eBay chatboard archive: Aug-13-07 to Aug-19-07 week

Posted by mini*lindy   ( 450 ) on Aug-19-07 at 23:31:56 PDT   Listings
**
Posted by jaywild   ( 969 ) on Aug-19-07 at 21:51:34 PDT   Listings
David Snyder… How’s your new job coming along, by the way? And I agree, you have to list mint current postage at face value.

Jim
Posted by jaywild   ( 969 ) on Aug-19-07 at 21:27:44 PDT   Listings
Jeff S-Raff… Weren’t you looking for single-usage 6¢, 8¢ commemorative covers?

Jim
Posted by postalhysteria   ( 3753 ) on Aug-19-07 at 20:23:23 PDT   Listings

I have never known any person of importance to have to toot his own horn.

Others are usually impressed enough with him (her) to do it for him (her).

Self horn tooting is usually practiced by egomaniacs with inferiority complexes.

freud-raff

Posted by postalviews   ( 4198 ) on Aug-19-07 at 20:09:38 PDT   Listings
ABT marks on Swiss stamps. I did not know that Anne The Stamp Goddess does Swiss too! Amazing!!

Ok, sweet dreams of nonsense posts and we'll all get through the night in good shape. Bye!
Posted by postalviews   ( 4198 ) on Aug-19-07 at 20:05:26 PDT   Listings
Went to the one-day bourse SANDIPEX today in San Diego. It was reasonably busy while I was there.

The gossipy dealer crowd from old was covertly sarcastic. I laugh at them.

Spent a small amount on picture postcards and one nice Fourth Bureau postage due cover.

A good time was had by all.
Posted by postalviews   ( 4198 ) on Aug-19-07 at 18:41:53 PDT   Listings
drsearch Thank you for kindly mentioning my grievous error and stimulating my memory. Hence I believe it is Jack Solens, not Sollens, with apologies. Jack was always one of my favorite occasional wholesale customers and I hope to sell to him again one day when I get these infernal houses done, if he is still around. (Infernal because it is now at 115 degrees in sunny Borrego.) Jack would buy things that most others were afraid of for potential difficulty of making sales, such as early Canal Zone plate blocks, and he always paid a halfway reasonable price, which is actually a good compliment considering the run of ankle busters out there like dear Harvey Cohen, who despite being an ankle buster, is also one of my favorite customers for many reasons: frequency, honesty, and promptness of payment. And good conversations. Everyone has something to offer (as long as I stay in a good mood).

BTW Solens' first name is Jack, not Jacks. Gotcha!

But in general I should avoid mentioning names and numbers because wholesale deals should generally be private, so I would apologize to Jack and Sergio for the unwarranted, if positive, publicity.

One time I made a very successful wholesale trip to Las Vegas with Dan Grant of SCADs Hall of Shame fame. So--I now have linked Dan Grant with Sergio--through me! And that is perhaps why discretion in such matters wholesale is the so-called better part of valor.

Never got to know Sonny but have been told he has a wealth of US knowledge.
Posted by vonbag   ( 178 ) on Aug-19-07 at 16:47:35 PDT   Listings
Ladies & Gentlemen, let's follow for once the repeated advice of our Knudsen, ops, sorry Knud-Erik! ;-) ;-) ;-)

Not saying anybody is anything like that, but, as a general rule, the eventual troll might self implode if it is ignored.
I know it can be difficult to ignore, being quite picky myself, although I can say I never fed long-lasting flame wars. A fight which I pick up is over in a couple of hours (or of minutes).

Paulo ... err Paolo ;-)
Posted by jaywild   ( 969 ) on Aug-19-07 at 16:34:21 PDT   Listings
malolo… Yep, the horse is long dead. Might as well get off it, you’re not going anywhere.

Jim
Posted by vonbag   ( 178 ) on Aug-19-07 at 16:17:39 PDT   Listings
Roger,
A Razor for you?
Should be the first type of Aarau.
Off to look for an example of that type of taxation I mentioned before.
Paolo
Posted by stamps12345   ( 223 ) on Aug-19-07 at 16:17:08 PDT   Listings
David B. ----Your right about the value of stamps removed from souvenir sheets ,I ran into that years ago with the WIPA sheet
Posted by malolo   ( 849 ) on Aug-19-07 at 16:16:36 PDT   Listings
djs -
To sell it will have to be an excellent scan clearly showing all frame lines. Front and back won't hurt. 300dpi scan will draw collectors. No need to mention Sc19 in title. List it as "Switzerland 1854 40 centimes Strubel". To those who collect Strubels the straight line cancel will be a huge bonus, and the issue will be self-evident, if you shwo a large scan.No blurr! Good find.

Roger
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-19-07 at 16:08:35 PDT   Listings
Paul,

yes, another item for the spacefiller department,

luckily in Europe they still collect stamps from Souvenir Sheets as separate items whilst in some countries they are considered the W word.

David B.
Posted by paperhistory   ( 1990 ) on Aug-19-07 at 16:07:42 PDT   Listings
jim: how about 850,000 pounds of farthings? Though I guess they have a wren on the reverse instead of a starling. [and I suppose in reality they aren't any more useful these days than 850,000 pounds of starlings]

[for those confused, I'm referring to the old British farthing coin (1/4 penny), about the size of a US cent]

Posted by postalviews   ( 4198 ) on Aug-19-07 at 16:04:14 PDT   Listings
I only won 710,000 pounds sterling. :(

But at least it was sterling! :-)
Posted by djs127   ( 597 ) on Aug-19-07 at 15:59:36 PDT   Listings
malolo Thanks for you info on my Switzerland stamp. The color of the thread is green. The printing and embossing are very clear ( the back shows the nice embossing), so I guess I have green threaded 19. The paper itself is very thin - so a 19 it is 2006 catalog value of $250. Need to figure out how to get a better scan of it and what price to start it on Ebay. I see one listed on Ebay as faulty for US $32.95 buy it now price.
David Snyder
Posted by malolo   ( 849 ) on Aug-19-07 at 15:59:01 PDT   Listings
jaywild -
So now you blame me for introducing the employment history aspect for cutting up fellow collectors. Give it a break!

You introduced the topic, and apparently reserve the right to have the last word with no input from anyone else. I found your comments below patently offensive and with no redeming value. Your pass-the-blame on me doesn't cut it. No matter how you try to turn things around, this is how you started it:

"Posted by jaywild ( 969 ) on Aug-16-07 at 20:45:10 PDT
Paul… With all the vast sums you are always bragging you are making, why have you never bought one of these? Doesn’t your atrocious spelling and grammar embarrass you? (BTW, it is “embarrass”—there’s no such word as “embrass”).

How in the world did you ever work for any kind of broker with such an appalling lack of language skills? I know you have bragged that you are great friends with Leo Melamed, but in response to a direct email from me he told me he never heard of you. He’s also interested in why you claim to be an associate of his. Come to think of it, that makes me curious too. Perhaps you can explain.

I can only guess that all the rest of your bragging has as much behind it as your boast that Leo Melamed is a “good friend” of yours; namely zilch.

Now you have a direct challenge to explain some of the b*llsh*t you have been papering this board with for years. Time to put up or shut up."


So, do you think you should apologize to me, to others, to the Board in general? You always require apologies from certain others, who in your judgement make mistakes! The horse is long dead.

Roger
Posted by jaywild   ( 969 ) on Aug-19-07 at 15:54:54 PDT   Listings
Joke of the Day… The latest scam email to come in informs me that I have won a British lottery. My prize? “850,000.00 Pounds Starlings”.

I wouldn’t know what to do with one pound of starlings, let alone 850,000.



Jim
Posted by stamps12345   ( 223 ) on Aug-19-07 at 15:49:16 PDT   Listings
DAVID B. -----My copy is 65 x 78mm .I did receive a e-mail stating its cut down from a souvenir sheet of 159 x 122mm.The value is cut in half and only catalogs at $70.00.Just a spacefiller until I can find a better copy .
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-19-07 at 14:54:22 PDT   Listings
Paul,

what is the exact measurements in millimetres of the Belgian Sheet,

David B.
Posted by jaywild   ( 969 ) on Aug-19-07 at 14:43:55 PDT   Listings
malolo… Well, your point about “let’s stick to stamps” is very well taken, so why did you feel compelled to include the slap about checking anyone’s employment history? Is that sticking to stamps?

I guess it was just too good of a dig to resist making. Seems to me everyone could make the same defense about their own digs and jabs.

If we are to stick to stamps, that means foregoing the opportunity to get in one last slap. Your last post was merely in keeping with the disagreeable tone already established.

dr.search... Thanks for the tip! I talked to a couple of professional guys at Superior when I visited the auction, and was impressed with their attitude, but didn’t get their names.

Jim
Posted by dr.searchphd   ( 0 ) on Aug-19-07 at 14:01:20 PDT   Listings
POSTALVIEW;

Im sure that you know that you have spelled Jacks name wrong from Armstrong stamps.

JAYWILDMAN;

Next time at Superior ask for Sonny, (nickname) very helpful behind-the-scenes wink, wink.
Posted by malolo   ( 849 ) on Aug-19-07 at 11:18:21 PDT   Listings


Paolo -
I have just bought two items from the seller of the white paper stamps. I can’t vouch for the expert, though the ABT is very common. The stamps look good. I have no idea whether they are good “value” based on Swiss collecting requirements.

A Refusé cover and a http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270087414955&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=017 target=_blank>machine roller cancel cover, which my reference list as very rare. Why? Because this was a Krag machine adapted for the 1920 and 1921 Expositions and very few covers show both French and German markings complete on the same cover. We’ll see when I resell this in the future.

Here is an example of the correct marking for an UNGULTIG item. In this case a business card sent from a German company was refused by a Swiss business because there was postage due to pay. It was returned to Germany uncollected. The way the Swiss PO operated was this. The under aid item was received at the PO,it went to the clerk who logged the item and applied a Postage Due stamp. The delivery clerk received the letter after paying the accounting clerk the required amount. Then the delivery clerk collected the money from the recipient. If the money was uncollected, the post man returned to the office and got a cash refund and the letter got an UNGULTIG marking and was returned to the sender. Another, I doubt they are very rare! LOL

Sheryll -
Thanks for the photos. I can prove to my wife I really was in Portland at a stamp show!!@@@!!. );>) I will go to the larger images tomorrow and download them. It was fun viewing the exhibits with you, as well as having the chance to meet and chat with Bill, Bob, and Clark. Our Helvetia group had a great dinner at a Swiss restaurant (what else?) on Friday night and that was a very friendly get together. Long trip back with the flight out of Portland late by 45 minutes, making connection in SF very, very close. Though to put it in perspective a United flight arrived 4 1/2 late last night from LA, and it’s only a 5 1/2 flight. Some of our screeners had to stay until after 2am. We can’t leave the airport until the last plane is pushed back from the gate. If the plane comes back to the gate after push-back it’s security’s problem to move people out of the airport and not let them back in! No fun in the middle of the night! (We just screen boarding passengers not those coming out of an airport.)

Roger

DJS -
Look at the color of the thread. If it is green, it maybe a 40, a 29 needs to have dark maroon thread. If you look at it with a good magnifier and see the printing and embossing are very clear ( the back shows the nice embossing), you have green threaded 19. If the printing is coarser and the embossing flat,it is probably a 40.

Knuden -

Get's boring, doesn't it? Have you ever had to justify what you did for a living? I didn't know this chat "required" a past employment history to particpate. Though I've volunteered often enough my experiences, I don't think it should be manditory. Let's stick to stamps rather than requesting background chcecks. I have to admit since Paul started showing some of his collection, I've seen things I didn't know existed, which is what a world collector runs into continually. Let's stick to stamps, eh?





Posted by stamps12345   ( 223 ) on Aug-19-07 at 11:09:50 PDT   Listings
DAVID S. ----Without examinating the paper, type of thread and it is too poor of a scan to tell the impression for anyone to say what the catalog number is .
Posted by djs127   ( 597 ) on Aug-19-07 at 11:04:38 PDT   Listings
I won a worldwide collection on Ebay which arrived last week and in it was a stamp from Switzerland which the seller was unsure as to whether it was Scott Catalog number #18, 19, 29, or 40. Here is a scan
http://members.aol.com/djs127/switz29or40.jpg
Can someone tell me which stamp it is?
David Snyder
Posted by knuden   ( 2306 ) on Aug-19-07 at 08:36:07 PDT   Listings
NOIP - One of the reasons I don't write so much any more here, is personal attacks on people here.
Sometimes this place are more like a kindergarden, where mud are thrown in others face.
Please behave like adults and stop it.
If you want to get personal - do it by mail or via ebay's links!!

K.E  I'm a silly little man - whoopee!!


Posted by stamps12345   ( 223 ) on Aug-19-07 at 08:30:10 PDT   Listings
DCDEROO ---Thats not a cancel from the P.O. ,it looks like a old self -inking numbering machine found in the shipping or mailing dept of many firms years ago .
Posted by dcderoo   ( 1682 ) on Aug-19-07 at 08:26:01 PDT   Listings
Curiosity question.
What type of cancel(?) is on these stamps?

cancels?

Posted by stamps12345   ( 223 ) on Aug-19-07 at 08:12:28 PDT   Listings
PROCHUTE ---Sorry for being hard on you ,but I want to thank you for paying your Federal taxes because I wouldn't be able to pay myself the salary that Im getting for doing this with Federal grant money ,thanks for keeping my salary above all those educated people PAUL'S work .....paul
Posted by prochute   ( 67 ) on Aug-19-07 at 07:53:58 PDT   Listings
Geez The diarrhea is contantly flowing from the uneducated former floor trader now parking lot fixer upper.

I wonder what university he graduated from. PU???
Posted by stamps12345   ( 223 ) on Aug-19-07 at 07:47:14 PDT   Listings
NOIP----Can someone tell me if this Belgium souvenir sheet originally had the ragged edges on them ,it looks like a dull blade cut to me . Belgium sheet.....paul
Posted by stamps12345   ( 223 ) on Aug-19-07 at 07:22:02 PDT   Listings
Jaywild-----Your wrong for the third time here ,in your posting of 8-17-07

That was insulting what you wrote ,my market experience has nothing to do with boiler-rooms

I was the youngest corporate officer of Peavey Company of Minneapolis Minn. and was bonded for $20,000,000 {today that would be $100,000,000} to sign brokerage checks and access a line of 10,000,00 for short term loans at the bank for overnight requirements of the brokerage house {just a side note for everybody else it is my signture on the check that Hillary Clinton took from the commodity business ,The F.B.I. showed me a photo of that check years later}.

After leaveing the firm and becoming a floor trader ,I was technical advisor to the discipline committee and arbitrator for the NFA {National Futures Association }.

As a side note, was also agent for J. Aron and Co. of New York which is now the precious metal divison of Goldmen Sach 's .

Jay you can't make claims you know nothing about ,try staying away from insulting people it makes you look like a hot head here ,try sticking with stamps because sometimes your correct .......paul

Posted by djs127   ( 597 ) on Aug-19-07 at 05:40:52 PDT   Listings
jaywild and prochute - Thanks for replying to my comment about purchasing older versus new copies of Scott Catalogs.
jaywild - I still can't see myself starting a US mint never hinged sheet which cost me $7.80 at anything less than face value once it is no longer on sale at the post office.
David Snyder
Posted by vonbag   ( 178 ) on Aug-19-07 at 04:27:38 PDT   Listings
Roger,
[...]... I'm missing the 2 centimes white paper used. [...]
Me too! :-(
Between brackets, what do you, or anybody else, think of this set:
Switzerland 1882 YV 58-62 white paper signed Abt CANC VF?
Is the 'signature' (I presume is an expertising stamp) ABT valid on Swiss area?
The colours look good, and the 15c. IMHO looks better than just VF from the image. I would call it close to XF. Unless there is a little problem on reverse. In fact, on these postage stamps on white paper, and on those with granite paper from 1882 to about 1884 (gross extimation), the control marks were very deeply impressed: it can happen to find the oval of the contro mark partly disconnected, like a segment of oval shape tear in the paper. Is this considered a serious defect?
TIA,
Paolo

Posted by vonbag   ( 178 ) on Aug-19-07 at 04:09:24 PDT   Listings
"..."Ausser Kurs" cancels." overprints. Maybe I should have better not mentioned it in this context.
Posted by vonbag   ( 178 ) on Aug-19-07 at 04:06:29 PDT   Listings
P.S. in the Italian Kingdom (not States) area, such postmarks (ANNULLATO, various types, one type boxed in a rectangular double lined frame) were also used, albeit sporadically, to 'de-monetizise' stamped values.
I believe the Swiss equivalent is the "Ausser Kurs" cancels.

Paolo
Posted by vonbag   ( 178 ) on Aug-19-07 at 03:56:36 PDT   Listings
Good day all!

Hello Dave (Philatarium),
Please add my compliments as well to Sheryll for the beautiful meeting page!

Roger,
Thank you for your kind comments. :-)
Browsing through eBay.ch I saw this auction which tickled my hilarity (couldn't help).
"Schöne Rarität vielleicht unikate ich weiss es nicht!"
~"beautiful rarity, likely unique, I don't know" uhm...
*They are not even scarce with that linear cancel*.
The UNGULTIG (or ANNULLATO) linear postmark was used in case a postage due letter was re-addressed and was to be taxed with adhesives at the new (correct) P.O. destination, or when there had been a mistake in applying the adhesive postage dues (this on Italian area).
There are some Swiss covers, currently on eBay, that show this particular usage.
The word we use in Italian 'segnatasse' for postage due, explains better their use: to indicate (literally to sign, to the recipient) the amount of a postal taxation.
In the very beginning of their use, in 1863 up to about 1869 (Italian area), the adhesive postage due had NOT to be postally cancelled (Postal normative), because if they were the recipient would have thought the taxation had been erroneous, like it was the norm in the pre-adhesives period, to cross out or to postmark over an erroneously applied sign of tax.

Best,
Paolo
Posted by malolo   ( 849 ) on Aug-19-07 at 03:33:52 PDT   Listings
Wow Jim -
I was just going to post a

"'Night! (here on the mid-Pacific)

and there you are getting up before I'm going to bed. All in one country!

Roger
Posted by jim_lawler   ( 1383 ) on Aug-19-07 at 03:26:15 PDT   Listings
Greetings
and an Indiana "Good Morning"
to you all

Jim L.

member
Posted by philatarium   ( 235 ) on Aug-18-07 at 23:12:46 PDT   Listings
And since I'm already logged in, I might as well post on these sundry matters as well:

Sheryll: Thank you so much both for posting the pictures and, especially, for creating the web page. What a great summary of your experiences at the show!

Roger, Bill S., Bob L., & Clark Frazier: I hated to have not made it to the show to meet up. It would truly have been a privilege (although I had the pleasure of meeting Clark in Sacramento several years ago). Maybe there'll be another opportunity in the not-too-distant future.

NOIP: Speaking of which, I may be able to combine a family visit with the APS winter show (mid-January) in Charlotte, NC. Anyone from the board planning to be there?

Jim/Jaywild: Thanks for the kind words from a few days ago. And once I get some 19th century covers scanned in, I'm planning on checking in with you for advice!

Thanks to all. 'Night! (here on the West Coast)

-- Dave
Posted by postalviews   ( 4198 ) on Aug-18-07 at 22:04:04 PDT   Listings
"what is needed more old time dealers, wonder how that can be arranged,"

Turned 50 this year myself, am getting there!

The big mail order dealer I once worked for was frequently targeted for lack of ethics, etc, and fairly accurately so. But after leaving his hall of shame, it's turned out that most other dealers both large and small are worse than he was!!

At any rate, the wealth of good honest dealers are still easy to find, am glad to report. You all can tell who they are fairly easily, am also glad to report.

I note SCADs has helped us all out a lot as well, with kudos to Grumpy George and his vaunted "pattern recognition skills" as recognized globally by MSN. Cheers!
Posted by postalviews   ( 4198 ) on Aug-18-07 at 21:57:06 PDT   Listings
Tried to contact promoter of the San Diego Third Sunday Stamp Show, now called SANDIPEX. No response so they are probably away from their office.

So will pack my stuff and show up at show Sunday AM and see if anyone still collects stamps in SD.

Single tables are probably up to $200 by now and if so I shall pass as most likely the room will echo a lot.

Will see what happens. Had decided to quit one time back around 1990 after first day of a two day show. Was going back on Sunday to go through the motions, then sell out later. But first guy in the door spent nearly $1100 with me and it seemed every person walking in came right to my table and bought. Could not quit after that.
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-18-07 at 21:55:00 PDT   Listings
Postalviews, the article was in a magazine about 25 years ago. I remember that it mentioned that none of the auction houses came out clean but some old time dealers acted like perfect gentlemen and advised the " owner " to take the items that were salted in the material and sell them separately. That is most probably what is needed more old time dealers, wonder how that can be arranged,

David B.
Posted by postalviews   ( 4198 ) on Aug-18-07 at 21:50:50 PDT   Listings
D2 Kind thanks to you for the very interesting historical observation regarding the Belgian Philatelic Forensic Experiment.

I did temp work for several auction houses and would never send anything of mine to one unless I had the material all down pat per jaywild.

What dealers and auction houses all hope for is a big estate lot that the surviving family hates. Then everybody wins.

Apologies as this a repeat story: I once worked for a big mail order dealer who received a call from a well-to-do widow. Her husband had the infernal hobby of stamp collecting and had even added a small room to the house to house it all in. She hated it. So the boss offered her $50 each for the 250 albums at gross of a significant-sounding $12.5k and the well-to-do widow then had some spree money while getting the hated mess cleaned up in the process. Aside from the whole run of over 100 well-filled Scott Specialty albums, there was a set of four of the old brown Scott Internationals that we realized well over the $12.5k for. Everything else was profit, and a good time was had by all. All told I believe gross realization was over $100k and it took us over a year to attribute, prepare and sell it all.

But of course, other side of that coin is that when one spends $10 monthly on ads and another $10k monthly on salaries, they had better find something really good once in a while!

As to the opj question, it illustrates well the difference between a money grubbing hack and a professional philatelist. As for my own policy, the return period is infinite if item turns out to be not as described. That is because some difficult items may require up to two years or even longer for proper authentication, and new technical info does come to light from time to time. As well, I often find minor faults in used stamps years after I myself had originally adjudged them to be sound.

My father at times complains that in business I am "Too honest."

And partly due to such policy, I am poor, what did you expect,
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-18-07 at 20:50:19 PDT   Listings
philatarium, Mounted & Hinged would both be understood here.

David B.
Posted by keleofa   ( 3503 ) on Aug-18-07 at 20:46:19 PDT   Listings
Linda,

I was so successful at staying away from all the Privates I didn't even know about the change! Thanks!

Matt in Arizona
Posted by mini*lindy   ( 450 ) on Aug-18-07 at 20:42:36 PDT   Listings
Matt eBayers with (private) feedback are no longer allowed to Sell on eBay. Only Buy.
In its wisdom(?) eBay have also recently blocked bidders from seeing other bidders id once an item reaches a certain price (I think from memory its $150 or $200 but can't remember).
So whilst private auctions are sill there, (private) sellers are gone!
and I agree with you on 2. as I asked recently, what's opj trying to hide from us with his silly widgets ???? sounds like a suspicious deal to me.

Linda
Posted by philatarium   ( 235 ) on Aug-18-07 at 20:40:28 PDT   Listings
David: Thanks for the info. The challenge is simply that that's the term Scott uses (and, in my limited knowledge, the American philatelic community), and to search for those items by keyword would necessitate using that term (with the hyphen), unless one browsed for the relevant sections using the bookmarks capability I described.

I do agree that it's always helpful to understand these differences in terminology even in the English-speaking philatelic world. The one that comes to mind for me is "mounted" versus "hinged".

Can anybody supply some others?
Posted by keleofa   ( 3503 ) on Aug-18-07 at 20:35:54 PDT   Listings
1. Private Auctions on eBay: Since eBay is unwilling or unable to prevent shilling, user IDs is/are the only way users can determine if shilling is occurring. User IDs are not names and addresses and can be kept somewhat private. Personally, I try to stay away from private auctions and Sellers with private feedback.

2. OPJ - I would like to see the exact description and image of the lot in question prior to rendering judgment. The most honest and ethical among Sellers would refund the money but due2cents makes some excellent points.

Matt in Arizona
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-18-07 at 20:20:24 PDT   Listings
philatarium, the term " semi-postal " is not used throughout the English speaking philatelic world, it would mean almost nothing to collectors here, we use the term " Charity Stamps "


David B.
Posted by jim_lawler   ( 1383 ) on Aug-18-07 at 19:31:46 PDT   Listings
member
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 19:28:06 PDT   Listings
I don't turn pages to find stamps in the catalog. The computer is so much faster, and also I learned stamps on it. So it's not an adjustment to me. Adobe 5.0 is great for what I was trying to do. I just got version 8 and had it on. The search is still messed up. I guess it's an obscure part of the program. You know, I've never complained to them, they might not even know about it at Adobe.
Posted by philatarium   ( 235 ) on Aug-18-07 at 19:14:25 PDT   Listings
Dragonstamps: I'm wondering if it would be unreliable to search for stamp type (like semi-postal, airmail, etc.), because I think Acrobat is doing a keyword search on the text on the page (although it does seem like it should find the right section of the catalog for a given country).

But I think another problem would be that Acrobat is going to search within all the countries in that particularly document (as Scott defines it). So, for example, a keyword search in the pdf file that contains Japan would, I think, include everything from Jamaica to Kenya, but I could be wrong.

You're probably familiar with this, but just in case you're not, you can click on the "Bookmarks" tab on the far left of the Acrobat window, and you'll see the individual countries listed within a given document. If you click on the "+" sign just to the left of the country name, it'll open up a list of the different sections within that country, like semi-postals, airmails, etc. So that's an easy way to get to the "back-of-the-book" stamps within any country listing.

(I don't know if any of this made sense. It's hard to describe this stuff without showing it someone standing right there with you!)

One last thought: for the keyword search to work correctly, you'd have had to enter "semi-postal" with the hyphen. I don't believe it would have recognized "semipostal", since that's not Scott's convention. But that bookmark thing should work every time!

However, it seems like the keyword search would be terrific for someone looking for a particular subject or topic, or, especially, for an issue date. The limitation would be in how accurately Scott describes a stamp.

Well, enough rambling from me for now ...
Posted by wbattles   ( 5729 ) on Aug-18-07 at 19:13:33 PDT   Listings
infla-alec: thanks for the information.Will
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:50:14 PDT   Listings
Dave: I thought I had looked at the SP area for those two stamps from Japan. You know, the older Adobe acrobat versions have a much more reliable search I guess. Maybe I just did a search for the type (I use a computer version of the Scott catalogs), and it came back with nothing.
Oh well, back to adobe 5.0. That has a better search I think.
I'm just afraid to use that version when I'm online.... I guess it had security issues?
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:41:25 PDT   Listings
My pet peeve is the retraction of negatives. I say no. You got it, you keep it.
Oh well, whatever keeps Ebay going, makes me happy. (teeth grind)
Posted by philatarium   ( 235 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:36:09 PDT   Listings
Dragon: Just fortuitous timing. I happened to check in to the board, recognized the stamps right off and had the Scott's handy. Glad to help!
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:35:43 PDT   Listings
Jim: But at the same time, you've been complained about for that(2 ID's)!
Everything looks fishy if you stare at it long enough.
Posted by iomoon   ( 1054 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:30:02 PDT   Listings
Ted

Unless you are lacking in wherewithall, your ebay buying alias has nothing to do with your real name.

D2

does not buy under the name dbenson, nor often do I under iomoon. I can keep my privacy without making the auction private.
Posted by tlawrencestamps   ( 1452 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:28:08 PDT   Listings
dragonstamps: None of my auctions are ID protected. I do not run private auctions as, e-Bay frowns upon that, policy.

e-bay is set up with Feedback that is public, therefore, it is different than a Public Auction House.
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:24:27 PDT   Listings
Wow, that was fast. Thanks Dave.
Posted by tlawrencestamps   ( 1452 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:24:14 PDT   Listings
Iomoon: PRIVACY! None of your business what I buy! I certainly do not care what you buy or how much you pay for it?
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:23:24 PDT   Listings
Ted: The main reason is the shill possibilities. But your option of protecting ID is very valid. I'm not opposed to it, unless it is granted to a seller who has had shill bidding suspensions.
Posted by philatarium   ( 235 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:22:50 PDT   Listings
Dragonstamps: Those stamps are Japan Scott B4-B5, semi-postals commemorating the fall of Singapore (issued Feb 1942). Scott 2007 cat val for the set of 2 is $2.25 hinged, $3.75 unhinged.

Hope that's helpful!

-- Dave
Posted by tlawrencestamps   ( 1452 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:22:12 PDT   Listings
Iomoon: The last Christian that I am aware of that attempted to do what she thought Jesus would do was: Mother Theresa. And she is dead. Ted L.
Posted by iomoon   ( 1054 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:21:42 PDT   Listings
Ted
"both the high bidder and the underbidders names should, be confidential between the bidder and the seller ie: Auction House"

Why?
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:13:50 PDT   Listings
ack. I still can't post links 100% of the time. So sorry.
If you grab the location up to >, the image is there.
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 18:09:46 PDT   Listings
Does anyone know the origin of this overprint(s)?
http://img.inkfrog.com/pix/Dragonstamps/Japan3.jpg>Japan
Posted by tlawrencestamps   ( 1452 ) on Aug-18-07 at 17:57:47 PDT   Listings
Bidders Names: Why is it any ones business as to who is bidding on a lot?

The amount of the high bid is important but ,in my opinion, the bidders ID's should be confidential.

Imagine winning a $30,000 lot at a Greg Manning Auction and instead of the auctioneer yelling out: "sold to bidder #29" he says sold to: then insert your name!

What the lot description was and the amount it sold for is everyones business ,but both the high bidder and the underbidders names should, be confidential betwwen the bidder and the seller ie: Auction House. Ted L.
Posted by iomoon   ( 1054 ) on Aug-18-07 at 17:52:17 PDT   Listings
Alternatively,

Do what you think Jesus would have done in similar circumstances!



Posted by iomoon   ( 1054 ) on Aug-18-07 at 17:14:42 PDT   Listings
Right off, I wouldn't bid on any auction where the auctioneer's name was the unabreviated version of opj (that's just me, an atheistic pragmatic anarchist).

Second, I wouldn't bid knowing the bidders names are hidden.

Third, opj's auction descriptions are interpretable in several ways.

Four, refund it opj.
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 17:08:44 PDT   Listings
Speaking of used cars, my brother bought a used car when he was about eighteen, and he actually believed the guy that he didn't have the keys handy but would get them to him the next day. Oh to be young and foolish again, eh?
All the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't get that car started.
Posted by dragonstamps   ( 473 ) on Aug-18-07 at 17:02:34 PDT   Listings
Jaywild: I kind of figured you did have all the stuff scanned, documented. That's really the only way to go nowadays if you are buying investment quality stamps.
I'm not saying that stamp dealers are dishonest as a rule. The vast majority are honest I'm sure, but I compare buying/selling stamps to buying a used car.
You've got to be careful.
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-18-07 at 16:07:50 PDT   Listings
due,

it all depends on what the actual auction description said and not what the buyer thought it said.

If the item was described as a particular widget and it is not then the money should be refunded no matter how long it took or whether the buyer had contacted the seller or not. If, however the item was described as a widget and it is a widget then it is the buyers problem.

Without seeing the auction description then it is impossible to say who is right & who is wrong,

David B.
Posted by due2cents   ( 26 ) on Aug-18-07 at 15:51:36 PDT   Listings
OPJ

I Strongly Disagree with the others here who have given you their thoughts.

Here is what I see.
Some buyer thought he was ripping you off for a valuable stamp.
Using His Knowledge(he thought) he bid on your widget,
Thinking to his self Stupid Seller has no clue (But I do)
Then after trying to Take advantage of your lack of knowledge Thru his Own Superior knowledge(he loses)
He did not warn you before purchase That he was going to send THIS valuable widget in for a Cert.(so as not to inform you of your stupidity he was taking advantage)
SO I say Tough Cookies
IT IS A Widget
He Bought a WIDGET
He Got a Widget
Just not the Widget Class HE Tried to STEAL from you.
Yet HE bought the WIDGET
I would not even waste the bandwith on someone who tried to Crook me out of a widget , and then complained that his turkey shoot was off the Mark.

He saw it- he bought it- It Was/Is a widget as you said.

Now I know that most here will disagree with what i just posted.
But OPJ most of the folks here delight in buying widgets from unknowing sellers for a song and many here have bragged about their buys fron Unknowing sellers Some times the swoopers get swooped.

like what's his name said in a song " Instant Karma gonna get you yada yada yada


Education is a wonderful thing, provided you always remember that nothing worth knowing can ever be taught.
O. Wilde



Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-18-07 at 15:37:21 PDT   Listings
Linda, Auction houses have obligations to the vendors to pay within a certain time frame and items that are given extensions are withheld from payment to the vendors. Comparing the major Auction Houses to Ebay is like comparing Happles & Horanges,

David B.
Posted by mini*lindy   ( 450 ) on Aug-18-07 at 15:15:11 PDT   Listings
Well, if opj comes in here looking for advice (sympathy), but is unwilling to say what stamp and how many $ involved I don't think he deserves our advice. What's he trying to hide behind his 'widgets' and 'private' auctions??

However.. .. In any major philatelic auction house, it is customary for the buyer to notify the auctioneer PRIOR to BIDDING, if they require an extension to send the stamp for certification.

Linda
Posted by infla-alec   ( 561 ) on Aug-18-07 at 14:57:58 PDT   Listings
Will The first scan is a German private issue from April 20th 1942. These and other such looking stamps are really Vignettes and those were made by the action committee for the French Volunteers legion of France against Bolchevism.
They come in a set of 5 and are worth Euro 2 as singles if MNH and €4 if with the label attached as some of yours appear to be. 1 Million sets were printed
Posted by tlawrencestamps   ( 1452 ) on Aug-18-07 at 14:44:01 PDT   Listings
Return's: I have a 14 day no questions asked return policy.

I have no problem if someone asks for an extension. If the stamp is found not as described ,I will issue a refund, and pay for the Expertization.

If the buyer does not ask for an extension and many month's later notify's me that the stamp was not as described I will still refund the purchase price & S&H, but I no longer feel that I am obligated to pay, for the Cert.

Buyer should give seller notification that he/she is going to send the item in for Cert within a reasonable time. I do not believe that several Month's should go by before I am notified as such.

I had one buyer wait a whole year! Ted L.
Posted by wbattles   ( 5729 ) on Aug-18-07 at 14:39:37 PDT   Listings
Hey All, Long time no chat. I've been busy with the archaeology, about to get married and all that.
Anywho, I've come across several French labels I was wondering if anyone knew any details such as year issued, purpose, etc. I'm rusty with the links and all, but here goes:


http://www.battlestamps.com/12195.jpg some type of military label

http://www.battlestamps.com/12196.jpg railroad label?

http://www.battlestamps.com/12197.jpg label for war victims of sorts

http://www.battlestamps.com/12198.jpg label for military mail

http://www.battlestamps.com/12201a.jpg National subscription and back of same - http://www.battlestamps.com/12201b.jpg

Any info will be greatly appreciated.
Will
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-18-07 at 14:35:25 PDT   Listings
opj, thanks for acknowledging that your expertise on stamps is not perfect, no one's is, that is why they have expert committee's who can make judgements. Yes, the buyer was wrong in not contacting you that he was going to ask for higher advice, however you appear to have supplied soemthing different than what was stated and you are in the wrong in that respect. It would be best for your conscience if you returned the money with a strict letter stating that in the future the buyer MUST inform you if he intends to get the item certified,

David B.
Posted by ohpreciousjesus   ( 27 ) on Aug-18-07 at 14:24:40 PDT   Listings
My area of interest and knowledge is in paper currency and not widgets or stamps. But that does not mean I can't offer a stamp for sale. So that is why I give a 5 day return policy for stamps. Perhaps I should state the return policy differently next time. When I make a pruchase of something that I am knowledgable about, then I can decide for myslef well within 5 days if I'm going to keep it or return it. If I needed to rely on outside assistance, I would be sure to seek permission from the seller before hand, especially if thir return policy is stated in the auction as 5 days.....just my thought....
Posted by ohpreciousjesus   ( 27 ) on Aug-18-07 at 14:18:45 PDT   Listings
Thank for the angle dbenson. I will consider your coment carefuly. In the end the decision is mine to make, and I'm sure I will do what I believe to be best thing. Yes, it's a widget, but it is a widget class-i. FYI...The winning biddre told me that the widget sells for 7X more than the auction ended. The widget class-i sell for a little less than what the auction ended at. I still don't understand the specifics of the classes of widgets or know what the different varieties are or what they mean. I just knwo the reason stated in his email to me. Thanks again for your responses.
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-18-07 at 14:09:01 PDT   Listings
opj, if you stated it is a widget and the certificate states it is a widget class I then it is still a widget but if the certificate states it is something else then the refund has to be sent.

David B.
Posted by ohpreciousjesus   ( 27 ) on Aug-18-07 at 13:59:54 PDT   Listings
Thanks for the responses. I did not want to confuse the question with detalis about the item. Let's just say that it is a widget. And it was advertised as a widget. Then 70 days later an expert says it is a widget class i. If I had known that he needed 70 extra days, then I could have allowed or not allowed for an expert certification. If I would have said that I would not wait 70 days, then he could have taken 5 days to decide if he wanted it or not. My issue is not with the certification or the item. Just with how the certification was conducted without regard for my 5 day return policy or asking if that would be okay.
Posted by malolo   ( 849 ) on Aug-18-07 at 13:51:22 PDT   Listings
ohpreciousjesus -
You've got a problem.
It's an ethical issue, not a "My thought is that I spent the money after not hearing from him after 5 days." issue!

Since you make no reference to the vlaue of the item, or to the item itself, we have no way of helping you decide what action to take.

Bluntly - I would never bid on your auctions as they appear to all be "private" auctions. You are asking for help without providing enough information.
In my opinion if the description was wrong and the buyer has a certificate stating the description was wrong, you should refund the money. Anyone dealing in expensive collectables should know 5 days is not enough time to get anything expertized. Most philatelic services take anywhere from 45-90 days to expertize items. You should be aware of that fact and maybe your buyer should have confirmed he was sending the item to a service. Five days is way too short a time for return. How do you know when the delivery was made, etc, etc?

Roger
Posted by dbenson   ( 8485 ) on Aug-18-07 at 13:41:18 PDT   Listings
opj, my advice,

GIVE HIM BACK HIS MONEY

David B.
Posted by ohpreciousjesus   ( 27 ) on Aug-18-07 at 13:34:43 PDT   Listings
Seeking advice.....My auction sold about 10 weeks ago and the buyer wants a refund now. I state that I have a 5 day return policy. He said that he had it certified and it is a different variety that he thought and what was in the auction. My return policy is clear (5 days no questions asked full return). My thought is that I spent the money after not hearing from him after 5 days. Now that it is 2 months after he got it, he is asking for a return. If he had asked for longer time to have it expertised, then I would have saved the money and allowed the extra time. But he did not. Any advice would be appreciated.
Posted by sayasan   ( 714 ) on Aug-18-07 at