U. S. Scott #508 - Used - Graded Fine

Item Specifics

Country

United States

Catalog Number

508

Stamp Type

General Issue

Condition

Used

Centering

F/VF

Stamp Format

Single

Certificate Grade

70 (Fine)

Year of Issue

1917

Item Description

Detailed Analysis of Scott #508 (Used, Never Hinged, No Gum)

Stamp Design & General Description
Scott #508 is an 8-cent olive green stamp from the 1917-1920 Washington-Franklin series. It features a left-facing portrait of George Washington, enclosed within a rectangular frame with scrollwork rather than the typical oval frame found on lower-denomination Washington-Franklin issues. The stamp is perforated 11 and was primarily used for higher-rate domestic and international mail.

Detailed Condition Analysis
1. Centering (Grade: 77 - Fine/Very Fine)
The stamp is noticeably off-center, with one or two sides significantly closer to the edge.
However, white space is clearly present between the frameline and the perforations.
The centering falls under Fine/Very Fine (F-VF).
Centering Grade: 77.

2. Soundness (Faultless - No Visible Defects)
The back of the stamp appears clean and intact, with no creases, thins, or tears.
The perforations are natural and unaltered.
As a used stamp, the absence of gum is not a fault.
Soundness Grade: Faultless (No Deductions).
Final Category from Centering + Soundness: Fine/Very Fine (75-79).

3. Perforations
The perforations are well-formed and intact.
No signs of reperforation, trimming, or missing perfs.
The perforations are consistent with standard production quality.

4. Eye Appeal
The color remains rich and well-preserved.
The cancellation is a bold, clear machine cancel from Allentown, PA, which affects a large portion of the stamp.
While the cancellation is not overly messy, it does heavily obscure Washington’s portrait.
Given that the design remains discernible, but the cancel is quite strong, a -5 point deduction for eye appeal is appropriate.

Final Numerical Grade Calculation
Starting Grade:
Fine/Very Fine Centering (77) + Faultless Soundness (No Deductions) → 77 (Fine/Very Fine).
Eye Appeal Adjustment:
Bold, heavy cancel → -5 Points.
Final Grade: 72 (Fine - High End of Scale).

Final Grade & Summary
Centering: 77 (Fine/Very Fine).
Soundness: Faultless (No Deductions).
Eye Appeal: Bold Cancel → -5 Points.
Final Grade: 72 (Fine - High End of Scale).

Overall Assessment:
This Scott #508 example has strong centering (Fine/Very Fine), no structural faults, and a bold Allentown, PA machine cancel. Its final grade of 72 (Fine - High End) places it in a moderate-to-good collectible category for used stamps.

Seller Information

Seller

jamisonenterprises (434)

Registered Since

03/18/2005

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Store

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Item Location

California, United States

Ships To

Worldwide

Returns Accepted

No

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