Spot the Difference if you Can #21
One of the areas I have been attempting to concentrate on lately are the early stamps of Finland. The coat of arms issue from 1901 to 1914 have some difficult ones to find. While I was traveling recently, I was browsing online & found a copy of Sc#68, the 1 Mark lilac & green issue valued at $200 – $300 for a MNH copy. The stamp I found was from a dealer I had purchased from before (multiple times) & has a great reputation. I was using my phone to browse & look at the images, but was not able to get to my copy of EzStamp or a catalog, but was fairly confident that this was a good buy. I made a reasonable offer & got the stamp delivered a few weeks later.
As I was inventorying the stamp, I realized the stamp delivered was in fact a Sc# 74 valued at $3.
Look at the stamps below & see if you can spot the error the dealer made.
Can you see the difference?
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When I looked this up in EzStamp, it was clear that the #68 has NO serif at the foot of the numeral 1 at the bottom tablet where the word MARKA appears.
EzStamp will clearly show you what to look for in determining which stamp is which
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I contacted the dealer & explained my findings & showed him why it was not the stamp he offered. He immediately refunded my purchase said “Keep the stamp we sent you”. Moral of the story: ONLY purchase from dealers who you trust & have an impeccable reputation. I am now on the hunt for a real #68 at a fair price. Hope I can find one