Riverside Stamps
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Suspect Scott #394, Used Single (8/23/15).
This coil is rarely faked because there is no fully perforated stock of the Type I 3c in which to trim off the top and bottom perforations to make a coil and the only imperforate stock in which to add perforations to fake a coil is #483 (Type I, unwatermarked) and #484 (Type II, unwatermarked). To use a #483 to make a #394 a fake watermark would have to be added which is usually covered up by Regumming. To use a #484 not only would a fake watermark have to be added but the Type II design would somehow have to be convincingly altered to match the Type I design. The Philatelic Foundation has 568 certificate on file for the #394 and no fakes of any kind were found. In my opinion the chances of a used single of the #394 being a fake is next to zero.
Note: As of 11/4/2018 the PF certificate database has 624 entries and no recorded fakes.
Since there is no fully perforated sheet stock from which to trim the left and right sides it stands to reason that if the perforations are found to be genuine then the suspect must be genuine.
The watermark is single line “S”, normal and inverted in the upper left corner.
Next, is the suspect a Type I design? The following images highlight five areas that allow determination of Type.
 The toga rope shading lines are larger at the bottom than at the top and the fifth line from the left is missing. |
 The line forming the mouth is thin, straight and curves up at the end (Washington smiles), and the two shading lines in the chin are strongly engraved. |
 The two lines of shading in the lock of hair are different length, the bottom one being shorter. |
 The eye brow shading lines are weakly engraved. |
All of the features shown in the above images are all Type I traits.
The height of the suspect is a short 23.5mm, the two edges are not all that even or parallel with each other. I did a foil test on the guide line that is on the right and it is engraved despite its weird and wavy appearance.
Conclusion: In my opinion the suspect is a genuine #394 with a pulled perforation on the right.
Reference material used:
- The Expert's Book. A practical guide to the authentication of United States stamps. By Paul W. Schmid.
As always comments and suggestions are always welcome.
To Contact Riverside Stamps:
Email:
Mike Girard - Owner / Operator / Web Master:
g1rardmn1099@comcast.net
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I am a member of the American Philatelic Society
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I am a member of the United States Stamp Society  USSS #: 16733 Visit the United States Stamp Society Website at www.usstamps.org |
I am a member of the Perfins Club
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