Riverside Stamps

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Suspect Scott #441, Used Single with Paste-up Tab (3/9/14).

The suspect is a used single with what appears to be a paste-up tab, was part of a larger collection of larger collection of Washington/Franklins I bought at auction in January of 2014. This is a rarely faked coil because it is not expensive with used singles cataloguing at $1.50 and ordinary pairs coming in at $2.50. 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 an normal single line “S” that reads horizontally which eliminate the possibility that the suspect is a booklet pair #424d.

The suspect is 25.5mm tall at the right and at the left. The edges are parallel with each other and the frame.

The suspects perforation overlaid on genuine guage 10 perforations – as can be seen the match is very good. The perforations show all the signs of being genuine – slightly oval in shape, rough on one side and slight pressure ridges.

I believe this stamp was originally part of a paste-up pair with the suspect being the bottom part with the tab that the top stamp was glued to. I base that on the fact that the cancel abruptly ends just past the top perforations as well as the slight lightening of the paper past where the cancel ends. There are no certified #441 paste-up pairs in the Philatilic Foundations certificate database but there are four certified #442 paste-up pairs and all have the top stamp on top of the bottom stamp. Most likely the top stamp separated from the suspect when the pair was soaked off of the cover they were applied to. It would make sense that a pair would be used on a first class cover because the demostic rate for a first class letter was 2’ per ounce between July of 1895 and July of 1932. The only time the rate was different was November of 1917 when the rate was temprarily raised to 3’ during WWI. The cancel on the stamp can be used to date the usage of the stamp. The cancel is an “AIR-MAIL SAVES TIME” slogan cancel used between 1924 and 1941

The cancel is a Type 1b for 1927 – 28 but does not show the cracked plate feature of 1928 so more than likely the suspect was used sometime in 1927.

Conclusion: I am of the opinion that the suspect is a genuine #441 with the paste-up tab intact. It is a late usage denoted by the use of the “AIR-MAIL SAVES TIME” slogan cancel.

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

To Contact Riverside Stamps:
Email:
Mike Girard - Owner / Operator / Web Master: g1rardmn1099@comcast.net


I am a member of the American Philatelic Society

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APS #: 205494
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USSS #: 16733
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Perfins Club #: 4266
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