Help With Watermarks

I'm new to stamps and need some clairification about Watermarks on stamps. I have done some research so I have a basic understanding of them. At present I am collecting German stamps from World War II (1933 - 1945). Some of the stamps I have purchased the watermark is visible under a light while on other stamps that have been advertised as having a watermark by the seller, didn't show up at all, not even a piece of it when using watermark fluid. If the watermark isn't present on a stamp that should have one what does that mean?
1) The stamp is not authentic?
2) The watermark wasn't applied to the entire sheet of stamp paper so every stamp may not have one?
Any insight would be appreciated.

Hi sgt. If you bought a stamp with watermark you should see it. I would return it to the seller!


Peter

Before you return anything in haste, it would be more helpful to us, to be more helpful to you, to have a specific stamp you could share an image of.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet without seeing the stamp. Depending on the paper and strength of the watermark and other factors, some are easily visible without fluid, and others are difficult even with fluid. Sometimes different stamps from the same series can be more difficult than others. And yes, sometimes the watermark pattern can be very sparse and only a tiny bit shows up on the stamp.

So without knowing exactly which stamp(s) or series you are concerned about, I would hesitate to say yet if it was misidentified. Indeed many sellers are lazy and trust the ID of the stamp based on where the previous owner placed the stamp in the collection. If there is a big difference in price between the watermarked and unwatermarked version, I would prefer having an example with a stronger watermark. But some issues just don't have a strong watermark in the first place.

Post a picture, and/or the catalog number and hopefully someone can give a more direct answer about the expected clarity of the watermark for that stamp or series.

They have faked some of the expensive German stamps of that period - there are many fakes of the Zeppelins.
I don't think there were example of sheets of German stamps of that period that were only watermarked on part of the sheet.
So, either fake or you are having trouble seeing the watermark.

The stamps in question are Scott# O80 - O91. Hopefully the pictures I took show up. When I applied the watermark fluid there were some dark areas that showed up at random points on the gum side. None showed any definitive structure that looked like the watermark should. The set of 11 stamps went for about $35.00 so not too expensive. I think the real concern for me is that yes I want value but just as much I want to build a quality collection.

In the future you should crop out everything except for the stamp. Align it better, if possible. For watermark questions, you may want to hold up to a strong light and show from behind. Or, immerse in watermark fluid and take a scan or picture when the watermark begins to show.

Or scan against a black background. Scanning, normally, works better with watermarks than taking a picture. But use a black background.

Those stamps should have watermark 237 (Scott's) which is a light and dark pattern of multiple swastikas, which often appear as you described.

According to my Michel catalogue these stamps were reprinted without watermarks in 1942. The difference between the 1934 issues( the ones I have) and the 1942 issues is the color of the different denominations. My 6Pf (pictured) is green, the 6Pf of the 1942 issue is violet.

I also have a hard time seeing the watermark on some of these stamps. Whether using fluid or a scanning it can be hard to discern, at least for me. If I can make out a few angled bars of the swastika watermark that's enough for me to make the call on some of these.

Sometimes, with watermarks like this, you can hold the stamp, face down, at an acute angle, in a good light. Watermarked paper tends to look "bumpy", while unwatermarked, white paper, will be smooth.

Thanks to all who responded!