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I have been buying and selling on Ebay since 1996 and have been dealing in stamps since 1977. And, during those years I have seen thousands of listings for stamps. And, in those listings I have seen a fair amount of them that appeared to me to have been reperforated (reperfed). Unfortunately, the seller, whether in ignorance or otherwise, did not disclose this in their description. So, the buyer is on the wrong end of a bad purchase. So, I have decided to share some of the knowledge and experience I have gathered over the years and publish this guide to detecting reperforated stamps. The things I point out in this guide can probably be used on foreign stamps as well as U.S. stamps but I will admit to having more experience with U.S. stamps. And, while this information can be used as a guide to the detection of reperfed stamps, it is not the last word. I would strongly suggest getting all expensive U.S. stamps certified / expertized by either the PSE or Philatelic Foundation. With that said, let's get started.

What do I mean when I mention reperfing? I would define reperforation as the addition of perf holes to a stamp where a natural straight edge naturally occurred. That is, perforation holes were added to a stamp on a side (or sides) where a straight edge was previously. On many of the stamps issued from 1890 to 1925 (and some before these years), you would find that, due to the way the stamps were printed and the way in which the full sheets were cut, a percentage of the stamps would normally be found with one or more straight edges. Since it is generally found that stamps with a straight edge are worth less than their fully perforated counterparts, the stamps with the straight edges had perforations added to these straight edges in order to enhance their value. Some of these "perforators" are very, very good and their fake perfs are difficult to detect even for the seasoned pro. But, for the most part, fake perfs are fairly easy to detect if you know what to look for.

Some of the characteristics I look for are:
1. Sharp, clean and unnaturally round perf holes.
2. Holes that are misaligned
3. Holes that do not gauge correctly.
4. Sharp edges on the perf tips
5. General stamp size too small

Here is an example of #1. 

Notice the perf holes on the right side. Notice how different they look from the perf holes on the other three sides. Also, notice how round and even they are.



Here is an example of #2.

Again, on the right side. Notice how the perf holes are misaligned and are not in a straight line (the perf holes drift slightly outward from bottom to top) whereas the perfs on the left side are perfectly aligned..


Here is another example.

Take a look at the perfs on the top edge. Notice how the perfs are all over the place - some are high, some are low and they are not evenly spaced.

And another...

Which side would you say is reperfed?



Here is an example of #3. 


Can you tell which side has been reperfed?


Take a look again, at example #1. It is also a good example of #4.


Here is a good example of #5.


While is may be difficult to determine on which side (or sides) this one has been reperforated, it is easy to tell that it has been reperfed because the stamp is simply "too small." That is, you never see this stamp naturally occurring with the perfs so close on all four sides.

Some of the most reperforated stamps are coils and coil waste issues. Since these will take up a bit more space, I will discuss these in future guides. But, for now, take a good look at the stamps you are interested in. If you suspect one or more of them may be reperfed, wait until another example comes up for bid. As an "oh, by the way" all of the above stamps were offered on Ebay. Some were sold with the reperforating mentioned and some were not.

If you have any questions or would like me to offer an opinion on any stamp offered for sale on Ebay, I will be happy to do so. Just send me an email at gsquared7@juno.com.

Gary Goldstein
Southwest Stamps