#1 is either:
Greece Scott #N110d (if engraved)
Greece Scott #N126d (if lithographed)
#2 looks to be the Belgian print with clear impression. Greece Scott #68
Thanks a Bunch Michael..
Again Much Appreciated..
As for the second stamp I have to disagree with Michael. It is clear to me that it is a poor impression Athens printing. The Early Hermes heads can often be very difficult to ID. If the stamp you are trying to ID has a readable year on the cancel this can often be helpful. The clear Belgian prints were made from 1886-1888 and the course Athens prints from 1889-95. The date on the stamp is 1892 which was four years after the Belgian prints were last made, which would make it somewhat unlikely that it would be a Belgian print.
However this stamp is so coarse that the date is not really the key factor in the I.D.
See my imperf page of small Hermes Heads HERE. The clear Belgian prints are the stamps at top of the page and the courser Athens prints at the bottom. When comparing the 20 centers at top and bottom it should be easy to see the difference and that your stamp matches the Athens prints, which would make your stamp Scott #94. It should also be noted that there were more printings especially in later years than Scott makes note of. Some Athens printings are much clearer than others and some Belgian prints are coarser than others. Some times it can be difficult to tell one from another but I do not find it difficult with yours.
I can accept that. My eyes are sagged out right now!
Hi,
I agree with AntoniusRa findings and accept..
AntoniusRa Very Nice reference collection
Thank You Michael, Hope your eyes are ready for
The next round of
Can You help me ID this Stamp ?..
Thanks Again everyone and Happy Stamp-in
"AntoniusRa Very Nice Thumbs Up reference collection"
Well antoniusra, Why would I want to reference your site, I think your are a un friendly person
to say the least. I will leave StampoRama and close my user account because I ask to many ?'s
have a pleasent life.
"By asking so many questions you are forcing other members posts off the board, which is unfortunate at best."
Dear AntoniusRa
On your site, which is a labor of love, you posted the following:
"This site is dedicated to my father Gene R. Ward who introduced me to collecting in 1958.
Also to my boyhood neighbor in Shrub Oak NY, Herman (Pat) Hearst jr."
On our SOR site, you wrote:
"If you would spend more time reading your catalog and referencing my site, you will not have to ask so many ID questions. By asking so many questions you are forcing other members posts off the board, which is unfortunate at best."
Are you being true to what your own mentors taught you? Would they have finger pointed and criticized? Would they be proud of your post?
Just asking!
Dan C.
Dan, Seriously? No I don't have to worry about that. In fact I will probably show it to him tomorrow and I know exactly what he will say, but he doesn't have to. Adios
How could this have been dealt with better?
One (new) member asks what even a disinterested observer can judge to be rather too many questions too soon. They are responded to in good faith by several others, but after a while there are one or two reservations and the knowledge-seeker is gently advised to do a bit of research for himself. No obvious effect. Then the advice becomes less gentle, the new guy threatens to take off (and perhaps does), and the dispenser of such advice in turn becomes a target.
For what they are worth, my own sympathies are with the gentle advisers, but then again my whole professional background has been one of self-preparation and research, and that will not apply to everyone.
Could a moderator not have had a quiet word privately with John, presenting the same sort of case as Mitch does above? Would it need to be a moderator?
Ian, some of us WERE doing precisely as you suggested, long before you suggested it. Back channel advice on how to how to learn more stuff. Of course, back channel, by its very nature, is invisible to most.
New collecors (or guys returning after decades absence) need to be encouraged and shown the ropes. We gave him answers but not tools. "Give a man a fish....."
I answered several of those "Id requested", however, truth be told, I was on the side that was beginning to become annoyed with the frequency.
From my standpoint, it wasn't the quantity of the posts, it was that most of them were of the sort that were hoping that a very common stamp was in fact the special variety or rare color shade. That sort of thing could go on forever.
It is important for new collectors to understand that the odds are something like 2,000,000,000 : 100 that they have the common stamp of which 2,000,0000,000 were issued, and not one of the 100 varieties or errors of a seemingly similar stamp identified in the catalog with a value of thousands of dollars. (Numbers made up, but you get the idea).
The best advice has been given on this DB many times: "Assume that you have the most common variety until and unless you find evidence otherwise".
Many times I have been offered boyhood collections (particularly of Washington-Franklins) that purported to contain hundreds of thousands of dollars of catalogue value, with each stamp identified as the rarest variety that looked anything like the stamp present. My response is always: "Unmarketable unless accompanied by an independent certificate of authenticity from an organization such as APS or Philatelic Foundation". That usually ends the conversation. If I try to explain the true facts of stamp identification, I typically am viewed as a villain who is attempting to "rip them off".
Roy
" "Assume that you have the most common variety until and unless you find evidence otherwise""
Dear AntoniusRa and Guthrum,
David points out "New collecors (or guys returning after decades absence) need to be encouraged and shown the ropes. We gave him answers but not tools. "Give a man a fish....."
As I read the entries it seemed apparent that in good faith you all attempted to impart good, useful information, and after a while you became impatient with the apparent inability/decision on the newbies' part to take over the research/exploration/directions you were offering.
Keeping David's points in mind, were you aware that you may not have been really answering the questions that you were being asked? Granted that you gave correct, practical, detailed answers. But is that what was being asked? In Psychology we know that often the presenting problem is quite different from the underlying issue.
Some of you, in retrospect, mention that perhaps he only wanted cash/value/rarities,etc. All likely, all possible, but where was this actually ascertained? Keep in mind that as a newbie, he himself might not have been aware of the underlying issues.
Your irritation, impatience, and frustration are all understandable, but any harsh reaction on your parts were not and are not the best part of you. So, AntoniusRa, to your question 'Really?' Yes, really.
Can we agree that, in retrospect, we all could have done more?
Best,
Dan C.
Newbie questions are a self-limiting epidemic.
People who like to help will help until they get tired of helping that newbie.
No need to say 'why'.
The newbie who keeps getting answers like 'minimal value' & 'too damaged' & 'utterly common' will get bored of posting stamps to identify.
From both sides, newbie questions are a self-limiting epidemic.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
There are "stamp collectors" and then there are "philatelists". The only real difference is the time spent on the hobby/lifestyle.
Stamp collectors tend to be newbies or those that return after a long period, or those who's lives have just not allowed the time to become a philatelist. Most have the same heart and passion for stamps as philatelists, or at least at the given point where they decide to join an online stamp club. The majority come to sites like this because they want to learn, but sometimes you have to go so far as to teach them "how to learn"...
...and that's where the philatelist comes in. I have the deepest respect for those that reach the highest level within their chosen field, and granted, not everyone has the personality to be a mentor, but that's what all newbie stamp collectors hope to find. Someone willing and able to teach them from the ground up, how to be better at stamp collecting and hopefully one day reach the status of Philatelist themselves. Isn't that the way it should be?
Be a mentor if it's in your nature to be so. If not, that's okay too. But please don't be too quick to judge the newbie or even the average stamp collector. This conversation would have taken a completely different road, had the OP posted a Scott US #1 with perfect margins...and we could've been the lucky ones to see it here first.
Peace amongst the masses,
WB
Namaste, White Buffalo. You have said what I tried to say, but so much better.
Dan C.
The guy just signed up for SoR on Thursday. He probably had no clue that some might consider it a lot of requests for identification. After all, we do have an entire DB topic labeled "Can you help me identify this?". I thought the guy was putting up alot of friendly posts full of "please", "thanks" and smiley face emoticons. My opinion is that the dude shouldn't have been called out like that in public.
-Ernie
Dan et al, Unfortunately, I don't think most of you guys carefully read my post(s) and got my point. I did carefully write it and in no way apologize for it. The thing I was irritated at was that when I went to the last 30 posts, he had pushed nearly all of the other members stamp related posts off the page. I did not care about the quality or value of the stamps he was showing but just about giving him helpful information so that he can go sell his stamps, that he seems to no longer care about (see new member post). As far as questions being asked;. I think people who ask questions should put as much effort and thought into the questions as they hope to get in return as answers. Many of the questions were so vague as to make it a guessing game. Refer to the "question" on the two Burmese stamps and who do you think would have guessed what the question was in the first place.
As far as paying attention to what I have written, where did I say 'Really"?
Newbie questions are great and they are encouraged here but as Mitchell points out it has pushed most of the other discussions off the page. I also notice in another thread a member was looking for an ignore button. I just skip those discussions with "identify this for me". I don't have a WW catalog so I can't be much help identifying most WW stamps. I can help with some Scandinavian countries and US. Part of mentoring is to try to get the newbie to use the tools that are available to us all. To just keep asking "identify this for me' does get old.
I suggest check out the library with a batch of stamps and use their catalogs. It will be more educational that way. If after putting some effort in learning about your stamps I am sure there will members here more then happy to help with the identification of your stamps. Please don't leave or stop asking questions but put some effort in your new hobby, it will be more enjoyable.
Vince
What if the poor guy just wanted to talk stamps with somebody? Maybe he was a bit over zealous and his method of delivery was off a smidge, but there's no denying his enthusiasm and appreciation for the help. If I see it correctly, he had a total of 6 or 7 questions on identity. Why blindside him? I didn't see any indication of anyone "becoming" annoyed with his questions and I seriously doubt anyone sent him a PM and said, "can I offer a little advise...? Whatever method was used to help the OP and "promote the hobby", it didn't work out real well. Instead, the club just lost a member who hadn't broken a single rule, or at least none that I'm aware of.
I'm sure there was no ill intent and maybe this member was a little too thin skinned, but all too often, it's not what's said, but how it's said that can lead to hard feelings.
WB
WhiteBuffalo, In the attempt of keeping the facts straight there were 18 posts from him regarding Id's, not 6 or 7. These were all made on the same day and you can not see them without viewing posts made in the "Last week"
Dear AntoniusRa,Vinman, and those who appreciated the frank and honest exchange we are having here. As White Buffalo observes, the club may have just lost a member who hadn't broken a single rule. Hopefully we can all avoid that in the future through understanding the impact we may have upon the newbie.
The focus of our exchange is to be the family we wish to be, without hard feelings as a result of impatience. This we can do.As White Buffalo notes " it's not what's said, but how it's said that can lead to hard feelings."
AntoniusRa, would it surprise you to know that your position is backed by other members who have contacted me individually? I mention this to acknowledge that your position stated an excess that needed addressing, and is recognized as such by other members.It is not the position per se that we are discussing, but how it is addressed. For those who prefer a bottom line, no frills,straight from the shoulder observation, your approach is quite acceptable. There are many though who would find that approach unacceptable. So rather than distract from a valid observation because of presentation, moderation in the observation would seem to be called for.
You are correct, by the way, in faulting me for using the term 'really' rather than the term 'seriously' that you used. To my understanding though, they convey the same thought. Am I wrong here?
You and I can agree on this point "As far as questions being asked I think people who ask questions should put as much effort and thought into the questions as they hope to get in return as answers." Our disagreement comes in how one gets the newbie to do just that.
All good thoughts,
Dan C.
18 posts, 6 or 7 threads/questions, who cares?! Academics and number crunching aren't my strong points.(if I have any) My comments were and are aimed only at the end result. Feelings were hurt and a member was lost and I fail to see how that could be viewed as anything else but wrong.
With all due respect,
WB
Dan, Good thoughts........
If posts have been "pushed off" the screen when you click on "Last 30", you can always click on "Last Day" and see them.
Also, getting irritated over someone asking for help IDing alot of stamps makes no sense. Just because someone asks for ID help is not an obligation on any one person to answer the question. If you don't feel like doing it, then don't do it.
I just reread this topic and Mitchell's response on 07 Jan 2016
06:07:40pm it was very informative and took time to look up this informaton for Sebastopolfun. I think Sebastopolfun's reaction after all the help he has received was a bit of an overreaction.
Vince
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
#1 is either:
Greece Scott #N110d (if engraved)
Greece Scott #N126d (if lithographed)
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
#2 looks to be the Belgian print with clear impression. Greece Scott #68
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Thanks a Bunch Michael..
Again Much Appreciated..
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
As for the second stamp I have to disagree with Michael. It is clear to me that it is a poor impression Athens printing. The Early Hermes heads can often be very difficult to ID. If the stamp you are trying to ID has a readable year on the cancel this can often be helpful. The clear Belgian prints were made from 1886-1888 and the course Athens prints from 1889-95. The date on the stamp is 1892 which was four years after the Belgian prints were last made, which would make it somewhat unlikely that it would be a Belgian print.
However this stamp is so coarse that the date is not really the key factor in the I.D.
See my imperf page of small Hermes Heads HERE. The clear Belgian prints are the stamps at top of the page and the courser Athens prints at the bottom. When comparing the 20 centers at top and bottom it should be easy to see the difference and that your stamp matches the Athens prints, which would make your stamp Scott #94. It should also be noted that there were more printings especially in later years than Scott makes note of. Some Athens printings are much clearer than others and some Belgian prints are coarser than others. Some times it can be difficult to tell one from another but I do not find it difficult with yours.
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
I can accept that. My eyes are sagged out right now!
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Hi,
I agree with AntoniusRa findings and accept..
AntoniusRa Very Nice reference collection
Thank You Michael, Hope your eyes are ready for
The next round of
Can You help me ID this Stamp ?..
Thanks Again everyone and Happy Stamp-in
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
"AntoniusRa Very Nice Thumbs Up reference collection"
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Well antoniusra, Why would I want to reference your site, I think your are a un friendly person
to say the least. I will leave StampoRama and close my user account because I ask to many ?'s
have a pleasent life.
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
"By asking so many questions you are forcing other members posts off the board, which is unfortunate at best."
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Dear AntoniusRa
On your site, which is a labor of love, you posted the following:
"This site is dedicated to my father Gene R. Ward who introduced me to collecting in 1958.
Also to my boyhood neighbor in Shrub Oak NY, Herman (Pat) Hearst jr."
On our SOR site, you wrote:
"If you would spend more time reading your catalog and referencing my site, you will not have to ask so many ID questions. By asking so many questions you are forcing other members posts off the board, which is unfortunate at best."
Are you being true to what your own mentors taught you? Would they have finger pointed and criticized? Would they be proud of your post?
Just asking!
Dan C.
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Dan, Seriously? No I don't have to worry about that. In fact I will probably show it to him tomorrow and I know exactly what he will say, but he doesn't have to. Adios
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
How could this have been dealt with better?
One (new) member asks what even a disinterested observer can judge to be rather too many questions too soon. They are responded to in good faith by several others, but after a while there are one or two reservations and the knowledge-seeker is gently advised to do a bit of research for himself. No obvious effect. Then the advice becomes less gentle, the new guy threatens to take off (and perhaps does), and the dispenser of such advice in turn becomes a target.
For what they are worth, my own sympathies are with the gentle advisers, but then again my whole professional background has been one of self-preparation and research, and that will not apply to everyone.
Could a moderator not have had a quiet word privately with John, presenting the same sort of case as Mitch does above? Would it need to be a moderator?
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Ian, some of us WERE doing precisely as you suggested, long before you suggested it. Back channel advice on how to how to learn more stuff. Of course, back channel, by its very nature, is invisible to most.
New collecors (or guys returning after decades absence) need to be encouraged and shown the ropes. We gave him answers but not tools. "Give a man a fish....."
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
I answered several of those "Id requested", however, truth be told, I was on the side that was beginning to become annoyed with the frequency.
From my standpoint, it wasn't the quantity of the posts, it was that most of them were of the sort that were hoping that a very common stamp was in fact the special variety or rare color shade. That sort of thing could go on forever.
It is important for new collectors to understand that the odds are something like 2,000,000,000 : 100 that they have the common stamp of which 2,000,0000,000 were issued, and not one of the 100 varieties or errors of a seemingly similar stamp identified in the catalog with a value of thousands of dollars. (Numbers made up, but you get the idea).
The best advice has been given on this DB many times: "Assume that you have the most common variety until and unless you find evidence otherwise".
Many times I have been offered boyhood collections (particularly of Washington-Franklins) that purported to contain hundreds of thousands of dollars of catalogue value, with each stamp identified as the rarest variety that looked anything like the stamp present. My response is always: "Unmarketable unless accompanied by an independent certificate of authenticity from an organization such as APS or Philatelic Foundation". That usually ends the conversation. If I try to explain the true facts of stamp identification, I typically am viewed as a villain who is attempting to "rip them off".
Roy
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
" "Assume that you have the most common variety until and unless you find evidence otherwise""
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Dear AntoniusRa and Guthrum,
David points out "New collecors (or guys returning after decades absence) need to be encouraged and shown the ropes. We gave him answers but not tools. "Give a man a fish....."
As I read the entries it seemed apparent that in good faith you all attempted to impart good, useful information, and after a while you became impatient with the apparent inability/decision on the newbies' part to take over the research/exploration/directions you were offering.
Keeping David's points in mind, were you aware that you may not have been really answering the questions that you were being asked? Granted that you gave correct, practical, detailed answers. But is that what was being asked? In Psychology we know that often the presenting problem is quite different from the underlying issue.
Some of you, in retrospect, mention that perhaps he only wanted cash/value/rarities,etc. All likely, all possible, but where was this actually ascertained? Keep in mind that as a newbie, he himself might not have been aware of the underlying issues.
Your irritation, impatience, and frustration are all understandable, but any harsh reaction on your parts were not and are not the best part of you. So, AntoniusRa, to your question 'Really?' Yes, really.
Can we agree that, in retrospect, we all could have done more?
Best,
Dan C.
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Newbie questions are a self-limiting epidemic.
People who like to help will help until they get tired of helping that newbie.
No need to say 'why'.
The newbie who keeps getting answers like 'minimal value' & 'too damaged' & 'utterly common' will get bored of posting stamps to identify.
From both sides, newbie questions are a self-limiting epidemic.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
There are "stamp collectors" and then there are "philatelists". The only real difference is the time spent on the hobby/lifestyle.
Stamp collectors tend to be newbies or those that return after a long period, or those who's lives have just not allowed the time to become a philatelist. Most have the same heart and passion for stamps as philatelists, or at least at the given point where they decide to join an online stamp club. The majority come to sites like this because they want to learn, but sometimes you have to go so far as to teach them "how to learn"...
...and that's where the philatelist comes in. I have the deepest respect for those that reach the highest level within their chosen field, and granted, not everyone has the personality to be a mentor, but that's what all newbie stamp collectors hope to find. Someone willing and able to teach them from the ground up, how to be better at stamp collecting and hopefully one day reach the status of Philatelist themselves. Isn't that the way it should be?
Be a mentor if it's in your nature to be so. If not, that's okay too. But please don't be too quick to judge the newbie or even the average stamp collector. This conversation would have taken a completely different road, had the OP posted a Scott US #1 with perfect margins...and we could've been the lucky ones to see it here first.
Peace amongst the masses,
WB
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Namaste, White Buffalo. You have said what I tried to say, but so much better.
Dan C.
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
The guy just signed up for SoR on Thursday. He probably had no clue that some might consider it a lot of requests for identification. After all, we do have an entire DB topic labeled "Can you help me identify this?". I thought the guy was putting up alot of friendly posts full of "please", "thanks" and smiley face emoticons. My opinion is that the dude shouldn't have been called out like that in public.
-Ernie
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Dan et al, Unfortunately, I don't think most of you guys carefully read my post(s) and got my point. I did carefully write it and in no way apologize for it. The thing I was irritated at was that when I went to the last 30 posts, he had pushed nearly all of the other members stamp related posts off the page. I did not care about the quality or value of the stamps he was showing but just about giving him helpful information so that he can go sell his stamps, that he seems to no longer care about (see new member post). As far as questions being asked;. I think people who ask questions should put as much effort and thought into the questions as they hope to get in return as answers. Many of the questions were so vague as to make it a guessing game. Refer to the "question" on the two Burmese stamps and who do you think would have guessed what the question was in the first place.
As far as paying attention to what I have written, where did I say 'Really"?
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Newbie questions are great and they are encouraged here but as Mitchell points out it has pushed most of the other discussions off the page. I also notice in another thread a member was looking for an ignore button. I just skip those discussions with "identify this for me". I don't have a WW catalog so I can't be much help identifying most WW stamps. I can help with some Scandinavian countries and US. Part of mentoring is to try to get the newbie to use the tools that are available to us all. To just keep asking "identify this for me' does get old.
I suggest check out the library with a batch of stamps and use their catalogs. It will be more educational that way. If after putting some effort in learning about your stamps I am sure there will members here more then happy to help with the identification of your stamps. Please don't leave or stop asking questions but put some effort in your new hobby, it will be more enjoyable.
Vince
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
What if the poor guy just wanted to talk stamps with somebody? Maybe he was a bit over zealous and his method of delivery was off a smidge, but there's no denying his enthusiasm and appreciation for the help. If I see it correctly, he had a total of 6 or 7 questions on identity. Why blindside him? I didn't see any indication of anyone "becoming" annoyed with his questions and I seriously doubt anyone sent him a PM and said, "can I offer a little advise...? Whatever method was used to help the OP and "promote the hobby", it didn't work out real well. Instead, the club just lost a member who hadn't broken a single rule, or at least none that I'm aware of.
I'm sure there was no ill intent and maybe this member was a little too thin skinned, but all too often, it's not what's said, but how it's said that can lead to hard feelings.
WB
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
WhiteBuffalo, In the attempt of keeping the facts straight there were 18 posts from him regarding Id's, not 6 or 7. These were all made on the same day and you can not see them without viewing posts made in the "Last week"
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Dear AntoniusRa,Vinman, and those who appreciated the frank and honest exchange we are having here. As White Buffalo observes, the club may have just lost a member who hadn't broken a single rule. Hopefully we can all avoid that in the future through understanding the impact we may have upon the newbie.
The focus of our exchange is to be the family we wish to be, without hard feelings as a result of impatience. This we can do.As White Buffalo notes " it's not what's said, but how it's said that can lead to hard feelings."
AntoniusRa, would it surprise you to know that your position is backed by other members who have contacted me individually? I mention this to acknowledge that your position stated an excess that needed addressing, and is recognized as such by other members.It is not the position per se that we are discussing, but how it is addressed. For those who prefer a bottom line, no frills,straight from the shoulder observation, your approach is quite acceptable. There are many though who would find that approach unacceptable. So rather than distract from a valid observation because of presentation, moderation in the observation would seem to be called for.
You are correct, by the way, in faulting me for using the term 'really' rather than the term 'seriously' that you used. To my understanding though, they convey the same thought. Am I wrong here?
You and I can agree on this point "As far as questions being asked I think people who ask questions should put as much effort and thought into the questions as they hope to get in return as answers." Our disagreement comes in how one gets the newbie to do just that.
All good thoughts,
Dan C.
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
18 posts, 6 or 7 threads/questions, who cares?! Academics and number crunching aren't my strong points.(if I have any) My comments were and are aimed only at the end result. Feelings were hurt and a member was lost and I fail to see how that could be viewed as anything else but wrong.
With all due respect,
WB
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
Dan, Good thoughts........
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
If posts have been "pushed off" the screen when you click on "Last 30", you can always click on "Last Day" and see them.
Also, getting irritated over someone asking for help IDing alot of stamps makes no sense. Just because someone asks for ID help is not an obligation on any one person to answer the question. If you don't feel like doing it, then don't do it.
re: Greece Can You help ID ?
I just reread this topic and Mitchell's response on 07 Jan 2016
06:07:40pm it was very informative and took time to look up this informaton for Sebastopolfun. I think Sebastopolfun's reaction after all the help he has received was a bit of an overreaction.
Vince