Unusual or Compound Perforations on the 1¢ Stamp Allowing Immediate Identification:

Caution!

Scott 423A and 423D are candidates for fakery, since they are relatively easy to manufacture from the imperforate Scott 408 and less so by reperforating two sides of a 424. However, they are so rare that a fake would hardly escape detection. In the 2004 sale mentioned below, typical prices realized were in the $5K to $10K range and we can only imagine these numbers will grow significantly once it is realized that one can not have a complete U.S. collection without these stamps. The sale we are speaking of is The Chesapeake Collection of U.S. 1914 Compound Perforations, June 12, 2004, Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Sale 877. This is an important auction catalog and includes a large collection of these stamps, as well as an illustrated census of each. Note that these compound perforations were "elevated" by Scott from error status to major number status in 2003, meaning that they are now considered regular production stamps, albeit exceptionally rare, and not error stamps.

Scott 536 is a possible candidate for fakery if the centering is superb. It is unusual to find well-centered copies of this stamp and they bring a huge premium over F-VF stamps. There is therefore some incentive to add perforations to the imperforate offset stamp, Scott 531. Normally centered examples of 536 should not present a problem, since there is little incentive to produce a poorly centered copy from the imperforate stock.

Scott 538 and Scott 542 are not a real problem, since adding  perforations (perf 11) to the top and bottom of the coil stamp Scott  490 or to the left and right sides of Scott 486  results in a stamp that is a little short. There is no rotary press imperforate stock from which to make either stamp, meaning the stamp can only be faked by adding perforations to a coil stamp. Certifying either stamp is optional, although as always we recommend purchasing the stamp from a reputable seller.