U.S. #491 Used SFE Railroad Perfin w/ PSE XF-90 Cert

Item Specifics

Country

United States

Catalog Number

491

Stamp Type

General Issue

Condition

Used

Centering

XF

Stamp Format

Single

Year of Issue

1916

Item Description

Condition: Used, certified, XF-90

Grade: XF (Extremely Fine)
You may be looking at one of the rarest U.S. stamps in existence. Sure, there are plenty of #491 stamps graded XF90 and higher. But, as far as I have been able to determine, this is the only one with a perfin. I have scoured the online archives of the Philatelic Foundation, The American Philatelic Expertizing Service, PSAG and Professional Stamp Experts and this is the only certified example I have found. As a perfin, this particular SFE design (pattern S123) was used by the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. between 1914 and 1917 and is considered a D+ perfin. But on a #491 graded XF90, it appears to be one of a kind. Perfins on coil issues are a rare lot to begin with.

There are a lot of U.S. stamps that should never be purchased without a certificate of authenticity and high on that list is #491. First, there are fakes out there (see photo 4 from the PF archives for one documented example). Second, #491 is a very scarce stamp. Over the last 13 years, PSE has only certified 113 #491's as genuine (72 used and 41 mint). By contrast, they have certified 294 #454's and 189 #453 as genuine, many of which were submitted as #491 (see images 5 - 6 for a sampling of PF certs for stamps that were submitted as #491 but turned out to be various other catalog numbers). The watermarks on these old coils can be terribly elusive and require the trained eye of a true expert to certify. Uncertified #491's are simply space-fillers. This one has been examined by PSE and declared genuine (see photo 3). I've taken all the guesswork out of this one. As you review all the #491's currently available, you'll find that you can spend well over $8500 for uncertified copies or $2500 for a true rarity 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. I’m pretty sure you’ve figured out by now that there’s no such thing as free shipping. Every seller who offers “free shipping” has already baked the shipping fees into the listing price. Which means you get to pay sales tax on everything including the “free shipping.” I price my items very competitively and charge a nominal shipping fee on the first item you purchase. Every additional item really does ship free as my price doesn’t include any kind of shipping or handling charges. In most cases, the catalog value of the stamps I use to ship your item(s) will exceed whatever you have paid for shipping, so in that respect, the shipping is just about a wash.

A Little About Me and My Commitment to You

I’ve been a regular member of the APS for over 40 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. 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 good description or a compelling reason why I should want to buy their item. As an experienced collector and seller, 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. Where applicable, I will also do my best to impart any useful information on the stamp and any pitfalls buyers should be aware of. In the unlikely event that I have misidentified a stamp, I will gladly cover your costs of expertization* provided both the stamp and certificate are returned to me. As far as I know, I am the only seller that makes this guarantee. 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 #7 for a sample of what you can expect.

*I recognize the expert opinions of APEX, William Crowe, the PF, PSAG and PSE.

Seller Information

Seller

stephenwgill (253)

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.