Which One Would You Choose ?

It also depends upon what the view's definition of faulty is when looking at stamps. The middle stamp is faulty with a tear and piece missing. The upper one has poor margins due to normal separation methods, faulty for some, poorly centered for others. The lower one all perfs are not the same length but is not faulty by most measures unless non-faulty means 100% perfection. But hey, once your 152+ years old and not perfect there is always someone to toss it.

Edited to add a "ed" and since I am back again, I would take all three stamps if I collected the areas of course when (if) I up graded the torn and piece missing stamp I would still pass it on.

As to sorch's comment which I will take as not trolling, I wonder if it is only the low price which leads him to dust bin. Would he consider a double grill a defective flaw or a stamp with four corners trimmed suitable for the dust bin? Perhaps that is the poster's way to avoid US 85A and that other 1c stamp never listed by catalog number, only by word description.

Those light ink breaks are very common on used eagles IMO, less so on mint stamps.




I attributed the (very) slight difference in color to lighting/scanning aberration rather than toning. If I'm wrong, it's so slight that the vast majority of collectors would not consider that a major fault IMO.

Bottom line is I would be happy with such a "binned" stamp all day long and if you are throwing stamps of this calibre in the trash bin, I think you're doing the hobby a disservice. *shrug*

I wouldn't throw it out. Just pointing out slight imperfections.

@Captain




tears, margins, missing perfs.

@revenuecollector




Missing a perf in south.