Identification of the 1912-1917 15¢

Click a stamp to proceed

For a guide on how to identify the perforations and watermark, please see below.

Perf 10

Perf 11

Perf 12

Identifying the Watermark

The DOUBLE lined USPS watermark

The SINGLE lined USPS watermark

Between 1895 and 1916 the U.S. government used two different watermarks, double line and single line with the letters "USPS".

By placing the watermark face down on a dark surface or holding it up to bright light you might be able to see the watermark. If you cannot see the watermark it might be a good idea to invest in watermark fluid and a watermark tray. Ronsons lighter fluid works just as well as watermark fluid. Both fluids evaporate quickly.

Pour a little fluid in the tray, lay the stamp face down. In a few seconds the stamp will absorb the fluid and reveal the watermark to you.

As you will see from the illustrations the letters can span several stamps, so on the watermark, for instance, you can see only part of the letter S in one corner and only part the letter P in the other corner.

The Perforation ID tool

A perforation guide

Probably the most referenced measurement in stamps are the watermark and the perforation size. Perforation gauges as seen above cost just a few dollars and are an invaluable tool in philately. By placing the stamp, as shown above against the various illustrations of perforation gauges you can see which gauge matches the perforation on your stamp. In the example above the stamp is a perf 10 on the top and on the side. It is a good idea to measure both the vertical and horizontal sides as some stamps are perforated 11 x 10, 10 x 11, etc. The top perforation is always quoted first on this site and in stamp catalogues.