U.S. #441 used vertical coil line pair, VF centering, and guaranteed genuine*. There are several 1-cent vertical coils out there, so how do we know this is #441 other than me saying it is? As it turns out, of all the 1-cent vertical coils, #441 is the only perf 10 variety that was printed using the flat plate method--the others (#448 & #486) are rotary press printings. So if we can confirm that this is a flat plate printing, that will eliminate the other two from consideration. Using my proprietary precision measurement method, I have determined the printed height of the stamps as 22.1488 mm, far short of the 22.5 mm minimum height for a rotary press printing. #441 should also have a single line watermark, clearly visible in photo 3 and it should be perf 10, which it is.
Admitedly, #441 is frequently faked by cutting perforations off of #424 left and/or right and by adding fake perforations to #408 (see photos 5, 6 & 7 for three of many examples from PSE's archives). Ideally, genuine flat plate vertical coils should measure approximately 21.5 (+ .3) mm wide. Again, using my proprietary method, these stamps measure exactly 21.2598 mm from edge to edge, well within the .3 mm tolerance. Another factor that eliminates #424 from contention is the guideline, which doesn't occur on #424 sheets. But could it be #408 with fake perforations? Fake perforations are pretty easy to spot under sufficient magnification. If you look at image 4, you will see how rough the inside of the perforation holes are--this is a telltale sign of genuine perforations.
For anyone who may be "on the fence" about the importance of expertization, I have taken the liberty of reproducing an article from the September 2021 American Philatelist (photos 8-11) about one APS member's experiences with buying stamps at auction and then having them certified. If you take the time to read or even scan it, I think you will be shocked, as was I. Bottom line is: classic US stamps purchased without expert certification have about a 50/50 chance of being altered, misidentified or having some type of flaw or defect. Those odds might be okay for Vegas, but not, I suspect, for most philatelists. I should also point out, that the gentleman who wrote this article was buying from many of the big auction houses of the day, prior to the advent and proliferation of on-line auctions. In today's environment, where virtually anyone can be an auction house, the odds are probably less than even that you will get what you pay for when buying uncertified stamps.
About shipping: I combine shipping. Any other item purchased
with this will ship at no additional charge. I’m pretty sure you’ve
figured out by now that there’s no such thing as free
shipping. Every seller who offers “free shipping” has already baked
the shipping fees into the listing price. Which means you get to pay sales tax
on everything including the “free shipping.” I price my items very
competitively and charge a nominal shipping fee on the first item you purchase.
Every additional item really does ship free as my price doesn’t include any
kind of shipping or handling charges. In most cases, the catalog
value of the stamps I use to ship your item(s) will exceed whatever you have
paid for shipping, so in that respect, the shipping is just about a wash.
A Little About Me and My Commitment to You
I’ve been a regular
member of the APS for over 40 years (member ID# 130461) and I’m still a
collector more than anything. If you check my feedback history, you will
find that not only is it pristine, but that I buy far more than I sell.
One thing that really troubles me are sellers who just throw a stamp up for sale and don’t even take the time to offer a
good description or a compelling reason why I should want to buy their
item. As an experienced collector and seller, my commitment to you is
that I will always provide a thoughtful and truthful commentary on all the
relevant aspects of every stamp that I offer for sale/auction. And I will
give you the bad as well as the good, though I try not to sell stamps that have
problems. Where applicable, I will also do my best to impart any useful
information on the stamp and any pitfalls buyers should be aware of. In the
unlikely event that I have misidentified a stamp, I will gladly cover your
costs of expertization* provided both the stamp and certificate are returned to
me. As far as I know, I am the only seller that makes this guarantee. So
bid/buy with confidence that what you will receive is exactly what I have
described and if you feel it is not, that I will make the return process as
pleasant as possible. You can also expect an interesting assortment of
stamps adorning your shipment--no run-of-the-mill forever stamps or postage
meter strips! See photo #12 for a
sample of what you can expect.
*I recognize the expert
opinions of APEX, William Crowe, the PF, PSAG and PSE.