PERFINS VALUES

With comparatively few perfin collectors around, it is difficult to be specific about the values of perfins. What follows is the way I personally put a price on perfins, which is also based on items seen in the Perfin Society auctions, dealers stands and from talking to a few other perfin collectors.

1) Perfins Are Damaged Stamps

This is the basic rule. If you are a non-perfin collector, would you rather have a stamp with a short perf or barely visible corner bend ? Or one punched full of holes ? Exactly ! A perfin is a damaged stamp, so 5%-20% of "catalogue" is the going rate.

What does "catalogue" mean ? For common ½d or 1d stamps, the published non-perfin stamp catalogues value is actually a handling charge ! Perfin collectors often buy these common stamps in bulk bulk lots quite cheaply.

2) Not All Stamps are Equally Affected

With the early line engraved stamps that were printed from may different plate numbers, the application of a perfin has more of a levelling effect on values. Perfins on common plates are certainly increased in value, typically of the order of £3 for a sound 1d red with a nothing special perfin. However, scarcer plates such as 1d plate 225 are still reduced in value along the lines of a damaged stamp.

- High face value issues seldom make 10% of catalogue. Typically these stamps would have heavier parcel cancellations to start with. Second, a perfin collectors main interest is usually the perfin die and not the stamp, so why

x) Some Designs are Worth More

- Thematics, railway

- Designs

- Full names

-Scarce

- Official

x) Some Designs You Can't Give Away

The above three designs are from probably the three most prolific users of perfins. 'PAC' (from the Prudential Assurance Co) accounts for the vast majority of perfins found on the Machin definatives, closely followed by 'IL/EA' (Inner London Education Authority).

The third illustration, 'GWR' (Great Western Railway) is very common on the earlier Great Britain issues. I saw a couple of 1d Lilac's with this perfin at £4 each on one dealers stand ... I asked whether he was interested in buying the 300+ "damn" examples I had for a nominal sum but he wasn't interested !

x) Some Other Factors

- Blocks

I've seen some dealers trying to pass off perfins with inverted or reversed designs as "errors" and hence charge a premium. However, if you take a look at how the sheets were perfinned, it will be obvious that these come about naturally and t

- Inverted / Reversed

- Partial strikes

x) What About Perfins On Cover ?

To a perfin colector, the collectability of a cover depends on whether or not the cover identifies the user. Where there is no ident, the perfin collector is unlikely to have any interest whatsoever in the cover.

x) Some Real Examples

- Bulk Lots

- High face value

- Line Engraved

- Reciepts / covers