Here’s how I decode a mystery stamp’s origin and design without getting lost in catalogs.I keep a small ritual. Clean desk. Daylight lamp. 10× loupe. One cup of coffee. Then I let the stamp tell its story in three passes: words, materials, and design.
Pass 1: Read the clues on the face
- Language and script. “Postes,” “Correos,” “Deutsche,” “Pošta,” Arabic script, Cyrillic, even unusual diacritics. These narrow me to a language group and likely region in seconds.
- Country names and aliases. Some issues never say “country.” Classic India shows “Service,” British colonies may say “Postage & Revenue,” early Ottoman shows Arabic script, Italy’s colonies might say “Somalia Italiana.” I keep a running list of aliases in my notebook.
- Currency. Pfennig, centesimi, annas, kopeks, mils, centavos. Currency often pins down both place and period. A “25 Öre” points me toward Scandinavia, a “½ Anna” toward British India.
- Overprints and surcharges. Temporary governments and occupations loved overprints. A French “RF” overprint on a Middle Eastern design might signal mandate-era Syria or Lebanon. Overprints often matter more than the base stamp.
I jot a quick line like: “Likely Belgium, 1910s—‘Postes’ + centimes + lion crest.” These tiny notes save me when I later compare look-alikes.
Pass 2: Feel the build—paper, watermark, perf, print
- Paper and gum. Brittle wove on a classic? Fluorescent modern paper under UV? Shiny, pooled gum on a “mint” classic is a regum warning. Colonial issues sometimes used thin, blued paper; modern definitives can be chalk-surfaced.
- Watermark. The biggest game-changer. A simple crown vs. double-lined crown can flip a catalog number and value. I use watermark fluid and a black tray. Backlighting works in a pinch, but fluid shows edges cleanly.
- Perforations. Measure, don’t eyeball. A series might come in 11, 12, 13, or mixed 11×10½. A comb gauge is fine. If one side gauges “too perfect,” I suspect reperfing.
- Printing method.
- Recess/engraved: tiny raised ridges, razor detail in hair and ornaments.
- Typography: slight “squeeze” halo at letters.
- Litho: flat dots, softer edges.
Knowing the method helps separate reprints and “Type I vs. Type II” varieties without chasing ghosts.
Pass 3: Read the design like a postcard
Designs carry geography and politics.
- Portraits. Monarch profiles point to eras. Edward VII, George V, Franz Joseph, Victor Emmanuel III—learn their silhouettes and you can date at a glance.
- Coats of arms and emblems. The Polish eagle vs. Russian double-headed eagle, Swiss cross vs. Red Cross emblem, Ottoman tughra vs. Persian lion-and-sun—each emblem is a compass.
- Architecture and landscapes. A mosque dome vs. Orthodox onion domes vs. Neoclassical parliaments. Bridges, mountains, and railways are often captioned in tiny type.
- Typography style. Art Nouveau curls hint at early 1900s Europe; bold socialist sans-serifs shout mid-century Eastern Europe; script “République Française” sings 1920s–40s France.
When a design “feels wrong” for the country I assumed, I stop and recheck. Misplaced confidence is a faster way to a bad ID than a dull blade is to a bad cut.
Two quick desk cases from last week
- Tiny brown 3 Pfennig, spiky perfs, “REICHPOST.”
Language German. Currency Pfennig. Design eagle with ornate shield. Watermark fluid shows lozenges. Perf gauges 13½×14. That combination sends me to late 19th-century Germany rather than Weimar-era “Deutsches Reich.” The styling of “REICHPOST” seals the earlier period. - Green 5 Centesimi with overprint “Somalia Italiana.”
Base design screams mainland Italy. Overprint sets origin to the colony. Watermark “crown” present, not the later “fasces.” Perf 14. That ties to an early colonial issue rather than a later surcharge. I pencil a note to double-check for forged overprints—letters crisp, ink sinks into paper fibers, not sitting shiny on top.
Common traps that bit me early
- Trimmed perfs passing as “imperf.” One straight side only? Suspect cutting. Under magnification, cut edges show different fiber tears than punched perfs.
- Washed or “cleaned” cancels. Under UV, the paper shows disturbance or light patches. The face looks “too white” compared with the back.
- Regummed classics. Gum floods over perf tips, too glassy, or smells “new.” Real old gum often crazes or shows hinge disturbance.
- Reprints and fiscal cousins. Some revenue stamps mimic postage designs. Look for “Revenue,” “I.R.,” or different paper tints. Catalogs separate them, but only if you notice.
The fast path from desk to catalog
I don’t open a catalog first. I collect facts, then confirm.
- Country or region by language/currency.
- Era by portrait/emblem/typography.
- Watermark and perf measured.
- Printing method observed.
With those four, cataloging is a 60-second job, not a Sunday lost to page-flipping.
When design alone answers the origin
Some sets are so iconic you can ID by design at five paces:
- Britain’s Machins (Queen Elizabeth II profile): color + value + phosphor bands tell subtypes.
- France’s Marianne series: the hairstyle and engraving style mark decades.
- US definitives with eagles, flags, and presidents: microprinting and tagging separate printings.
- Japan’s cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji: inscriptions and perforation changes track eras.
- Ottoman and early Turkish issues with the tughra and crescent-star: script shift from Arabic to Latin alphabet dates the transition.
Tools I actually use
- 10× loupe
- Watermark tray + fluid
- Perforation gauge
- UV lamp
- Soft stamp tongs
Optional: daylight LED lamp, small digital scale, and a cheap microscope camera for sharing images with club friends.
A quick habit that improved my IDs
I sort each incoming lot into three sleeves: “Easy ID,” “Needs tools,” “Needs opinion.” Then I batch the tool work—one evening for watermarks, one for perfs. Momentum matters. Guessing alone does not.
What to write on the stock card
Keep it short and useful:
“Belgium 25c, Lion, wmk A, Perf 14, recess, light CDS, one short perf, note: compare shade vs. ‘deep olive’ next session.”
Those notes beat memory when you revisit months later.
Bottom line: Origins come from language, currency, and emblems; design confirms the story; paper, watermark, perf, and print lock it in. Treat each stamp like a small investigation. The more you notice on the desk, the less you chase in the book—and the more your collection feels like a map you actually made.
