Stamp Collecting

Condition

The condition of stamp collectibles is a description of a stamps paper, gum (when dealing with mint stamps), and ink characteristics. The most adequate description of a stamp should be concise but still use as many words as necessary to properly describe the stamp. For example, a early British colonial stamp issued from the tropics might have many faults that need addressing, and the stamps description may be as long as a paragraph to note this. Despite this, old issued stamps with faults may still yet be very valuable due to price or rarity of pristine examples, or their possible lack of existence.

Positive Conditions -

• The stamp collectibles should have a crisp and clear printing impression that is on a line-engraved issue,
• The stamp should possess wide margins between the separations and the design itself,
• The stamp collectibles should possess rich colors as if it were hot off the press,
• There should be selvage that is attached to the stamp, especially when it comes to older issued stamps,
• Used stamps with rare or usual cancellation,

Faults -

A fault is anything that has damaged, altered or otherwise changed the stamp or the appearance of the stamp since the point in time where it was printed, except for postal marks such as a cancellation, pre-cancels and overprints.

• Gum faults include mint copies that have been re-gummed, or uncancelled copies that do not have any gum. If there is something stuck on the gum, like a fingerprint or dirt, this is also considered to be a fault for stamp collectibles.
• Paper faults include pieces that are missing, tears or holes, creases or folds or stains on the paper. If the paper has thinned because the stamp back has been peeled away in part or completely, this is a paper fault. Another paper fault involves heavy hinge remnant in stamp collectibles.
• Color faults on stamp collectibles include chemical changes in the stamp color or stains. Attempting to remove a cancellation may also change the color of a stamp.
• Perf faults include shortened perforations or perf tips that have been cut off in order to create a straight edge which indicates that the stamp was cut with a scissors. Other perforation faults include perforations that are notably shorter than others or perforations that were clearly pulled off.
• Face faults include when something is stuck on the stamp, or when the stamp is scuffed or has non-postal marks on it such as crayon marks, pencil marks or pen marks.

Stamp conditions can vary significantly from one country to the next, and the standards are not typically the same across the board based on printing technologies and region. Sometimes you will buy a stamp that is not in high condition with a note that mentions that it is very fine for the country, which explains that it will be hard to find stamps of the same high quality in that region.

Photo credits: karen horton

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Stamps -> UK (Great Britain) -> Victoria

For collectors of stamps from Great Britain, perhaps the most desirable stamp of all is the Queen Victoria Stamp. This is a rare stamp that was first made in 1840. The original value was one penny, but since that time these stamps have become much more expensive. You can easily expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars on an authentic Queen Victoria stamp.

While there are many of these available, it is important to know whether or not you have an authentic Queen Victoria stamp on your hands, or if it is a fake. Here are some easy guidelines to help you determine not only the authenticity of your stamp but whether or not it will be worth a great deal of money.

1. Overall Condition

Queen Victoria stamps that are in great condition will obviously sell for more money. If you are a serious collector with money to spend, look for an extremely fine or very fine condition stamp. These will typically have very small perforations on the edge and the entire stamp will be very clean looking and in overall good condition.

However, if the stamp is too perfect, you may not be dealing with an authentic Queen Victoria stamp. There should be some age and wear to the item if it is authentic.

2. Look for adhesive.

One of the world’s first adhesive stamps was the Queen Victoria stamp and these are worth an incredible amount of money. Ideally, you should look for one that has the majority of the gum intact, since these will be worth the most money. However, even stamps that only have a small amount of adhesive can still be worth a pretty penny.

If the adhesive is not dark colored, as it would be with age, this is a sign that it may have been added recently. Remember, if it looks too new – chances are that it is.

3. Avoid faults.

Unless you are merely collecting Queen Victoria stamps for the fun of it, you should avoid faults. These are imperfections that are the result of age and handling, and not from the original designer. If the stamp is torn, or has creases, it will be worth less money. However, little things like having a hinge still intact may actually increase the overall value of the stamp.

This is one case where perfection makes it easy to spot a fake. While collectors always look for Queen Victoria stamps that are in close to perfect condition, they will still have some age since they are so old. Avoid any stamps that are completely perfect.

Stamp collecting should be fun, so first and foremost remember that if you do come across an authentic Queen Victoria stamp, even if it was used on a postcard it is still a rare find. Take good care of it and you never know, it may increase in value over time. These rare stamps are a lot of fun to collect.

Originally posted 2008-08-24 05:00:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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