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New arrival!

coinpicturescoinpictures Posts: 5,345 ✭✭✭
in Stamps Forum
Woohoo! Filling in another tough space in my collection of 1st Issue U.S. Revenues.

R87a. The only reason I could even begin to afford it is that the manuscript cancellation has resulted in 5 small pinholes. The nice thing is that they aren't noticable unless you hold the stamp up to the light, so the stamp retains a very nice aesthetic appearance. A sound copy would have set me back several thousand, as the current Scott value is $6,500. Including expertization, I'm into the stamp for roughly 7% of catalogue value, which is quite reasonable for a stamp this scarce.

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Numismotography

1/2 Cents

U.S. Revenue Stamps

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Comments

  • dougwtxdougwtx Posts: 566 ✭✭
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    Nice looking revenue. Isn't it amazing how much a fault can decrease the value?
  • JZraritiesJZrarities Posts: 2,583 ✭✭✭
    Wow ! Very nice... I do love those early Revenues...


    Got a Persian Carpet? or any Inverts?
  • coinpicturescoinpictures Posts: 5,345 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Got a Persian Carpet? or any Inverts? >>



    No, not yet, although I haven't really devoted nearly the effort to 2nd and 3rd series that I have to the 1st...
    Numismotography

    1/2 Cents

    U.S. Revenue Stamps

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  • UncleWigglyUncleWiggly Posts: 2,467
    Wow! How nice.



    Jerry
  • eduekuedueku Posts: 985
    Probably was signed with oak/iron gall ink(which creates acid) which over time slowly eats through the paper . This may be the actual cause of the pinholes.
  • UncleWigglyUncleWiggly Posts: 2,467
    Now that you mention it, I've seen holes on old CSA currency where the signature is. And I just recently read about them and they are actually called acid holes. Would the acid be neutral by now? It must be a mighty slow process.



    Jerry
  • eduekuedueku Posts: 985
    Yeah it's a slow process. I don't know if there is any way to neutralize it. This is a good sign of authenticity though, at least on documents. I was going to make some of the ink just for fun but I couldn't find one of the key ingredients . Now I can't remember what it is. It's some kind of oxide,maybe ferric ? I have the other stuff: gum arabic and oak galls. The galls are large round globs that form on oak trees. I cut a bunch off one of my grandmother's trees. They're in a bag somewhere around here. I think the tannins in the galls account for the black in the ink which slowly oxidizes to a brown shade.
  • eduekuedueku Posts: 985
    Now that think about it ,it's some kind of sulfate or sulfide. Now if I could just remember which one. I think the guy who tried to fake the Mormon documents supposedly written by Joseph Smith used this kind of ink. One of the ways he aged the ink was by spraying the still wet ink with ammonia which turned it instantly to the brown color. This is also how he was found out as the ammonia left some sort of spray pattern I think
  • laceupbootslaceupboots Posts: 355
    Do you have an article on that ? How interesting.While it doesn't raise the value of the stamp it could give the stamp charecter, if it has a story behind it.
    Wires and Crystals
  • eduekuedueku Posts: 985
    There is a book at my library about it but I would have to find it again. might be easier to find info on the net,
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