a GB GV study from the digital microscope

I spent some time playing with the new digital microscope today. Actually a lot of time. Many hours. First because it is not the most intuitive of devices if you are looking to save the image. But patience prevailed and I worked that out. Then I wanted to get the image into Photoshop Elements. More trial and error but I have mastered that. How I did it first time last night I do not know. Must have been pure luck. There are a few tricks and for a small fee I will gladly be sharing these with the world. The Manual – yes I tried reading the manual - it is next to useless. Or maybe it is me that is next to useless when I am sober ha ha.

Anyway here is the result of my hours of trial and error.

These two stamps are GB GV 1924-26 Block Cypher definitives. Common as English rain.

I don’t have my SG Specialised catalogue here in Seoul but I recall these have many varieties. I also don’t have many copies of these here either so I was probably lucky to find this small difference between these two stamps.

I doubt this is regarded as a catalogued variety either because as I say there are many engraving and plate differences – I wont even call them flaws until I can check in more detail.

You can see the difference quite clearly. I tried looking through a reasonable magnifying glass and had great difficulty seeing the difference and that was knowing where to look. So the quality of the digital microscope is, in my view, very good.

As I said last night it does take time and patience to study the whole stamp but hey it was a relaxing way of spending a few hours.

Never thought about anything else in life, not once. Now if that is not mental relaxation I don’t know what is. Meditation would probably be easier but without the end result of the stamp scans J

Anyway, have a closer look yourself and see if you can spot another difference. There is one that is quite pronounced.

Back home I have some 200 to 300 of these. How boring am I going to be when I start studying them. But I maybe find a catalogued flaw / variety worth enough to pay for the microscope. J

Enjoy your stamps. Michael