Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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The note in Scott is misleading, because "white" paper is a relative term compared to the original on extremely thin paper with a slightly grayish (or bluish) tinge. The reprints are not on quality paper and the paper will "pale" over time, so it may not appear "white".
Your blocks appear to be reprints, but it is a little hard to tell from the resolution of your pic since you grouped them all together. (on my screen, your pic does not appear sharp -- is your scanner set on "magazine" or some other pixel-smoothening algorithm?).
Can you scan the backside of your blocks? No more than 2 blocks together, please. Resolution is not really that important when scanning the backside, but don't overlay the blocks at all. Don't worry about trying to tell me which block is what.
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This is one of the PRC sets which original and reprint can only be diferentiated by paper. Catalog says reprints are in thicker and white paper.
But you can "guess" it from the source. Are other sets from the box original or reprints? If other sets are reprints, this set must be reprint. (All of them were exported from China to US after Nixon's visit).
Sam
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OK, I took a look at your blocks again in the OP. The blue block and the dull purple block are certainly reprints, which by comparison would make all the blocks reprints. An original block in the midst of a batch of reprints tends to stand out noticeably, and the paper of all the other blocks in your pic look roughly the same as the 2 readily identifiable reprints.
Nevertheless, please post pics of the backside if possible, to confirm. Like to keep all my bases covered...
Thank you!
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Hello KHJ, i was just making a scan of two of the blocks, thanks for your input..i have resigned myself to the fact that they are reprints and am at peace with that.
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PRC reprints are nothing to "sneeze" at. They were officially printed by PRC to meet collector demands following the opening of relations between the USA and PRC. The originals can be very difficult to find. At the beginning, the reprinted stamps were as common as Iranian forgeries. They have now become harder to find, and the catalog values for the reprints have risen considerably during recent years.
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Phil, the backside scans you showed for the brown red block and the yellow green block are both definitely reprints.
You can post the backside scans of the remaining vermilion block if you want -- ironically that is the one block that I had the least certainty of being a reprint.
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"They were officially printed by PRC to meet collector demands following the opening of relations between the USA and PRC."
Just to clarify, that statement actually refers to the stamp reproductions produced for the tourist trade and for souvenir/gift trade. More than a few "mint" Cultural Revolution era stamps you see in online auctions are actually reproductions taken fro these tourist collections. If you've seen the originals, the reproductions are fairly easy to spot just by examining the quality of the perfs.
The reprints of the early PRC issues were officially made soon after the currency revaluation of 1955 (well before the normalization of relations between US and China). These reprints were indeed made for the stamp trade. Because of the 4 order of magnitude drop in the currency value, the older stamps could no longer be used. Postmark dates from summer 1955 onwards are almost guaranteed to be CTO reprints.
I don't collect postmarks, but if I ever saw a January 1955 cancel on an original...
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Yeah, the vermilion block is definitely a reprint. Thanks for taking the time to post the backsides to confirm, Phil!
Still a very nice group of blocks, and as Michael##### pointed out, the reprints have gone up considerably in price in the past couple of decades. Forty years ago collectors were dreading having gotten these reprints as fillers in bulk lots...
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I have quite a few Peoples Republic stamps from the 1950s ...and they usually say reprints exist...so if i want to list them for sale...i will probably have to assume they are reprints !
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Not necessarily. I have seen originals and reprints mixed together. Some of the originals are not hard to find. On the other hand, some original sets are really difficult to find.
If you need help identifying originals, start a new thread and post the stamp scans (no more than one stamp per pic please, as there has to be sufficient resolution to see the details). You can PM me if nobody chimes in and I miss the new thread.
There are some reprints that are nearly impossible to identify from picture alone, such as the dove issue and the flag issue -- so you should work on those last.
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Most of the reprints can be easily determined. Scott states and often shows the differences. When it's not a difference in design or perforations, but rather paper, that can sometimes get difficult. Then you'd have to note that the stamp is probably a reprint.
".i will probably have to assume they are reprints !"
If you obtained them many years ago, or got them at a bulk price, you'll probably come out quite well even with the reprints. You will turn your
into a 
or maybe even a 
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Thank goodnesss there is no rush..i know some of the things to check..tedious like how many holes in the collar button, sigh..nothing is easy.
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Now, Phil, remember, stamp collecting is fun!
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I would like to come back to this thread quickly because I have further questions about PRC reprints... Scott stops referring to them after the discussed Gymnastics blocks (through Scott #150). Did they also do reprints for later issues, although not specifically identified in Scott? Or are stamps of this timeframe typically genuine? Several apparent unused stamps I have clearly seem to be a duller paper than expected, so I suspect reprint, which I presume would have significantly less value than noted in the catalogue. Can anyone please confirm or refute? Thanks!
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Back around 1990 i purchased a box lot of albums and it had Peoples Republic of China stamps. I was always interested in this series which came in blocks of 4...if they are the reprints in can live with it...but the SCOTT catalog says that the reprints were on heavier white paper and these are on flimsy paper you can see much of the image from the back of the stamp. Any information from collectors of China is appreciated.
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re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
The note in Scott is misleading, because "white" paper is a relative term compared to the original on extremely thin paper with a slightly grayish (or bluish) tinge. The reprints are not on quality paper and the paper will "pale" over time, so it may not appear "white".
Your blocks appear to be reprints, but it is a little hard to tell from the resolution of your pic since you grouped them all together. (on my screen, your pic does not appear sharp -- is your scanner set on "magazine" or some other pixel-smoothening algorithm?).
Can you scan the backside of your blocks? No more than 2 blocks together, please. Resolution is not really that important when scanning the backside, but don't overlay the blocks at all. Don't worry about trying to tell me which block is what.
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10:18:08pm
re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
This is one of the PRC sets which original and reprint can only be diferentiated by paper. Catalog says reprints are in thicker and white paper.
But you can "guess" it from the source. Are other sets from the box original or reprints? If other sets are reprints, this set must be reprint. (All of them were exported from China to US after Nixon's visit).
Sam
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re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
OK, I took a look at your blocks again in the OP. The blue block and the dull purple block are certainly reprints, which by comparison would make all the blocks reprints. An original block in the midst of a batch of reprints tends to stand out noticeably, and the paper of all the other blocks in your pic look roughly the same as the 2 readily identifiable reprints.
Nevertheless, please post pics of the backside if possible, to confirm. Like to keep all my bases covered...
Thank you!
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Auctions
re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
Hello KHJ, i was just making a scan of two of the blocks, thanks for your input..i have resigned myself to the fact that they are reprints and am at peace with that.
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re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
PRC reprints are nothing to "sneeze" at. They were officially printed by PRC to meet collector demands following the opening of relations between the USA and PRC. The originals can be very difficult to find. At the beginning, the reprinted stamps were as common as Iranian forgeries. They have now become harder to find, and the catalog values for the reprints have risen considerably during recent years.
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re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
Phil, the backside scans you showed for the brown red block and the yellow green block are both definitely reprints.
You can post the backside scans of the remaining vermilion block if you want -- ironically that is the one block that I had the least certainty of being a reprint.
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re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
"They were officially printed by PRC to meet collector demands following the opening of relations between the USA and PRC."
Just to clarify, that statement actually refers to the stamp reproductions produced for the tourist trade and for souvenir/gift trade. More than a few "mint" Cultural Revolution era stamps you see in online auctions are actually reproductions taken fro these tourist collections. If you've seen the originals, the reproductions are fairly easy to spot just by examining the quality of the perfs.
The reprints of the early PRC issues were officially made soon after the currency revaluation of 1955 (well before the normalization of relations between US and China). These reprints were indeed made for the stamp trade. Because of the 4 order of magnitude drop in the currency value, the older stamps could no longer be used. Postmark dates from summer 1955 onwards are almost guaranteed to be CTO reprints.
I don't collect postmarks, but if I ever saw a January 1955 cancel on an original...
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re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
Yeah, the vermilion block is definitely a reprint. Thanks for taking the time to post the backsides to confirm, Phil!
Still a very nice group of blocks, and as Michael##### pointed out, the reprints have gone up considerably in price in the past couple of decades. Forty years ago collectors were dreading having gotten these reprints as fillers in bulk lots...
Login to Like
this post
Auctions
re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
I have quite a few Peoples Republic stamps from the 1950s ...and they usually say reprints exist...so if i want to list them for sale...i will probably have to assume they are reprints !
Login to Like
this post
re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
Not necessarily. I have seen originals and reprints mixed together. Some of the originals are not hard to find. On the other hand, some original sets are really difficult to find.
If you need help identifying originals, start a new thread and post the stamp scans (no more than one stamp per pic please, as there has to be sufficient resolution to see the details). You can PM me if nobody chimes in and I miss the new thread.
There are some reprints that are nearly impossible to identify from picture alone, such as the dove issue and the flag issue -- so you should work on those last.
Login to Like
this post
re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
Most of the reprints can be easily determined. Scott states and often shows the differences. When it's not a difference in design or perforations, but rather paper, that can sometimes get difficult. Then you'd have to note that the stamp is probably a reprint.
".i will probably have to assume they are reprints !"
If you obtained them many years ago, or got them at a bulk price, you'll probably come out quite well even with the reprints. You will turn your
into a or maybe even a Login to Like
this post
Auctions
re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
Thank goodnesss there is no rush..i know some of the things to check..tedious like how many holes in the collar button, sigh..nothing is easy.
Login to Like
this post
re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
Now, Phil, remember, stamp collecting is fun!
Login to Like
this post
re: Peoples republic of China gymnastics blocks from 1952
I would like to come back to this thread quickly because I have further questions about PRC reprints... Scott stops referring to them after the discussed Gymnastics blocks (through Scott #150). Did they also do reprints for later issues, although not specifically identified in Scott? Or are stamps of this timeframe typically genuine? Several apparent unused stamps I have clearly seem to be a duller paper than expected, so I suspect reprint, which I presume would have significantly less value than noted in the catalogue. Can anyone please confirm or refute? Thanks!
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