Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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Don
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Thanks Don - I definitely have two copies of 547, the orange red really stands out. Now I would really like to know why I thought I had one of each. I really have to much more careful how I spend my money!
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The example in this thread is one of the few US stamps that can easily be identified by color. But allow me to give you a few thoughts regarding US stamp colors.
Never, ever buy US stamps based upon color unless;
- you have spent many hours studying the stamp issue
- built a large reference collection
- or if the stamp already has a cert
Colors are by far the most challenging stamp criteria and are as subjective as basing stamp ID on a term like 'pretty'. Basing catalog values and identifications upon color is pure folly for many stamps. Some collectors think themselves as having a good color eye but make 'Color Theory 101' type mistakes. For example, I often see/hear stamp color discussions without defining the ambient lighting conditions.
I recently published a new articles on 'How We See Colors' and 'How To Develop a Good 'Color Eye' here
http://stampsmarter.com/learning/Gen_Stamp_colors.html
Don
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I've been thinking about my early days of stamp collecting, back almost 50 years ago. I saw a picture and put a stamp over it and never thought too much about it. I'm fixing some of those early mistakes now. There are a few with my US postage dues - the differences in color shades, perforations and water marks. I bet we all have mistakes that need to be fixed. I doubt if I was stupid enough to buy that stamp thinking it was orange red, at that time many years ago I just put it in the wrong place in the book. Now all I have to do is find a nice copy of 523 since I now have an extra copy of 547. In the postage dues I thought I had J29 ($725) and J30 ($350). One of them is right - at least it's the more expensive one. I think if we all checked our collections we would find a few mistakes. But you're right about the color shades, we have to do everything we can to avoid making stupid mistakes. I'm not bad with watermarks even though I hate them and I'm good with perfs, it's the damn color shades I have to watch!
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I've found it helpful to make a mask to block out any background colors that throw your sense of color off. Put a #65 on a bright yellow cover and you would swear that it is pink. Block out the yellow and ,oops - it is just a regular #65.
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01:41:55pm
I thought I had a copy of 523 (orange red) and 547 (carmine) until I had a good look. I've been going through my US stamps looking for possible problems. #523 is a rarer stamp and I now am almost convinced I have two copies of 547, I see no orange tint in my 523! Could one of you US collectors please show a picture of the two stamps side by side? Don't worry, I did not pick up my 523 on SOR, actually I'm not sure where I did pick it up. I also have to recheck some of my postage dues, I know I have color mistakes in the early issues. Thanks for tuning in!
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re: 523 vs. 547
Don
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02:37:50pm
re: 523 vs. 547
Thanks Don - I definitely have two copies of 547, the orange red really stands out. Now I would really like to know why I thought I had one of each. I really have to much more careful how I spend my money!
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re: 523 vs. 547
The example in this thread is one of the few US stamps that can easily be identified by color. But allow me to give you a few thoughts regarding US stamp colors.
Never, ever buy US stamps based upon color unless;
- you have spent many hours studying the stamp issue
- built a large reference collection
- or if the stamp already has a cert
Colors are by far the most challenging stamp criteria and are as subjective as basing stamp ID on a term like 'pretty'. Basing catalog values and identifications upon color is pure folly for many stamps. Some collectors think themselves as having a good color eye but make 'Color Theory 101' type mistakes. For example, I often see/hear stamp color discussions without defining the ambient lighting conditions.
I recently published a new articles on 'How We See Colors' and 'How To Develop a Good 'Color Eye' here
http://stampsmarter.com/learning/Gen_Stamp_colors.html
Don
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04:45:20pm
re: 523 vs. 547
I've been thinking about my early days of stamp collecting, back almost 50 years ago. I saw a picture and put a stamp over it and never thought too much about it. I'm fixing some of those early mistakes now. There are a few with my US postage dues - the differences in color shades, perforations and water marks. I bet we all have mistakes that need to be fixed. I doubt if I was stupid enough to buy that stamp thinking it was orange red, at that time many years ago I just put it in the wrong place in the book. Now all I have to do is find a nice copy of 523 since I now have an extra copy of 547. In the postage dues I thought I had J29 ($725) and J30 ($350). One of them is right - at least it's the more expensive one. I think if we all checked our collections we would find a few mistakes. But you're right about the color shades, we have to do everything we can to avoid making stupid mistakes. I'm not bad with watermarks even though I hate them and I'm good with perfs, it's the damn color shades I have to watch!
Login to Like
this post
re: 523 vs. 547
I've found it helpful to make a mask to block out any background colors that throw your sense of color off. Put a #65 on a bright yellow cover and you would swear that it is pink. Block out the yellow and ,oops - it is just a regular #65.
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