Chatgpt's Philatelic Capabilities

I've been playing with ChatGPT to see what it can do to help me with stamp collecting. Here is what I've learned.

Postal History:

I've described covers and it has helped me figure out details about my covers. It can figure out simple usages, but not complicates ones. It can tell me what the markings on the cover mean. For example:

Me: Hi on an international cover from the us to germany in 1952, there is a purple handstamp with the initials "A.R." in a circle. What might that mean?

ChatGPT: The purple handstamp with the initials "A.R." in a circle on an international cover from the U.S. to Germany in 1952 likely stands for "Avis de Réception", which translates to "Return Receipt" in French.

This indicates that the sender requested a formal acknowledgment of delivery. The "A.R." marking was commonly used to denote this service, as French was the universal language of the postal system at the time. When the cover was delivered in Germany, the recipient would have signed a receipt, which was then returned to the sender as proof of delivery.

If you have additional context about the cover (e.g., other markings, stamps, or routing information), I'd be happy to help analyze it further!

--
It is very helpful in identifying the historical context of a cover - given names, locations, and dates, it can give you story around a cover.

I have made a ton of postal history inquiries, and it is pretty amazing what it can do. . it is just inaccurate at figuring out specific usages. I have not tried to just upload an image of a cover and see what it can tell me, but I bet I will be impressed. . .I'll try it and post what I find out in a comment.

Stamp Identification:

Given a scan of a US stamp, it can correctly identify the Scott number for easy stamps and give history about the stamp. For harder ones, it struggles. It cannot seem to identify coils consistently. It can't tell you the type of a W-F stamp, but it can help guide you to figure it out. It could distinguish between type 1 and type 2 1851 3¢ Washington.

It could not identify the scott number of a scan of a random Korean stamp I challenged it with, but it could tell me all about the stamp which was pretty amazing. I uploaded an ebay image of a North Korea #512 (a stamp with no English on it) and it was 100% accurate in it's description:

"This stamp is from North Korea and commemorates the March 1st Movement of 1919, a significant moment in Korean history when Koreans protested against Japanese colonial rule. Here's what I can tell you:
Key Details:

Country: North Korea (marked with "#51312;#49440;#50864;#54364;," meaning "Chos#335;n Postage").
Year of Issue: 1964 (visible in the top-right corner).
Denomination: 10 #51204; (ch#335;n, a subunit of the Korean won).
Design:
Depicts the March 1st Movement (3.1 #50868;#46041;), with a group of demonstrators marching in front of a traditional Korean gate (likely one of Seoul's historic city gates, such as Namdaemun or Dongdaemun).
The image highlights the patriotic spirit of the Korean people during the 1919 protests.

Historical Context:

The March 1st Movement (#49340;#51068;#50868;#46041;) was a pivotal event in Korean history when citizens organized mass demonstrations to demand independence from Japanese colonial rule. The protests were met with brutal crackdowns, but the movement played a key role in shaping Korea's modern independence struggle.
Cataloging:

This stamp is part of a series issued by North Korea in 1964 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the March 1st Movement. It is highly collectible due to its historical significance and detailed design.

Let me know if you'd like additional context about this stamp or the event it commemorates! #128522;"

Plating:
It was utterly useless in trying to help plate a 1851 3¢ Washington, but it did understand what I was asking and in a few more generations of ChatGPT, it may be able to plate stamps based on an image.

Has anyone else messed around with ChatGPT or other AI tools in the context of stamp collecting?

I am blown away, This is a cover I previously posted to the US postal history forum.




And this is what ChatGPT could tell me, just based on these scans and this prompt:

Me: This is the front and back of a postal history cover sent from the US to Germany. What can you tell me based on these images? Start with what you see on the covers: stamps, cancellations, addresses, labels, markings, etc. Then tell me about any interesting context, historical, or otherwise about this cover.

ChatGPT: Front of the Cover:

Stamps:
4¢ purple Lincoln stamp (Scott #1036, issued 1954): Part of the Liberty Series.
1¢ green Washington stamp (Scott #1031, issued 1954): Another Liberty Series stamp.
5¢ red Air Mail stamp (Scott #C39, issued 1954): Depicts an airplane in flight.
Two 25¢ purple stamps featuring Woodrow Wilson (Scott #832): High-value definitives from the 1938 Presidential Series.
Total postage: 60¢ (25¢ + 25¢ + 5¢ + 4¢ + 1¢).

Address:
Sent to:

Jutta Lehnert
44 Sibriker str. 44
Neukölln
Berlin
Germany

The address is in the American sector of Berlin, which holds significance in the post-WWII era when Berlin was divided among Allied powers.

Sender Information:
A.K. Flax
Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Markings and Labels:
Large REGISTERED handstamp with number 43701.
Purple circular marking "A.R." indicating an Acknowledgment of Receipt (Avis de Réception) service, confirming delivery.
"VIA AIR MAIL" printed on the envelope with traditional red, white, and blue airmail stripes.

Back of the Cover:

Customs Labels:
Three German labels with the text "Zur Devisenüberwachung zollamtlich geöffnet", meaning "Officially opened for foreign exchange control." This reflects strict currency regulations in postwar Germany.

Cancellations:
Multiple German transit and receiving marks:
One reads "Berlin 60 Neukölln," indicating receipt at a postal office in the Neukölln district of Berlin.
U.S. postal marking: "AIR MAIL FIELD PTS. NEW YORK N.Y. DEC 7, 1952."

Routing Information:
The cover passed through New York before traveling by air to Germany.
The German customs labels and postmarks indicate careful examination during delivery, likely due to currency controls and postal regulations.

Context and Historical Significance:

Post-War Berlin (1952):
In 1952, Berlin was still recovering from WWII and deeply divided between the American, British, French, and Soviet sectors.
Neukölln was part of the American sector. Mail between the U.S. and Berlin was heavily monitored due to Cold War tensions.
The customs label reflects West Germany's strict postwar foreign exchange regulations, designed to control the flow of money and goods into the recovering economy.

Registered Mail with Acknowledgment of Receipt:
Registered mail ensures secure delivery, and the "A.R." service provided confirmation that the addressee received the letter. This was likely important for personal or legal correspondence.

High Postage (60¢):
The postage suggests this cover carried either valuable or important documents requiring both registration and airmail services. High-value stamps (25¢ Woodrow Wilson) were used, likely reflecting the cost of registered international mail.

Air Mail Service:
The use of airmail in 1952 highlights the importance of expedited communication, especially for mail traveling from the U.S. to postwar Germany.

Historical Snapshot:
This cover provides a fascinating insight into the intersection of postal services, international relations, and economic regulations during the early Cold War era. It underscores the complexities of sending mail from the U.S. to Germany at a time of heightened scrutiny.

Summary:

This registered air mail cover is a beautiful example of mid-20th-century international postal history, reflecting the careful monitoring of mail between the U.S. and postwar Germany. The combination of high-value postage, customs inspection labels, and acknowledgment of receipt makes it an intriguing piece. Let me know if you'd like to explore any aspect in more detail!

It misidentified 2 of the stamps and the stamped envelope, but othewise, I am shocked at what it could do!

It missed some aspect of ALL the franking.
The 4 cent and 1 cent are clearly prexies, with different Scott numbers.
The 5 cent envelope is misidentified as an adhesive as noted, and
The 25 cent prexie depicts McKinley, rather than Wilson.

Bottom line, how much of the rest should be believed without verification?
There is no shortcut or substitute for actual knowledge and study.

I wouldn't believe any of it without verification, but it looks like it can be a very useful tool.

Yes. Not to mention the personal benefits of keeping your mind exercised rather than letting a machine do the work while you eat Twinkie's. I find the AI crutch boring and IMO it's primary usefulness is for mundane repetitive tasks. We already have a generation or two that cannot make change without the register telling them how. We now have institutions going along with medical students using AI to pass competency testing.

I am not sure how ChatGPT and all other AI applications learn, but I am certain that in short order they will all learn from their mistakes. Remember all AI tools are still being coded and are actively learning every day. In 2018 when it was issued as the first beta it would that it advanced this quickly. I prefer using my brain but current school age children will consider it as a mandatory tool to use for everything.

Another one: ChatGPT can read cursive I can't read, at least easily. With 18th and 19th-century covers, you can feed it a scan, and it can transcribe it and then tell you if the people and places are historically relevant.

I don't see this as "letting a machine do the work while I eat twinkies." It is a tool that helps me learn. It helps me do things I can't do on my own. No different from asking for opinions here.

AI is amazing. It will have its downsides just as every technological evolution has through time. My expectation is that the latest generations of humans will use it to such an extent (it is already happening) that their brains will atrophy just as muscles that aren't used do. Use it or lose it. Lift more weight and get stronger. Use your brain to solve problems and think critically and be sharper, especially as you age. That humankind will take the path of least resistance and use AI in every facet of their lives is inevitable. And it does have a place for tasks that involve repetition, heavy analytical loads etc.

PS: Are all of the posts here really written by a member? If not, maybe we need some AI members to answer really challenging questions. It will be fun. Right?

I do find the handwriting 'decryption' to be of great use. Haven't used ChatGPT's specifically, but last year tried a different one out for an article I wrote on the classic stamps of Sweden.

I was working with a document that, best I could tell, had never been translated into English before. The first step was to use AI to transcribe the handwriting into plain text, and the second was to hire someone in Sweden for a few bucks to translate it into English. AI could have helped here, too, but at best it would leave me with a translation with some gaps in it, given the old-time language.

It worked beautifully, and the translator even said that the handwriting was hard to decipher for him, a native speaker (I sent him the original scan, just in case).

I learned to read and write cursive in school, but probably am among the last generation to do so in the US. My understanding is that most folks sub-30 in age never learned to read or write cursive, so they'll have no choice but to either learn, or turn to AI tools like this to make sense of old letters and the like.

I can read and write 20th-century cursive, but 19th-century is difficult. And it can be disappointing when I spend time to "decode" a letter and it says, "I got your letter. I sent one to you last month. did you get it? I will send you another in a month."

How many bald face mistakes does it take to make you question everything and anything suggested by this programming output?

It would be shocking to me if a good number of stamp collectors didn't share an aversion to unquestionably useful (but not perfectly flawless) technology. At least those here have not rejected the usefulness of the Internet.

Here is what AI has to say about fine vs worn plates of the 1854 Chile issue:




Nuff said.

Ouch.

Get a better AI :)

What does "fine" mean when referring to a stamp? It that a high-quality stamp? What about "worn?" is that the opposite of "fine?"

In the context of stamp collecting, the terms "fine" and "worn" refer to different aspects of a stamp's condition and quality:
Fine:

Centering: A "fine" stamp typically has its design reasonably well-centered within the perforations or margins, but it may not be perfectly centered. It is not considered a high grade, but it's above average for many collectors, especially for older issues where perfect centering is rare.
Condition: A "fine" stamp has no major faults, such as tears, missing perforations, or heavy creases, but it may have minor imperfections. It's a middle-grade stamp in terms of condition and appearance.
Market Value: Stamps graded as "fine" are generally more affordable and accessible than higher-grade examples (e.g., "very fine" or "superb"), making them a popular choice for many collectors.

Worn:

Definition: "Worn" usually refers to the quality of the stamp's printed image rather than its condition or centering. It indicates that the stamp was printed from a plate that had been used extensively and was beginning to show signs of wear.
Appearance: A stamp described as "worn" may have fuzzy or light impressions, with less distinct details compared to earlier prints from the same plate.
Opposite of "Fine"? Not directly. "Fine" relates to centering and general condition, while "worn" relates to the quality of the impression. However, a worn impression might lower a stamp's desirability to some collectors, especially those focused on sharp, early impressions.

Comparison:

A fine stamp could still come from a worn plate, as these attributes assess different aspects.
The "opposite" of "fine" in terms of condition might be terms like "poor" or "damaged," while the opposite of "worn" would be "fresh" or "early impression."

If you're looking at stamps for investment or aesthetic enjoyment, understanding these distinctions can help you make more informed choices. Let me know if you need further clarification!