Follow these steps in the
identification of your twenty-four cent Bank Note:
There is no need to check the paper
type on this stamp, all regularly issued 24¢ Bank Notes were printed on the
"hard white" paper. In fact, there is little need to
check for anything at all, the stamp is Scott 153.
In the very
unlikely event that the stamp has a grill, it might be the
exceptionally rare Scott 142. 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, although this stamp is
so rare that purchasing this stamp without certification is sheer
folly.
Only one
copy has been certified as being the Continental printing, Scott
164, and this
certification is merely an opinion and not held by all. There is no
way to tell the National from the Continental printings by
examination of the printing, however it is thought that if a 24c is
found printed on a paper that National did not use, for example a
"ribbed" paper, the stamp must be a Continental Scott
164. Such is the case for the one known example.
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 286 copies total of Scott
175
and 200 were sold, and they were never issued for postal use. 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 165 are known, they rarely come up for sale, except in the sale of a major U.S. Collection.
