U.S. #444 Used Paste-Up Single F-VF with WT Crowe Certificate

Item Specifics

Country

United States

Catalog Number

444

Stamp Type

General Issue

Condition

Used

Centering

F/VF

Stamp Format

Single

Topic

People - Politicians

Year of Issue

1914

Item Description

Used, F-VF

U.S. #444 used paste-up single just fine with machine and duplex cancellations. If you are looking for a nice used paste-up single, search no further as this is the only one on Hip at time of listing (9/2022). It is also the only certified used single except for a couple of graded singles ranging between $300 and $695. Do you really need a certificate for a stamp that only cats for $40? Yes, unfortunately you do. This stamp is frequently faked by trimming the horizontal perforations off of #425 (see photo #10) and by adding fake perforations to #409 (see photo #11). It is also sometimes confused with #453 and #454. The fact that the catalog value is relatively low probably explains why there aren't more documented fakes; who wants to spend $20 or $25 to certify a $40 stamp? PSE has certified 190 genuine #444's, the vast majority of which were submitted for grading. An additional 18 that were submitted turned out to be #425 with horizontal perforations removed. If a coil doesn't measure 25 mm top to bottom, there's a very good chance it's been trimmed. PSE has also certified 672 #409s submitted for certification with a stunning 400 plus sporting fraudulent perforations, many of them perf 10 vertical. Fraudulent perforations are a bit trickier to spot and usually require the trained eye of a professional. This stamp has been examined by William T. Crowe and declared genuine and sound except for one pulled perf at the lower right. For those of you not familiar with William T. "Bill" Crowe, I have included his bio as photo #4. He's the real deal and there's a good chance that you already have certificates of your own with his signature on them as he's signed off on hundreds of thousands of certs for the PF and PSE over the years. For anyone who may be "on the fence" about the importance of expertization, I have taken the liberty of reproducing an article from the September 2021 American Philatelist (photos 5-8) about one APS member's experiences with buying stamps at auction and then having them certified. If you take the time to read or even scan it, I think you will be shocked, as was I. Bottom line is: classic US stamps purchased without expert certification have about a 50/50 chance of being altered, misidentified or having some type of flaw or defect. Those odds might be good for Vegas, but not, I suspect, for many philatelists. I should also point out, that the gentleman who wrote this article was buying from many of the big auction houses of the day, prior to the advent and proliferation of on-line auctions. In today's environment, where virtually anyone can be an auction house, the odds are probably less than even that you will get what you pay for when buying uncertified stamps. I've taken all the guesswork out of this one. As you review all the #444's currently available, you'll find that you can spend well over $400 for uncertified copies or $35 for a really nice stamp with a good cert. Seems like a "no-brainer" to me. It also makes reselling the stamp a lot easier when the time comes.

About shipping: I combine shipping. Any other item purchased with this will ship at no additional charge.

A Little About Me and My Commitment to You

I’ve been a regular member of the APS for over 35 years (member ID# 130461) and I’m still a collector more than anything. If you check my feedback history, you will find that not only is it pristine, but that I buy far more than I sell. And one thing that really troubles me are sellers who just throw a stamp up for sale and don’t even take the time to offer a description or a compelling reason why I should want to buy their item. My commitment to you is that I will always provide a thoughtful and truthful commentary on all the relevant aspects of every stamp that I offer for sale/auction. And I will give you the bad as well as the good, though I try not to sell stamps that have problems. So bid/buy with confidence that what you will receive is exactly what I have described and if you feel it is not, that I will make the return process as pleasant as possible. You can also expect an interesting assortment of stamps adorning your shipment--no run-of-the-mill forever stamps or postage meter strips! See photo #9 for a sample of what you can expect.

Seller Information

Seller

stephenwgill (245)

Registered Since

03/06/2005

Feedback

100%

Store

Ye Olde Post Office

• Offers
• Sales

Item Location

California, United States

Ships To

United States

Returns Accepted

Yes

Returns Policy

Returns accepted within 14 days on items not as described. Buyer to pay return shipping.