Imperforate 1919 2¢ George Washington undervalued in Scott

By Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

In 1906, when the United States Post Office Department began selling uncut sheets of imperforate definitive stamps to vending and affixing machine companies to allow them to produce their own coils, it inadvertently created new stamp varieties of interest to collectors.

One of those varieties was the imperforate 1919 2¢ carmine-rose George Washington stamp, type IV (Scott 532). The 2016 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values the stamp in unused hinged condition at $32.50. The stamp is valued in used condition at $37.50 with the value in italics, and in mint, never-hinged condition at $70.

The value for a mint never-hinged stamp is about right, but the stamp is undervalued in both unused hinged condition and used condition. If you find it at Scott catalog value, it is an excellent buy.

Fakes are a problem, particularly with used stamps. Collecting the stamp in pairs guarantees authenticity. Singles must have large enough margins to ensure that they couldn’t have been straightedge examples with the perforations trimmed away on the other sides.