Lot 522 United States Of America #658 1c Yellow Green Benjamin Franklin, 1929 Kans. Overprints On 4th Bureau Definitive Issue, 2 Fine & VFNH Singles Each A Slightly Different Shade

2 Fine & VFNH singles of the 1c yellow green Benjamin Franklin from the 1929 Kans. Overprints On 4th Bureau Definitive Issue each a slightly different shade.

2016 Scott Specialized values this at $10 for VFNH. Our estimate for the condition offered is $7.5. The stamps offered here grade 68, 80 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 40/70, 50/70

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 8/10

As noted in Scott, fake overprints are common. The main way to weed out most, if not all of the fakes is to look at the back, for the gum breaker ridges, which are found on all rotary press stamps. On these printings, genuine examples will either have a single gum breaker ridge (most examples), or portions of two ridges at the extreme top and bottom of the stamps, 21 mm apart. Multiple gum breaker ridges indicate a fake overprint, while the absence of a ridge indicates either regumming, or a fake overprint. The ridges can be hard to see on most used stamps though. The other way to tell is the font, which is quite distinct, in the sense that the letters are not of exactly even thickness throughout, and they appear somewhat rough. A lot of the fakes are typewritten letters which are either too thin, too thick, or which are of even thickness throughout. The stamp or stamps offered here have been checked and are genuine.