Postage Stamp Watermark

CT
Posted By
collector tom
Feb 10, 2006
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1209
Replies
4
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Closed
I am trying to read the watermark on some postage stamps by scaning them or by scanning them with a film scanner (shining light thru the stamp.)

I can make the watermark visable using color adjustment on some stamps but not all.

I would appreciate any suggestions.
Regards
Tom
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postage stamp watermark

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Pat
Feb 10, 2006
Darn it when those pesky anti-counterfeiting efforts work. Don’t they use watermarks BECAUSE they are hard to read/duplicate!!

"Steve" over in rec.photo.digital came up with a wonderful link a few days ago in a thread about duping slides. It was a webpage with step-by-step instructions on how to build a slide duplicator that fit on a digital camera. It has pictures and everything. It is made it out of cardboard (although you might want to paint the inside flat black). Could you use something like that and scale in down to hold a stamp. Then you could walk around with it and try various lighting situations until you could easily see the watermark. Then snap the picture with the camera.

http://users.iafrica.com/m/mc/mcollett/brsd/index.htm

I have no idea if that would work for you. It’s just a thought.
CT
collector tom
Feb 10, 2006
Thanks for your input Pat.
Watermarks on stamps are part of the identification process. Two stamps may look alike,but have vastly different values because of the watermark. If you can’t read the watermark, you can’t sell the stamp because you can’t accurately identify it.

Usually stamp collectors use a special liquid in a black dish to identify the watermark. Some of my stamps can’t be read by this method.

I will appreciate any help is trying to read the watermarks. Thanks
Tom

"Pat" wrote in message
Darn it when those pesky anti-counterfeiting efforts work. Don’t they use watermarks BECAUSE they are hard to read/duplicate!!
"Steve" over in rec.photo.digital came up with a wonderful link a few days ago in a thread about duping slides. It was a webpage with step-by-step instructions on how to build a slide duplicator that fit on a digital camera. It has pictures and everything. It is made it out of cardboard (although you might want to paint the inside flat black). Could you use something like that and scale in down to hold a stamp. Then you could walk around with it and try various lighting situations until you could easily see the watermark. Then snap the picture with the camera.

http://users.iafrica.com/m/mc/mcollett/brsd/index.htm

I have no idea if that would work for you. It’s just a thought.
P
Pat
Feb 10, 2006
In the thread where the slide link came, there were other suggestions you may want to read. If the watermark can be seen, it can be photographed (for the most part). Does different color light help or does polarizing the light? If the watermark is like the one on a dollar bill, is it more visible if you hold it up to a bright, diffused light. If so, you could easily diffuse the light.

If you can use the liquid-and-black-dish method, you could easily build a contraption to photography the stamp in the liquid, if that helps.

Can you post an image somewhere that shows a visible watermark and one that isn’t visible? Can you explain why one scans and one doesn’t (different paper, different glue, different nationality, etc.)?
CT
collector tom
Feb 13, 2006
Attached are files of the scanned stamps by reflection and transmission.

http://www.frontiernet.net/~collectorsel2/postagedueslide.jp g

http://www.frontiernet.net/~collectorsel2/pdneg.jpg

http://www.frontiernet.net/~collectorsel2/postageduewatermar k1.jpg

http://www.frontiernet.net/~collectorsel2/postagedue6.jpg

Thanks for your help

Tom

"collector tom" wrote in message
I am trying to read the watermark on some postage stamps by scaning them or by scanning them with a film scanner (shining light thru the stamp.)
I can make the watermark visable using color adjustment on some stamps but not all.

I would appreciate any suggestions.
Regards
Tom

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