Stamp Collectors Against Dodgy Sellers
(SCADS)

Misidentified Stamps

There are hundreds of stamps misidentified in eBay auctions by sellers every week.  Naturally, the great majority of these misidentifications are lower-value types advertised as their higher-value counterparts, thereby favoring the seller.  In the most extreme case involving a United States stamp seen to date, a US #35 was advertised as a #34, misleading bidders into thinking the stamp was worth more than 34 times its true catalog value.

Inadvertent misidentifications seem to be the exception, and some sellers have responded favorably to requests to correct or cancel their auctions once the identification errors were brought to their attention.

The cases below represent sellers who have repeatedly misidentified stamps as their higher-value counterparts, and have failed to correct these inaccurate auctions when they were asked to do so:

Design misrepresentation

ctrv@earthlink.net

• US #24 ($40) advertised as #21 ($2,000)
• US #35 ($65) with trimmed perforations advertised as #15 ($225)
• US #35 ($65) with trimmed perforations advertised as #13 ($800)
• US #35 ($65) with trimmed perforations advertised as #13 ($800)

dmlengyel1@aol.com

• US #35 ($65) with trimmed perforations advertised as #13 ($800)
• US #35 ($65) with trimmed perforations advertised as #14 ($225)
• US #35 ($65) with trimmed perforations advertised as #14 ($225)
• US #24 ($40) advertised as #23 ($700)

stamplady99

• US #35 ($65) advertised as #31 ($850)

stamptraders*

• US #35 ($65) advertised as #33 ($275)
• US #35 ($65) advertised as #34 ($2,250)

Color misrepresentation

rogernorth

• US #11s ($11) advertised as #10s (1851 3-cent orange brown / $100)

stamplady99

• US #11s ($11) advertised as #10s (1851 3-cent orange brown / $100)
• US #78 ($110) advertised as #70b (1861-62 24-cent steel blue / $650)

stamptraders*

• US #70/78 lilac variation ($110-190) advertised as #70b (1861-62 24-cent steel blue / $725)
• US #78 ($110) advertised as #70c (1861-62 24-cent violet / $1,300)

The most commonly misidentified U.S. stamps on eBay?

Scott #479 and #480, two 1917 issues with Second Bureau designs, are commonly sold for their more valuable 'twins' issued in 1903. But telling them apart is as easy as counting to 12. Look here for details.