2c Washington Denomination in Numerals - Imperforate Rotary Press

Type Check

This stamp must be Type I and single-line watermarked. If you have a genuine imperforate rotary of this type, it is Scott 459. This stamp was often privately perforated by the U.S. Automatic Vending Machine Company using their Type III perforations and many used copies will show these perforations.

Caution!

This stamp may be faked, although a reasonable fake can only be made from one other stamp, the 453, the only other Type I rotary press two cent stamp and this stamp is rare in its own right. Fakes from the 453 do exist, but the 453 is valuable enough to discourage most chicanery. Since the side perforations must be trimmed to create the imperforate stamp, fakes made from the 453 are often too narrow, often less than 21mm wide overall. Of course, pairs of Scott 459 can not be made from any other stock and are genuine, providing they are type I and rotary press printings. This stamp is often collected in pairs for that reason. Another thing to watch for, fakes made from the 453 often tend toward the carmine rose shade and the Scott 459 does not appear in that shade.

It is more common to see the fake made from the Type III rotary coil, the 455 or the 492. The faker carefully removes a line of shading from the appropriate ribbons. This is not a convincing fake, however, since there are many other ways to distinguish the Type I from the Type III. Of course, fakes made from the 492 will not have a watermark and that too is a giveaway.

Perhaps the greatest confusion with this stamp comes not from fakery, but from wishful thinking. Many of the flat plate imperforates, that is the 409, which are indeed Type I and single-line watermarked, are confused with the more expensive rotary stamp. Take particular care in measuring these stamps, the design must be more than 19.5mm wide, even better, use a template. See: Flat Plate Vs Rotary.

This stamp is so rare it should never be bought or sold without certification. If you should run across a stamp that you think might be a Scott 459, remember these things:

1. The design must measure at least 19.5 mm wide, the same criteria as the horizontal coil stamps
2. The stamp must be single-line watermarked
3. The stamp must be Type I (beware of altered Type III stamps)
4. The overall stamp should measure at least 21 mm wide (eliminating trimmed copies of the 453)
5. The stamp should not be a carmine rose shade (also eliminating trimmed copies of the 453)

If your stamp meets all of these criteria, your next step is to have the stamp certified.

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