daveg28
Member 
Posts: 1,015 
What I collect: U.S., Canada, Great Britain & Commonwealth, France (esp. 1950-80), DDR, USSR
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Post by daveg28 on Sept 13, 2017 16:46:12 GMT
I've seen this pop up from time to time, and I finally decided to make it a topic. How many times do we see a post about someone claiming they found a US #594? Identification always seems to boil down to perforations and measuring the frame size precisely. What I'd like info on, is how to makes those measurements. It's a precise dimension of millimeters we are looking for, and it seems to me that the frame of the design itself might be a couple of millimeters, throwing things off.
So, I'm asking for a little lesson in how to measure frame size of a classic stamp. Not only 594's, but any classic engraved stamp where those measurements are crucial for identification.
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Anping
Departed
Rest in Peace
Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on Sept 13, 2017 17:02:32 GMT
There are a number of devices on the market that would help. These seem to fall into two stalls: jewellers loupes with integrated measuring scale and illuminated magnifying glasses with integrated measuring scale. I have at least one of each of these, including a larger loupe, where the measuring scale is graduated in (at least half) millimetres. This one is an excellent device. Unfortunately this has been confined to storage somewhere, otherwise I would have tried to upload an image. By coincidence, this very topic emerged on Stamporama today. This might shed a little more insight: Measuring Loupe |
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scb
Member
Inactive
Now at 100,000+ worldwide stamps, and progressing one stamp at a time towards the 200K
Posts: 313
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Post by scb on Sept 13, 2017 18:03:02 GMT
All you need is a proper (1200-2400dpi) scan to work with. Then head on to SCB's (free) digital perforation gauge or use any other digital 'stamp tool'. The results you get are VERY accurate (1/100 of a perforation; 1/100 of a millimeter) if you follow two procedures: 1) place the stamp straight on scanner bed; any kind of plastic in between the glass and stamp can create some minor distortion (say 1/10 of a millimeter) 2) place some light weight on top of it to prevent any warping (scanner beds generate some heat, and as such it can make the paper curl to some degree) Feel free to toy around it, or watch the tutorial videos: -k- |
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daveg28
Member
Posts: 1,015
What I collect: U.S., Canada, Great Britain & Commonwealth, France (esp. 1950-80), DDR, USSR
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Post by daveg28 on Sept 13, 2017 18:03:11 GMT
I do have a loupe, no problem there. I think my biggest question is...WHERE are you measuring? Is the frame of a stamp design thick enough to throw off the measurement if you don't start at the right spot?
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Sept 13, 2017 18:17:45 GMT
I saw a handy tip once upon a time and have followed it to aid with questions like this. I take a damaged copy of the common size and I cut the stamp so I can use it as a size template. For example, the Canadian KGV Admiral stamps are available in wet and dry printings. The wet printing stamps shrink after printing so when they come to us they are smaller in the horizontal direction. I've cut a stamp like this to use as a template and compare sizes by laying my cut stamp over top of the one I'm interested in (the image of one stamp overlaying another was nabbed from the excellent guide to Admiral stamps on the BNAPS site). The example photo doesn't use a snipped stamp as a template but I find it's much easier to do so, especially in cases where there's only 1/4mm difference in size. Getting rid of the white space and the perfs helps quite a bit.   Over time, a number of different templates end up being used. Since I have piles of common stamps it usually doesn't take too long before I can find a damaged extra copy that I am willing to sacrifice. French sower issues, US Washington / Franklins, Machins with their value tablet settings, US precancels with slightly different bar spacings, etc. If you have reams of common stamps and you're looking for a quick way to sort through them, using a cut template is a good way to do it. Ryan |
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tomiseksj
Moderator 
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,265
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Sept 13, 2017 18:24:01 GMT
...WHERE are you measuring? Is the frame of a stamp design thick enough to throw off the measurement if you don't start at the right spot? The measurement is taken from outermost edge of the design to the opposite outermost edge as shown in the image below. This quote from the article "Is your 1ยข green Franklin stamp Scott 594 or 596? If it is, you have a winner" published by Linn's Stamp News on January 30, 2015, reveals a major problem of design measurement: |
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daveg28
Member
Posts: 1,015
What I collect: U.S., Canada, Great Britain & Commonwealth, France (esp. 1950-80), DDR, USSR
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Post by daveg28 on Sept 13, 2017 18:37:15 GMT
Good stuff! This is what I want to learn about. Anyone else? Please weigh in!
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