Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
I'm looking for help in determining wheter a stamp (A49a), the 10c brown, is printed on soft porous paper (188) or wove (either thin or thick; 161). The price differential is not particularly significant. The cancel is a heavy cork killer, without any dating. Is there anyone who can help me distinguish between the two paper types. I am ruling out the special printings.
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David,
I have been told of several ways to tell soft from hard paper. Or Soft porous from wove. Many years ago a dealer suggested 'listening' to the stamp. Brush the edge on your ear and listen. the soft porous paper will have a 'duller' sound. Of course, I have found this method very subjective and even believe that someone was having 'fun' with me when he suggested that method.
Years later I learned to look at the paper. Soft porous paper will have a mottled appearance when backlighted. The appearance of the paper will be somewhat like a newsprint - blotchy and uneven. Woven paper will show a definite even texture and may even show the orientation of the fibers vertically and horizontally. Other than that if the paper makes a large difference, comparison to a known stamp followed by expertixation is what I have used.
George
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George,
an extremely concise and useful description. I'll look with this in mind.
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The "listen to the paper" test works well to tell truly soft from truly hard papers, and perhaps medium-soft/medium hard papers from the truly hard and truly soft ones. For intermediate grades, it probably becomes a "best guess".
The method I was taught was to grip the stamp in question with tongs so that about 1/2 or 2/3 of it projects beyond the tip of the tongs. Then "flip" the free end of the stamp with your fingernail. A hard paper will have a clearly audible "snap," but there will be little sound at all from soft paper. This is better than the "brush-the-ear" method, which may contaminate the stamp with ear wax or three-day old shaving cream. And some us might have trouble finding our ears.
Even if we can find them, they might be utterly useless to us for this test. My nearly-deaf grandfather once mistook the Catholic church bells next door for clock chimes.
Bob
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Hi David,
Buy the cheaper examples of the soft porous paper and the white wove paper (I think the 2¢ green will do) and then use these as guides. Some dealers even send a card with examples of soft, wove, thin, thick paper and also of wet and dry printing cheaper issues hinged on them. I have one such card from a US based dealer and it has come in handy many times.
Now what I was thinking when I asked the same dealer to send me an example card with all the different type Grills on it!!!!
Never got a reply.
Regards
Saleem M Khan
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06:57:03pm
Hi,
I'm looking for help in determining wheter a stamp (A49a), the 10c brown, is printed on soft porous paper (188) or wove (either thin or thick; 161). The price differential is not particularly significant. The cancel is a heavy cork killer, without any dating. Is there anyone who can help me distinguish between the two paper types. I am ruling out the special printings.
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this post
10:45:15pm
re: US classics: soft porous or wove paper
David,
I have been told of several ways to tell soft from hard paper. Or Soft porous from wove. Many years ago a dealer suggested 'listening' to the stamp. Brush the edge on your ear and listen. the soft porous paper will have a 'duller' sound. Of course, I have found this method very subjective and even believe that someone was having 'fun' with me when he suggested that method.
Years later I learned to look at the paper. Soft porous paper will have a mottled appearance when backlighted. The appearance of the paper will be somewhat like a newsprint - blotchy and uneven. Woven paper will show a definite even texture and may even show the orientation of the fibers vertically and horizontally. Other than that if the paper makes a large difference, comparison to a known stamp followed by expertixation is what I have used.
George
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08:55:22am
re: US classics: soft porous or wove paper
George,
an extremely concise and useful description. I'll look with this in mind.
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10:42:11am
re: US classics: soft porous or wove paper
The "listen to the paper" test works well to tell truly soft from truly hard papers, and perhaps medium-soft/medium hard papers from the truly hard and truly soft ones. For intermediate grades, it probably becomes a "best guess".
The method I was taught was to grip the stamp in question with tongs so that about 1/2 or 2/3 of it projects beyond the tip of the tongs. Then "flip" the free end of the stamp with your fingernail. A hard paper will have a clearly audible "snap," but there will be little sound at all from soft paper. This is better than the "brush-the-ear" method, which may contaminate the stamp with ear wax or three-day old shaving cream. And some us might have trouble finding our ears.
Even if we can find them, they might be utterly useless to us for this test. My nearly-deaf grandfather once mistook the Catholic church bells next door for clock chimes.
Bob
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10:17:08am
re: US classics: soft porous or wove paper
Hi David,
Buy the cheaper examples of the soft porous paper and the white wove paper (I think the 2¢ green will do) and then use these as guides. Some dealers even send a card with examples of soft, wove, thin, thick paper and also of wet and dry printing cheaper issues hinged on them. I have one such card from a US based dealer and it has come in handy many times.
Now what I was thinking when I asked the same dealer to send me an example card with all the different type Grills on it!!!!
Never got a reply.
Regards
Saleem M Khan
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