Help Identifying A Scott 499 Or 500?

Hello,

I have had this stamp for about 40 years. There is a lot of interesting reading and studies done about the Washington 2c stamp.

The stamp below is an 11 perforation, but I am not certain which Scott # it is. The toga rope appears fairly solid and the toga button distinct.

But I am fairly new to trying to identify the small differences...

My initial reaction is that this stamp is an offset issue as opposed to a flat plate. If that is the case, I would lean towards type VI, Scott 528A. But I am no expert. Hopefully one of the WF experts will eventually weigh in.

JLLebbert,
No need for an expert. Just back up your opinion with a source. Such as: http://www.stampsmarter.com/1847usa...pesMain.html

Well... the link to "area 8" is broken, but the point still stands. You saw it as being an offset printed stamp. I agree with you.

Next, a source to help identify Type Ia, such as the #500, is helpful: http://www.stampsmarter.com/1847usa..._03main.html

Specifically, areas 3 and 4 of that last link, along with other areas.

Being an expert is not necessary when one has pertinent knowledge.

Ryan,
The broken link to 'area 8' has been fixed, thank you for catching this.
Note: You may have to 'refresh' (F5) your browser to force it to fetch the revised page.
Don

Thanks everyone for the links and responses! This has been a fascinating experience and I am amazed at how much time I can spend studying this one stamp.

JLLebbert I tend to agree with your assessment, however, in the link provided by HDNA, it appears that the defining characteristic of a Type VI is the strength of the lines and variations in the left numeral 2.

I am having a hard time determining which line they are referring to in that post.

I am attaching a zoomed in scan of that area in hopes someone can shed a little light on what is being referred to in that link provided by HDNA.

Again, thanks everyone for the links and information...

Another question, how can you tell if it is an offset print?

The reference is to the "red-ink" area between the foot/base of the numeral and the upward curving body of the same. It is much thicker than the same part of the 2 on the right side of the stamp. And, for that matter, thicker than on any other 2-cent type.
As for how to recognize offset from flat plate ... well, offset stamps frequently have a "cheaper" look to them when compared to their engraved counterparts. Readily recognizing the difference will come with experience. I think this is actually a bit harder to see on some of the 2-cent stamps as opposed to the 1 & 3 cents. There are a couple of other tricks. On engraved stamps, the design is made up of raised lines of ink ... not so on offset. So you might be able to feel the difference just by very lightly running your fingernail over the surface of the stamp to see if you can sense the raised lines of ink. Another technique is the "foil test" ... place a piece of aluminum foil over the face of the stamp & rub gently. Then turn the foil over & look at the results. The raised lines on an engraved stamp will cause the design image to be impressed on the foil. For an offset stamp, you shouldn't see anything.
Added: dkbrig, if you do nothing else, check out the link in the following post. I cannot recommend this link strongly enough. It provides a clear succinct explanation on how to id the 3 printing methods used for Washington-Franklin issues.

Flat Plate Vs Rotary Vs Offset
http://www.stampsmarter.com/learnin...methods.html
Don

Here is an example of what I believe to be a Scott 500 (no cert). I included a copy of the back to show the offset typical on flat plate stamps.

dkbrig,
If you need more help, then please ask for more guidance. Confusion is quite common.

Caper123,
I agree that it is a #500.

More info to help identify in this thread:
http://goscf.com/t/46191#394215

Thanks everyone! It was a very nice learning experience spending a few hours researching and studying that stamp. Thanks everyone for your gracious assistance!

It is amazing to me, as when I first acquired that stamp a little over 40 years ago, all I had was a Scott's Catalog checked out from the local library and a magnifying glass. And now you can actually post an image of a stamp and get tons of helpful information!

Here's another clear image of a 500 Ty 1a



By comparison, here's a 528