Great Grandfather's US Stamp Collection

what is the brown weirdness at the top left?

It appears to be staining of some sort.

I'd say the whole top left corner was torn off and reattached with an underlying piece of paper that turned brown over time (acidic paper/glue?)

Here's the rear for further anaysis

I completed another first for me, which was participating with one of the big auction houses (Kelleher Auction 808 in this case). It was an interesting experience, I bidded by telephone for a used Scott 243 $3 Columbian that I won. I looked at the 244 and 245 but the ones available in auction quickly exceeded my remaining budget so I had to pass. I was happy enough to walk away with the one stamp, and there is no huge rush to complete this set. I got the shipment this morning.

Great stamp Oiman. Very well centered, good color, and a terrific light cancel that allows the entire design to be seen. Very nice, congratulations.

You caught the bug, bad!

I'm returning to the hobby after a hiatus, and seeing new members fall in love with the hobby is refreshing.

My granddaughter turns 8 next month, and I'll be putting a starter collection together for her birthday. It's my hope my progeny will take an interest in stamp collecting, and take over my collection with the same fervor you have shown after I am gone.

Congrats on purchasing such a beautiful collection! I look forward to seeing more in the future!

Brian

very attractive $3

Thanks all!

The lot was described as minor faults, which is probably in reference to a split perf on the right margin, and a possible small thin on the bottom margin below the print, which for all purposes doesn't detract from the stamp appearance and is only visible in specific lighting from the rear. I am quite happy with the purchase for the hammer price (325).

I've recently also started going through a shoebox's worth of Washington Franklins to learn more about identifying them via perfs, watermark, etc. This is the most stamps I've purchased so far as an accumulation, but there's some neat cancels I've seen so far. I've started with some of the higher denominations first, and through the sorting so far there is one guy I'll keep my eye on the far left example of a #510. It is a slim possibility (and I haven't seen a real example in person), but if the hue is deep enough and it's not oxidized it might be treading on brown yellow territory.