Riverside Stamps
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Suspect Scott #441, Unused MNH Guideline Pair.
This MNH guideline pair was
part if a lot of 63 items I bought at auction recently. This is a rarely faked coil because
it is not expensive with singles cataloguing at $2.00 and ordinary pairs coming
in at $8.00. The guideline pairs are
sometimes faked because they carry a slightly higher catalogue value of $17.50. This coil can be faked by adding
perforations to the top and bottom edges of a trimmed #408, adding perforations
at the top and bottom of a #408E, trimming the perforations from the left and/or
right edges of a #424 and trimming the perforations from the left or right of a
#424d.
The watermark of the suspect
is a single line that reads horizontally (see Fig 1) which eliminate the
possibility that the suspect is a booklet pair #424d.
Fig 1
The suspect measures 21.5+ mm
wide which is ideal for the issue.
Next comes the examination of the perforations.
Fig 2, 3 and 4 show the top, middle and bottom perforations overlaid on
known genuine 9.97 perforations.
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
As can be seen the
perforations are a perfect match to the known good example. Lastly the guideline is examened in
Fig 5. A piece of thin foil was
placed on top of the guideline and the rounded end of a used pencil eraser was
used to tap the foil into the engraved design of the stamp. The guideline should be engraved like
the rest of the stamp and should show in the foil with the rest of the design.
Fig 5
As can be seen the guideline
does leave an impression in the foil indicating that it is a genuine engraved
guideline.
In conclusion I can state with
absolute certainty that the suspect is indeed a genuine #441 guideline pair that
is MNH.
Reference material used: The Expert's Book. A practical guide to the authentication of United States stamps. By Paul W. Schmid
As always comments and suggestions are always welcome.
To Contact Riverside Stamps:
Email:
Mike Girard - Owner / Operator / Web Master:
g1rardmn1099@comcast.net
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I am a member of the American Philatelic Society
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I am a member of the United States Stamp Society  USSS #: 16733 Visit the United States Stamp Society Website at www.usstamps.org |
I am a member of the Perfins Club
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