What are those horizontal tears on stamps in my mail?
Recently, there have been a rash of reported scuffed, horizontal tears that vertically bisect the postage stamps on domestic U.S. mail. It can appear as a scuff, a tear, or a scratch, but invariably shows up as a ragged white line across the middle of the stamps.
They are caused by automatic mail processing equipment used by the USPS, specifically facing and canceling equipment. The USPS claims the devices are not malfunctioning, that this an occasional part of their normal operation.
The good news: I’m buying them for a modern mail philatelic exhibit. If you have these, if the tops aren’t too ragged (opened by a letter opener is best, tears on the stamps from opening the letter are a no-go), send them to me unfolded in a slightly larger envelope (keep it no larger than 11 1⁄2″ × 6 1⁄8″ to save you money) and I’ll send you $1 face in mint U.S. postage for each. If you’re sending US letters addressed overseas, make it a U.S. International Reply Coupon with a clear CDS (to redeem, keep, or sell) each. Limit 3 per address.
Send to:
McGee
ATTN: Scuffed Stamps
3763 E Colorado Blvd # 151
Pasadena CA 91107-3808
Email me at stamps (at) mcgees (dot) org if you want references or my American Philatelic Society membership number.
Please don’t fake them. I have enough exemplars to make it clear which are authentic, and/but if I were to miss one, it would decrease the quality of my exhibit.
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January 21st, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Do the following look the same in your browser?
11 1/2” x 6 1/8”
11 1⁄2″ × 6 1⁄8″
January 21st, 2008 at 2:34 pm
If not, which looks better?
January 21st, 2008 at 8:20 pm
January 24th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Do the following look the same in your browser?
No. The quotation marks in the first are curved, while in the second they are made up of a pair of straight vertical lines. Also, the “x” appears to be larger in the first line than in the second. These have the side effect of making the first line longer than the second by a significant amount. Of the two, I prefer the second line, although I couldn’t tell you why.
January 24th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I’m going to guess that you’re using IE, Safari, or Opera?
Is the “x” in the second line more square and shorter? Are the fraction bars different?
January 24th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I’m using IE (yeah, yeah, I know… it’s the office’s system, not mine).
The “x” on the second line is indeed square and shorter, and yes, the fraction bar on the second looks shorter, as well.