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General Philatelic/Identify This? : Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

 

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Cattywumpuss
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The odds are good, but the goods are odd.

05 Jul 2015
02:32:47am
Hi All. My apologies if this is the wrong forum for this. The other night I remember reading something about "perforated" stamps. I am not really sure what they are, but think I might have one so I thought I would ask folks here and see if anybody can help?

First of all, what are "perforated" stamps?

As for the "perforated" stamp I think I might have, it seems to be a British 4d stamp from 1967. I say "I think" as I am not sure. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Here is a picture:


Image Not Found

And here is a close up and detail of the "perforation" which seems to read "WCBC":

Image Not Found

So, is this a true perforated stamp? If so, what does the "WCBC" stand for / mean? Thank you all so much for your help and information, and willingness to share your knowledge too!
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Charlie2009
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05 Jul 2015
02:54:38am
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

In order to stop Employees from Pilfering stamps, companies often perforated their stamps with the company initials.What WCBC stands for I don't now.

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Guthrum
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05 Jul 2015
06:11:28am
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Perforations - the holes between unseparated stamps.

Perfins ('perforated initials') - holes made on a stamp in a pattern of initials for the reasons Charlie2009 states above.

WCBC - Wrexham County Borough Council, if such existed by that name back in the late 1960s.

So your stamp is perforated, around the edges of course, and has perfins; sadly it has also seen better days...

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Cattywumpuss
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The odds are good, but the goods are odd.

06 Jul 2015
01:43:24pm
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Thank you for the responses and education Charlie2009 & Guthrum. Most interesting reading. I will have to look in to perfins more now. I know I have some other ones in my collection, without any tears on the edges too. I am not too sure what they are perforated with though.

So I assume that the stamps were still legal and valid to use, even though they had a bunch of holes punched in them?

Paul

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Bobstamp
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06 Jul 2015
02:50:31pm
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

The perfins are usually in the shape of the initials of the company or organization that created them from mint stamps. They are legal to use by anyone, I suppose, but their intent was to prevent fraud by unauthorized use by someone not employed by that organization. Sometimes (I believe) the designs represent company logos, but I'm not certain about that. Guthrum or Charlie 2009 can confirm that, or tell me I'm wrong.

Bob

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michael78651

06 Jul 2015
03:32:31pm
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

"Sometimes (I believe) the designs represent company logos"



That is correct. It's pretty neat to find one like that. Usually the perfins are just standard initials.
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amsd
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Editor, Seal News; contributor, JuicyHeads

06 Jul 2015
04:50:58pm

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re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

perfins are also sometimes used to change regular postage stamps into officials, as with some of the Aussie officials.... I think they used OS and maybe OHMS... but now I'm wandering into the land of eucolyptus

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michael78651

06 Jul 2015
05:53:24pm
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Bavaria as well with an "E".

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cocollectibles

06 Jul 2015
10:48:25pm
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Dave, you are correct and you-could-lip-this Aussie stuff all day! Happy

Here you go.

Image Not Found

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Bobstamp
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06 Jul 2015
11:19:59pm
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

OHMS "$1 Destroyer" perfin from the Canadian "War Issue". Many Canadian stamps issued between 1912 and 1949 were similarly perforated. The vertical components of earlier stamps were created with four holes, later ones with five holes; smaller letters were introduced with the "Pictorial Issue" of 1935. Forgeries exist — a reference manual for forgeries was published in 2005 by a Vancouver specialist, Ken Pugh.

Image Not Found

Bob

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amsd
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Editor, Seal News; contributor, JuicyHeads

06 Jul 2015
11:43:34pm

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re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Peter, that's pretty bad.... I thought about a rejoinder but then, the next you know, we'd have to Ko alla way. And I'm not prepared for that, even with Bob's Destroyer guarding my flanks.

David

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michael78651

07 Jul 2015
01:04:29am
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

If the flanks are good, I steak them out and cook them.

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GibChris

12 Jul 2015
06:39:07am
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

France was also keen on its perfins in the early twentieth century. Here's a few pages from my collection of French Stamps. It can be puzzling trying to identify the company from the initials. I colour the page red behind the stamp to try and show the perfins better. Not sure it has worked well though.

Image Not FoundImage Not Found
Image Not FoundImage Not Found

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BenFranklin1902
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Tom in Exton, PA

12 Jul 2015
05:17:18pm
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

"The perfins are usually in the shape of the initials of the company or organization that created them from mint stamps. They are legal to use by anyone, I suppose, but their intent was to prevent fraud by unauthorized use by someone not employed by that organization. "



And did anyone, USPS? actually police the use of perfins? Or was the fact that they were branded supposed to keep employees from stealing them?

I've seen perfins used on private mail, just like when I was an 18 year old mailboy for a company, people would come down to the mail room and ask me to run their bills through the meter for free.

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cdj1122
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..

16 Jul 2015
03:13:57am
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

" ...run their bills through the meter for free...."

I'm shocked at this intimation of intentioal economic perfidy, just shocked.

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amsd
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Editor, Seal News; contributor, JuicyHeads

16 Jul 2015
08:04:27am

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re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Tom,

the perfin patrol was not the responsibility of USPOD but of the individual companies: they could see who was naughty and nice, presumably.

David

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Bobstamp
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16 Jul 2015
12:04:28pm
re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

@BenFranklin,

You could have asked those perfidious fellow employees if the wished to enjoy the additional service of running their balls though the machine.... Surprise

boB

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Author/Postings
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Cattywumpuss

The odds are good, but the goods are odd.
05 Jul 2015
02:32:47am

Hi All. My apologies if this is the wrong forum for this. The other night I remember reading something about "perforated" stamps. I am not really sure what they are, but think I might have one so I thought I would ask folks here and see if anybody can help?

First of all, what are "perforated" stamps?

As for the "perforated" stamp I think I might have, it seems to be a British 4d stamp from 1967. I say "I think" as I am not sure. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Here is a picture:


Image Not Found

And here is a close up and detail of the "perforation" which seems to read "WCBC":

Image Not Found

So, is this a true perforated stamp? If so, what does the "WCBC" stand for / mean? Thank you all so much for your help and information, and willingness to share your knowledge too!

Like
Login to Like
this post

"It was like this when I found it, I swear!"
Members Picture
Charlie2009

05 Jul 2015
02:54:38am

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

In order to stop Employees from Pilfering stamps, companies often perforated their stamps with the company initials.What WCBC stands for I don't now.

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www.hipstamp.com/sto ...
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Guthrum

05 Jul 2015
06:11:28am

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Perforations - the holes between unseparated stamps.

Perfins ('perforated initials') - holes made on a stamp in a pattern of initials for the reasons Charlie2009 states above.

WCBC - Wrexham County Borough Council, if such existed by that name back in the late 1960s.

So your stamp is perforated, around the edges of course, and has perfins; sadly it has also seen better days...

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Cattywumpuss

The odds are good, but the goods are odd.
06 Jul 2015
01:43:24pm

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Thank you for the responses and education Charlie2009 & Guthrum. Most interesting reading. I will have to look in to perfins more now. I know I have some other ones in my collection, without any tears on the edges too. I am not too sure what they are perforated with though.

So I assume that the stamps were still legal and valid to use, even though they had a bunch of holes punched in them?

Paul

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"It was like this when I found it, I swear!"
Members Picture
Bobstamp

06 Jul 2015
02:50:31pm

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

The perfins are usually in the shape of the initials of the company or organization that created them from mint stamps. They are legal to use by anyone, I suppose, but their intent was to prevent fraud by unauthorized use by someone not employed by that organization. Sometimes (I believe) the designs represent company logos, but I'm not certain about that. Guthrum or Charlie 2009 can confirm that, or tell me I'm wrong.

Bob

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michael78651

06 Jul 2015
03:32:31pm

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

"Sometimes (I believe) the designs represent company logos"



That is correct. It's pretty neat to find one like that. Usually the perfins are just standard initials.
Like
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amsd

Editor, Seal News; contributor, JuicyHeads
06 Jul 2015
04:50:58pm

Auctions

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

perfins are also sometimes used to change regular postage stamps into officials, as with some of the Aussie officials.... I think they used OS and maybe OHMS... but now I'm wandering into the land of eucolyptus

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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"

juicyheads.com/link. ...
michael78651

06 Jul 2015
05:53:24pm

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Bavaria as well with an "E".

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cocollectibles

06 Jul 2015
10:48:25pm

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Dave, you are correct and you-could-lip-this Aussie stuff all day! Happy

Here you go.

Image Not Found

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"TO ERR IS HUMAN; TO FORGIVE, CANINE."
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Bobstamp

06 Jul 2015
11:19:59pm

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

OHMS "$1 Destroyer" perfin from the Canadian "War Issue". Many Canadian stamps issued between 1912 and 1949 were similarly perforated. The vertical components of earlier stamps were created with four holes, later ones with five holes; smaller letters were introduced with the "Pictorial Issue" of 1935. Forgeries exist — a reference manual for forgeries was published in 2005 by a Vancouver specialist, Ken Pugh.

Image Not Found

Bob

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amsd

Editor, Seal News; contributor, JuicyHeads
06 Jul 2015
11:43:34pm

Auctions

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Peter, that's pretty bad.... I thought about a rejoinder but then, the next you know, we'd have to Ko alla way. And I'm not prepared for that, even with Bob's Destroyer guarding my flanks.

David

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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"

juicyheads.com/link. ...
michael78651

07 Jul 2015
01:04:29am

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

If the flanks are good, I steak them out and cook them.

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GibChris

12 Jul 2015
06:39:07am

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

France was also keen on its perfins in the early twentieth century. Here's a few pages from my collection of French Stamps. It can be puzzling trying to identify the company from the initials. I colour the page red behind the stamp to try and show the perfins better. Not sure it has worked well though.

Image Not FoundImage Not Found
Image Not FoundImage Not Found

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BenFranklin1902

Tom in Exton, PA
12 Jul 2015
05:17:18pm

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

"The perfins are usually in the shape of the initials of the company or organization that created them from mint stamps. They are legal to use by anyone, I suppose, but their intent was to prevent fraud by unauthorized use by someone not employed by that organization. "



And did anyone, USPS? actually police the use of perfins? Or was the fact that they were branded supposed to keep employees from stealing them?

I've seen perfins used on private mail, just like when I was an 18 year old mailboy for a company, people would come down to the mail room and ask me to run their bills through the meter for free.

Like
Login to Like
this post

"Check out my eBay Stuff! Username Turtles-Trading-Post"

Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
16 Jul 2015
03:13:57am

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

" ...run their bills through the meter for free...."

I'm shocked at this intimation of intentioal economic perfidy, just shocked.

Like
Login to Like
this post

".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
Members Picture
amsd

Editor, Seal News; contributor, JuicyHeads
16 Jul 2015
08:04:27am

Auctions

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

Tom,

the perfin patrol was not the responsibility of USPOD but of the individual companies: they could see who was naughty and nice, presumably.

David

Like
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this post

"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"

juicyheads.com/link. ...
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Bobstamp

16 Jul 2015
12:04:28pm

re: Is This A "Perforated" Stamp?

@BenFranklin,

You could have asked those perfidious fellow employees if the wished to enjoy the additional service of running their balls though the machine.... Surprise

boB

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