Identification of the 1912-1920 2¢

Click a stamp to proceed

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

Perf 8½

Perf 10

Perf 11

Perf 11 x 10

Perf 12

Perf 12x10

Imperforate

Identifying the Type

Type I

Type Ia (as type I plus these differences)

Type II

Type III

Type IV

Type V

Type Va (as type V plus these differences)

Type VI

Type VII

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.

Flat Plate vs Rotary Press

As the curved plates of the Rotary press made the stamps slightly larger it is relatively easy to discern which stamp is flat plate and which is a rotary press stamp. First select any perf Washington Franklin stamp or the first issue Washington Franklin 1 cent or 2 cent. These are the stamps with the numbers one and two spelt out, instead of numbers being displayed. I chose the latter alternative as shown in the first image above.

Then cut out squares at each corner. As shown in the second image above. Placing the stamp you wish to test under your cut out stamp you can see if the frame lines match. If, as in the last image shown above the frame lines are outside the top stamp in either the top, bottom or sides then you have a rotary stamp. If the lines are in the same place, as shown in the third image, you have a flat plate stamp.

This test works with any value stamp.

The image above left is a perfect example of the reverse of a flat plate stamp. The flecks of green ink on the reverse can be found on flat plate and are very rare on rotary press stamps. The cause of the flecks of green ink is that during the flat plate process the sheets were placed on top of each other before the ink had a chance to dry properly.

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.