Stamp Grading For Beginners
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aussiestamps
Mar 8, 2009, 8:31:11 PM3/8/09
to ALL STAMPS PARADISE
Grading Stamps for Beginners
To get the most out of your stamp collection if you are a beginner,
you need to have a strong attention to detail.
Even if you are just trying to fill a space, the eye-catching
attractiveness of your stamps can be the most satisfying part of stamp
collecting.
Stamp grading is not a required skill for all collectors, but some
stamp grading knowledge is a nesesary aspect the stamp collecting
hobby.
Although there is no universal approach to grading stamps, It is
important to be able to detect flaws and imperfections that can alter
the value of a stamp. Grading stamps is a multi-step process.
When buying or selling stamps, the grade of a stamp is the most
significant consideration in determining the price asked and paid.
Stamps can be sound, faulty or defective. A sound stamp is not faulty
or defective.
Faulty stamps have minor imperfections like a few short perforations
or lightly creased corners
Defective stamps can have many short perforations, missing
perforations, heavy smeared cancellations, heavy creases, tears,
stains, missing corners, scuffed designs and thin spots.
When grading stamps, you need to look closely at the perforations.
Centering of the stamp is one of the most important things to consider
when grading stamps.
A perfectly centered stamp is considered to be a superb (S) stamp.
A stamp perfectly centered side to side but slightly off to the top or
bottom is an Extra Fine (XF) stamp.
A stamp perfectly centered top to bottom but off slightly side to side
is a Very Fine (VF) stamp.
A stamp slightly off in two directions is a Fine-Very Fine (F-VF)
stamp.
Stamps that are off center to the point where the frame of the design
almost touches the perforations is a Fine (F) stamp.
A stamp whose perforations cut into the stamp's design is an Average
(A) stamp.
A stamp with really bad centering, where part of the stamp's design is
lost, is a poor (p) stamp.
There is an exeption to the rule and that is with the very old stamps.
They were often printed so close together that the perforations nearly
always cut into the design.
Happy Stamping
kerr...@harboursat.com.au
http://aussiestamps.blogspot.com
To get the most out of your stamp collection if you are a beginner,
you need to have a strong attention to detail.
Even if you are just trying to fill a space, the eye-catching
attractiveness of your stamps can be the most satisfying part of stamp
collecting.
Stamp grading is not a required skill for all collectors, but some
stamp grading knowledge is a nesesary aspect the stamp collecting
hobby.
Although there is no universal approach to grading stamps, It is
important to be able to detect flaws and imperfections that can alter
the value of a stamp. Grading stamps is a multi-step process.
When buying or selling stamps, the grade of a stamp is the most
significant consideration in determining the price asked and paid.
Stamps can be sound, faulty or defective. A sound stamp is not faulty
or defective.
Faulty stamps have minor imperfections like a few short perforations
or lightly creased corners
Defective stamps can have many short perforations, missing
perforations, heavy smeared cancellations, heavy creases, tears,
stains, missing corners, scuffed designs and thin spots.
When grading stamps, you need to look closely at the perforations.
Centering of the stamp is one of the most important things to consider
when grading stamps.
A perfectly centered stamp is considered to be a superb (S) stamp.
A stamp perfectly centered side to side but slightly off to the top or
bottom is an Extra Fine (XF) stamp.
A stamp perfectly centered top to bottom but off slightly side to side
is a Very Fine (VF) stamp.
A stamp slightly off in two directions is a Fine-Very Fine (F-VF)
stamp.
Stamps that are off center to the point where the frame of the design
almost touches the perforations is a Fine (F) stamp.
A stamp whose perforations cut into the stamp's design is an Average
(A) stamp.
A stamp with really bad centering, where part of the stamp's design is
lost, is a poor (p) stamp.
There is an exeption to the rule and that is with the very old stamps.
They were often printed so close together that the perforations nearly
always cut into the design.
Happy Stamping
kerr...@harboursat.com.au
http://aussiestamps.blogspot.com
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