I got this stamp on ebay at a very low price. I noticed in Scotts they warn that it could be a color variant of another stamp. I'd like to get other opinions. (I loved the red "paid" cancel on this one.)
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 08 Dec 2015 11:50:32am
re: Trimmed 70?
Blair
Unless a stamp is extremely rare, one that has been trimmed as drastically as this one will not be very expensive. And while I might not actively seek stamps in this condition, should one find its way to me, I would welcome it and give it a home. I am one of those people who collect everything, even the poor, bedraggled stamps others are ashamed to have in their collection, so I do not worry about value for stamps such as this one, but instead look for positive aspects (like the nice cancel you observed).
Login to Like this post
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
I agree. I just wanted to make sure I was identifing it correctly. I would rather have an example of a stamp like this in my collection even if it's not in perfect condition than do without because a perfect example is out of my reach financialy.
for someone who doesn't have a Scott 70, like me, one man's toast is another man's flaky buttery chocolate-infused croissant. I understand it has nominal resale at best, but for those who like stamps, it's worth keeping, and I would.
  2 Members like this post. Login to Like.
"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
The truth is within and only you can reveal it 09 Dec 2015 03:00:58am
re: Trimmed 70?
These can be quite confusing because many of the shades are fairly close. I would say that it is probably 78a.
I see no Red in it at all, except for the cancel and there is no Dark Red or any Red to be found on either 70 or 78. No. 70 Red Lilac has just a slight hint of Red. When I was a kid I thought I saw a type A29 in the Smithsonian in a bright Red color. The stamp really struck me and I looked for one for years before I realized none existed except in trial color proofs.
I would not trust many sellers on Ebay to ID these correctly.
The truth is within and only you can reveal it 09 Dec 2015 07:35:27pm
re: Trimmed 70?
After taking a second look and comparing your stamps with the several 70 & 78's I have, I think it might be a #70c Violet. I made bigger scans of mine and after comparing them all it made me think I must have been blind last night. Of course this is dependent on both scanners showing colors correctly and the seller not having tweeked his scan. It should be on thin semi transparent paper. When you get it, check the paper and hope for the best.
It has a fresh look and who can guess why the perfs were trimmmed. In may countries with the transition from imperfs to perforated stamps, many clerks were still in the habit of cutting the stamps apart with scissors. This was done so often in Portugal with the second curved label set that it does not hurt catalog value much. Of course most of the perfs were left and not totally removed as yours. This practice was not used in the U.S. often.
#70 is not hard to come buy and I see decent copies being offered weekly in the $35-50 range. 70c is quite a scarce stamp and one of the few I'm missing. If it is one it will make a decent space filler that you will probably never replace.
Thanks Mitchell. I took that photo and I use a white piece of paper in the photo to color balance off of so the color is right in the photo. I would check the paper but I'm not at home. I'm sitting in a hospital bed at osceola regional medical center. Heart palpitations...
"Thanks Mitchell. I took that photo and I use a white piece of paper in the photo to color balance off of so the color is right in the photo. I would check the paper but I'm not at home. I'm sitting in a hospital bed at osceola regional medical center. Heart palpitations..."
well I'm home... My blood work was all excellent and they have no idea what caused my palpitations. I have a condition called SVT and I have palpitations regularly but today they were constant so I had to go in.
The truth is within and only you can reveal it 10 Dec 2015 09:22:26pm
re: Trimmed 70?
Blair, Congrats! Since it is very thin transparent paper I must be a 70c! That's why I could not match it with one of mine, I don't have one.
Glad the hospital trip was a false alarm!