Banner: "WHICH ONE Would YOU Choose? EzStamp can Show YOU. Click Here." beside two near-identical 2¢ Landing of Columbus stamps.

Spot The Difference if you can #5

Here we have two USA stamps from the Columbian Exposition issue of 1893 , both Sc#231. Both look very similar and many beginner collectors are unaware of the difference. This affects the value in a significant way.

The variety is listed in the major catalogs, it is not numbered & hence most collectors easily overlook it.

 

Lets look a bit closer. Here are the two stamps . See the difference yet?
USA Sc# 231, the 2¢ "Landing of Columbus" Columbian, shown for its broken frame line variety.
Normal USA Sc# 231, the 2c Columbian "Landing of Columbus" in purple, shown for comparison against its variety

 

Here is a close up of the variety (top) & the normal stamp (bottom)
Close-up of the lower corner of Sc# 231, red circle marking the small ornament in the bottom label — the stamp variety detail.
Close-up scan of the lower right corner of USA Sc# 231, red oval circling the scroll ornament in the bottom frame line.

 

As you can see the Frame line is broken at the bottom Right corner. These are worth roughly 30% more than the value of the normal variety in mint condition & is worth looking for in your collections or in dealers stocks!
This stamp also has a second variety knows as the Broken Hat Variety & is worth about 3-4 times as much in mint condition as the normal variety.

Broken Hat Variety
     Magnified detail of USA Sc# 231, with a red circle ringing the figure's broken hat — the diagnostic variety.

EzStamp has Special Information & images to show you details such as this.
To see the details, Bring up Scott # E8 in EzStamp & click on the Special Information Icon in the toolbar. Special Info icon

This will show the Special Information Window in EzStamp with high-resolution images of the relevant details so you can easily identify your stamps. EzStamp has Hundreds of detailed images such as this. Just look for the Special Information Icon to be Activated in the main Screen of EzStamp.

EzStamp screenshot: the Special Information window for Sc# 231, comparing Normal and Broken Frame enlargements of the stamp variety.