Authenticating process for postage stamp - read "badge"
A nerdy comment.
I am going to be repeating myself yet again here as I have mentioned this many, many times. Bear with me on this....
Where I use the word front and back of a stamp, substitute the word "badge". If this seems out of context than ignore it.
By the way - most - of not all - of the stamp "fakers" went out of business years ago. The process I describe here, is what they came up with to stop it.
There is no guide for buying good quality and genuine stamps (of which I spent years doing and have a lot of experience), what you have to do is send a stamp to a recognised body of experts - an Expertising Committee assuming that a certificate doesn't already exist) and:-
a) they will register a numbered picture of the front and rear
b) they will also record a comment about exactly what the stamp is (good or bad) and its quality, i.e. "genuineness", period of use, and state (from used to unmounted mint).
c) they issue a certificate signed by at least 3 experts - who will have inspected the stamp.
The cost (the last time I did it) was £25.00.
There is no maintenance cost on the records. Anyone can enquire about the certificate and its number for a very small fee. End of story.
Other antiques, such as paintings would come with a letter of authentication. But not all items (e.g. furniture, bronzes, other works of art) have this information - except when they go to an auction house to be sold and you get the bad/good news.
Note: there are no books on what constitutes a genuine stamp - if it doesn't have a certificate, then its deemed to be suspect - by default.
Which in a strange way - is what the forum provides - except that the advice and opinion varies - as I have found to my cost.
Unless this is done, we can argue about this until the cows come home and as has been found - not all badge books actually contain pictures of genuine badges.........
fyi: I have enclosed a copy of one in my possession for a specific set of QEII Bahamas that were printed on a special "whiter" paper - and which makes them more valuable than the "normal" ones.
Have a nice day.
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