Washington Head
Denomination 
in Numerals
"2 CENTS"
Perf 10 Coil
Rotary Press: Type II

Watermark Check - Once you have determined that this perf 10 rotary coil is Type II, you must check for the presence of a watermark  Note that the perf 10 horizontal type II is never watermarked and is always Scott 487. 

Caution

Care must be made when examining the Scott 454 for watermark, the single-line watermark is often hard to detect particularly if it is on the edge of the stamp. Many copies of Scott 454 with hard to distinguish watermarks are inadvertently offered as Scott 491. The Scott 491 should never be bought or sold without certification, since the certification fee pales when compared to the value of the stamp. If you find a Scott 491 being offered without certification at a lower than expected price, you can almost be certain it is a Scott 454 with a weak watermark. 

Although not a common forgery, Type III stamps may be altered to look like their Type II counterparts by scratching out the extra lines in the ribbons, even though the other differences are obvious and would not fool anyone willing to take the time to examine the stamp closely. See Type II Vs Type III.

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