I have tried to find a good source of information on ID'ing these stamps but can't really find one with pics and an explanation. Most are just basic but I want something more indepth, any ideas please? Thanks Dave
Do you have access to Paul Schmid's book, The Expert's Book a Practical Guide to the Authentication of United States Stamps, Washington/Franklin Issues 1908-1923. If you don't, let me know and I will send you via email the pages regarding blue paper.
I don't collect those, but 357-366 have a CV of over $65,000. Only 357 and 358 are under $1000 each. (One other bluish paper stamp - 369 - has a CV of $225 or so).
If you want to personally ID those stamps, you may want to focus on 357, 358, and 369. Get examples with a cert or send off examples you think are legit for a cert. Once you are convinced that you can personally identify the genuine article, you may want to venture out into 359-366 territory.
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"Expanding your knowledge faster than your collection can save you a few bucks."
Another site to visit is: www.jamesdire.net/W-F. A nice site for Washington/Franklin ID. Scroll down the home page and he shows a picture of bluish paper next to regular paper.
When I had a large lot, I would check for the Bluish Papers by looking at the reverse side of all the stamps at one time, but with a large orange colored poster board that the stamps were viewed on. In all my years I've only found three bluish paper stamps, but an old collector taught me this trick. The bluish paper stamps will pop out at you with an orange background.
Another thing to look for is black spots on reverse.
The watermark will also be extremely easy to see on a bluish paper. On other than bluish paper stamps sometimes you can find copies where were the first pass on the dandy roll, but the bluish paper watermarks are always must easier to see.
Hold the bluish paper stamps at a sharp angle, which makes it very easy to identify these difficult stamps.
In all my years of collecting, have only found three of these.
One trick I use, is to carry with me a small orange square, to check stamps at shows or on bid boards.
In a similar vein, I bought a large piece of black matte cardboard to cover the top of my stamp work area. It helps me catch short perfs and other flaws much more easily.
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"Just one more small collection, hun, really! LoL "