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I’m embarking on a mission of writing several successive guides which will guide you through the tough endeavor of purchasing 19th century U.S. stamps. With a few helpful hints even a beginner can become a savvy buyer of these tough issues.
Another component that profoundly affects the grade and value on used stamps is the cancellation. I notice many dealers totally ignore the rule when it comes to grading stamps here on ebay. When it comes time to sell your stamps you better believe a prospective buyer will not ignore the rule!
No matter how perfect the centering may be, if a stamp has an obliterating cancellation (a cancel which is dark and hides most of the design of the stamp) the stamp can only be graded at average or below! Pictured below is an accurate assessment of cancellations and how they affect grade. For this guide imagine all the stamps pictured below have perfectly centered margins as we are concentrating solely upon the cancellations.
Pictured above are light unobtrusive cancels. On a stamp which is well centered these would grade at extra fine to superb depending upon the centering of the stamp.
Pictured above are medium cancellations. These particular cancellations would grade at very fine depending upon the centering of the stamp.
Pictured above are heavy cancellations. These particular cancellations would grade at fine or less depending upon the centering of the stamp.
Shown above is an obliterating cancellation. A stamp with this cancellation will only grade at average no matter the centering! I consider stamps with obliterating cancellations to be no more than space fillers worth far less than catalogue value.
Pictured above is an example with a premium cancel. Well centered stamps with scarce fancy or non-obliterating colored cancellations with sell at a premium over catalogue value!
Shown above is an example with a common pen cancel. A well centered example with a pen cancel only sells at 50% of catalogue value as a general rule.
Note: Stamps which grade centering wise at fine to very fine down to average that possess heavy to obliterating cancellations will only sell for a small percentage of catalogue value.
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