Caution
Scott 359 "Blue" Paper -
The "blue" is actually
a "gray color", not really "blue", but it may take
on a slightly bluish tint. The stamp was made with a higher percentage of
rag content (about 30%) resulting in a grayish tinge to the stamp. As a
first check, be certain the stamp is double-line
watermarked, all "blue
papers" are double-line watermarked. Fortunately, double-line
watermarks are hard to miss, if you don't see one, the stamp is highly suspect. If
you think your stamp is the "blue paper" variety, you MUST have
this stamp certified. Even faulty, poorly centered examples of this stamp
command a premium far in excess of the certification fee. If the stamp is
genuine, it will retrieve a far higher price when certified. Conversely, do
not purchase a non-certified copy of this stamp. If the seller is unwilling
to pre-certify the stamp, there is a high likelihood that the genuineness of
the stamp is in question.
Scott 389 "Orangeburg Coil" -
Three cent coil stamps were not issued until 1911,
and then only to the Bell Pharmaceutical Company of Orangeburg, N.Y.
These stamps were perforated 12
vertically on single-line watermarked paper. Later that year the
first regularly issued 3¢ U.S. coil was offered to the public,
perforated 8½ and also on single-line watermarked paper, Scott
394. Note that there is no 3¢ Washington Franklin coil perf 12
horizontally (vertical coil). The 389 is an exceptionally rare stamp, highly unlikely to
show up in an unchecked mixture. If it is used, it is always found with one of two wavy-line
cancels. For an excellent look at how experts view this stamp, please
see the Philatelic Foundation article here.
Fakes - There is no imperforate stock
from which to manufacture this stamp, although attempts may be
made to pass off the double-line flat plate imperforate Sc345,
with added perforations left and right, but this should fool no
one, since the Orangeburg coil is always single-line watermarked.
Perhaps a little more difficult are fakes made from the
unwatermarked flat plate imperforate stamp Sc483, but again the
lack of watermark is a problem. Most fakes are made from the perf
12 stock, Sc376 by trimming the top and bottom margins and these
fakes can be somewhat convincing if the starting stamp was a jumbo
with the proper cancellation and color, a deep shade of purple.
This problem is compounded by the fact that genuine examples of
the stamp measure a little on the small side, with genuine copies
measuring as small as 23.5mm tall. They typically measure less
than 1mm shorter than the "ideal" measurement for flat
plate coil stamps, that is at least 25mm tall. Often important in
the certification of the stamp is that on many, particularly the
ones centered toward the bottom, the design slopes down from left
to right in relationship to the coil edges. Since this stamp is one of the great rarities in U.S. philately, it
should NEVER be bought or sold without certification.
