. People in general looked at the straight edge as a flaw. Contrary to what someone said above about "number collectors", Rupp's clients tend to be on the more sophisticated side when it comes to philately. It is about aesthetics, not "collecting numbers". Prior to grading people still sought out the best centered and flawless stamps albeit without a numerical grade attached. Adding a grade does not suddenly mean they are shallow collectors.

But before grading, most collectors were much more willing to accept stamps which would grade 85-90 today. That is because most collectors over grade the stamps they like, so even in those days, stamps that "looked nice" tended to be the examples taken. And no one had to pay through the nose to get them. They were priced higher, but it was a reasonable increase, not a ridiculous one.