Collectors Corner^SM: The Collectibles Marketplace

1. By far the most common source of cert anomaly arises when a stamp is damaged after it has been graded.

• Many collectors are familiar with the orange or yellow stamp with a clean cert that has turned blackish from oxidation, clearly after the cert was issued.
• Gum can become disturbed post-certification, perhaps from poor storage or from someone fooling with it. And when it comes to used stamps... I recently saw two with certs in a top-tier auction that had post-cert damage in the form of hinge thins. Apparently, the collector had mounted them in his or her album after the cert was issued, and when the hinges were subsequently improperly removed from the stamps, thins were created.
• Improper storage after certification can cause toning, foxing, discoloration, gum disturbance, and more.
• As I have experienced, stamps can become torn. Recently I won a lot in an auction, only to have to return it, as I found that the stamp had been torn-- not only after the cert had been issued, but after the stamp had been scanned for the auction catalog and most likely the day before the live auction!

2. The second-most common cause of "mistake certs" is, the certificate has simply become technologically obsolete. Particularly during the last two to three years, important advancements in the technology of expertizing have been made. Reperfs and repairs that were heretofore virtually undetectable are now being exposed on stamps with older, "clean" certs.

3. The third type of problem is, the expertizers, being human, make mistakes in implementing their own standards. This is extremely rare because at least three qualified experts examine a choice U.S. certed or graded stamp, including a "Master Grader," or "Finalizer."

4. The fourth type of cert anomaly arises from the prevailing grading standards being flawed in two major ways:

(a) Did you know that a stamp that is certed/graded as "hinged"-- not "previously hinged, mind you, but "hinged"-- either (i) can be previously hinged (not lightly) OR (ii) can have a hinge remnant?

In my opinion, each and every cert that says "hinged" when the stamp actually has a hinge remnant is a "mistake cert," as such a characterization overstates the value of the stamp. If a stamp has a hinge remnant, the cert should say so. I shall continue to nag PSE and The PF accordingly. Please join me.

In the meantime, this is something to look out for, because, all other things equal, stamps with hinge remnants most assuredly are worth less than the same stamp that is merely hinged. I have discussed, and will continue to discuss, this anomaly with both PSE and The PF. Fortunately, all reputable dealers (by definition), and all but two of the top-tier auction houses call out hinge remnants in their descriptions of individual stamps. There is reason for hope for the latter.

(b) It is possible for a stamp to be graded 95, 98 and even 100 and not be pleasingly centered to the eye, much less centered with mathematical precision. This is due to the Eye Appeal adjustment having the same maximum value, +10, for all sound stamps, regardless of preliminary grade. So, a stamp with a preliminary grade of 90 can receive a final grade of 98 based on Eye Appeal. I have seen them and I suspect you have, too.

I recently observed  a line-up of a number $2.60 Zepps in a live Siegel auction, all with the same high grade, and all graded by the same grading organization. There was significant variance in the winning bid amounts attributable to the centering of the stamps (and NOT attributable to the manner in which the auction was conducted).

Should a stamp be graded 100 if it is not at least pleasingly centered to the naked eye and not obviously not perfectly centered? I think not. What do you think?

5. A fifth type of cert anomaly involves the certificate itself. The "Phony Cert" can be in the form of (i) a genuine cert mated with a different stamp than was certified, (ii) a counterfeit cert, or (iii) an altered cert. All are very rare. PSE and The PF go to great lengths to minimize phony certs, and they have succeeded admirably.