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 of choice stamps 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-- from poor storage, inappropriate mounting, or from someone fooling with it. I’ve even seen used stamps with sound certs in a top-tier auction that had post-cert damage in the form of hinge thins. Apparently, the collector had hinged them into his or her album after the cert was issued. When the hinges were subsequently improperly removed from the stamps, thins were created.
• Improper storage after certification, causing toning, foxing, discoloration, gum disturbance, and more.
• One time, I won a graded stamp in an auction, only to have to return it. It turned out 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 since 2007, advancements in the technology of expertizing as well as PSE’s grading methodology have been made. For example, repairs and cancels that were virtually undetectable in the “old days” are now being exposed on stamps with older, "clean" certs.

3. The third type of cert anomaly arises from the expertizers being human. They can make mistakes in implementing their own standards.  This is uncommon, because at PSE, The PF, and APEX, 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 a couple of ways:

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

(b) Here's a type of cert anomaly that's going away, but can be of concern chiefly for PSE certs issued prior to 2012. It is possible for a stamp to be graded PSE 95, 98, or even 100, and not be as well centered as its grade suggests, much less centered with "mathematical precision." This is due to the Eye Appeal adjustment factor having the same maximum value, up to +10, for all sound stamps, regardless of the preliminary grade, which is based on centering. So, a stamp with a "preliminary" centering grade of 90 can be given Eye Appeal points of +8, for final grade of 98. I have seen them and you have, too, if you've been collecting graded stamps very long.

I observed a line-up of a number $2.60 Zepps, all with the same high grade, and all graded by the same grading organization. There was significant variance in the  centering of the stamps. Should a stamp be graded 100 if it is not at least extremely well-centered to the naked eye? I think not. What do you think?

5. Infrequently, a cert is mated with a stamp that is not the stamp portrayed on the cert. Either an honest mastake or a switcharoo. One must compare very carefully the photo of the stamp on the cert with the stamp received. Have I experienced this? Yes.

6. A sixth type of potential cert anomaly involves the certificate itself: the counterfeit cert, or an altered cert. So far, they are very rare. I have not encountered one. The PSE and The PF go to great lengths to minimize the possibility of phony certs, and they have succeeded admirably. 

Of greater concern and frequency are stamps that are sold with an obsolete cert-- i.e., a cert that has been superseded by a more recently-issued cert. It is unethical to discard the most current cert and keep the old cert(s) that have preferable opinion(s) and grade(s). Fortunately, both PSE and The PF give us the capability to verify certs on their websites. One of the advantages of buying on Collectors Corner is that the certs are pre-verified, so you don't have to worry about it.

7. Finally, and most concerning of all: expertly-made repairs that even the expertizers "miss"-- for reasons that baffle the mind.
In September 2014, I considered purchasing a valuable 19th century stamp that catted $22,000, and could be had for $12,500. It was graded 90 in the early 2010s by a well-known and esteemed expertizer and grader of stamps (not PSE).
One must conduct due diligence. I  found that the stamp had a clean 1976 cert from the same expertizer. The same stamp also had a cert from the 1990s from the same expertizer, stating the stamp had a tiny tear on the bottom. Evidently, between 1976 and the early 1990s, the stamp had been torn. Bummer! But it happens.

Subsequently, a crook, with talent, closed the tear, resubmitted the stamp to the expertizer, the repair wasn't detected-- and it was awarded a clean cert, graded 90!
I learned-- from the horse's mouth, mind you-- that this expertizing organization does not research the certs it has previously issued before issuing a cert: "We get so much material submitted, we don't have time." I retorted, "Even in the case of a stamp that cats $22,000, and that one pays $600 for the cert?!! The answer: that's right. C'mon, man!

Don't get me wrong: Graded certs are great. But they are just the start in delivering full measure for your money. No one should end up "holding the bag." No one should be taken. No one should be swindled.