U.S. #631 Used GEM 100 Graded Certificate

Item Specifics

Country

United States

Catalog Number

631

Stamp Type

General Issue

Condition

Used

Centering

Superb

Stamp Format

Single

Certificate Grade

100 (Gem)

Topic

People - Politicians

Year of Issue

1927

Item Description

Condition: Used, GEM 100

Grade: Gem 100
U.S. #631 used graded GEM 100 by William T. Crowe. SMQ is $100. This stamp is occasionally faked by trimming the perforations from #582, #598, #605 and #633, but it is much more frequently confused with the flat plate imperforate printing, #576. This one has been certified as genuine #631 and graded GEM 100 by William T. Crowe.

So as you survey the other used #631's currently available, the first thing you'll notice is that there aren't very many. The second thing you might notice is that there is only one other (block of four) that is certified and graded GEM 100 for $250, which makes this one a real bargain.

A word of caution about stamp grading software: I’ve seen stamp listings appearing recently with “certificates” that purport to assign a grade to a stamp being offered for sale. It is important to note that these are not certificates of authenticity. In fact, none of the “certificates” I have seen so far even list the Scott catalog number and with good reason, I suspect; the software developer does not want to be liable for their licensees’ possible misidentification of the graded stamp. There is much more to true stamp grading than centering. The first step in the process actually has nothing to do with centering at all. The first step is verifying that the stamp is genuine and correctly identified. It also has to be thoroughly examined for flaws, which may have an impact on the resulting grade. Therefore, it should also be understood that a grade assigned by a software program may not necessarily agree with a grade assigned by a qualified expertization service. After all, a software program can’t tell if a stamp is genuine, properly identified, if it has been reperforated, regummed, if it has inclusions, creases, thins, pinholes or any number of other things that would negatively impact the final grade. So, if you’re only concerned with stamp centering then these programs and the printed documents they generate should do the job. If, on the other hand, you want to ensure that your stamps are properly identified and vetted, then you’ll probably want to stick with the tried-and-true method of human expertization and grading.

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 #8 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 (271)

Registered Since

03/06/2005

Feedback

100%

Store

Ye Olde Post Office

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.