Follow these steps in the
identification of your seven cent Bank Note:
There is no need to check for
paper type on this stamp since it was not issued on the soft porous
paper of the American Bank Note Company for general postage, but you must still check
for the "secret" mark.
If it has the "secret" mark it is the Continental Bank
Note, Scott 160. This stamp is one of the easier to identify
unless a cancellation covers the area in question. The secret mark
is quite distinct.
If it does not have the "secret" mark it is the National
Bank Note printing. If the stamp has a grill, it may be Scott
138. If it does not have a grill it is Scott 149. Care
must be taken when authenticating the grill. Many fake grills have
been added over the years in an attempt to increase the value of
the stamp.
Watch for re-perforation (to fake a more well-centered stamp), for re-gumming (a major problem with the Bank Notes), and even
for bleaching
of the cancellation (to remove the cancel). Unused copies carry a
substantial premium over the used stamp.
We include the "Special" printings in this identification
guide merely for completeness. Only 473 copies total of Scott
171
and 196 were sold, and they were never issued for postal use.
They were issued without gum. We occasionally see uncertified copies of
these stamps offered for sale at ridiculously low prices. You can
rest assured that the stamp being offered is not genuine. These
stamps are so rare, only 150 copies are known, they rarely come up for sale, except in the
sale of a major U.S. Collection.
