Mastering the U.S. 'Red Triangle' Stamp Types

Join Tara Stewart in a comprehensive exploration of the U.S. 'Red Triangle' stamp (Scott A88). In this detailed presentation, Tara delves into the historical context behind the stamp's creation and provides a step-by-step guide to identifying its four distinct types. Focusing particularly on the challenging task of differentiating between Type III and Type IV, Tara offers practical tips and numerous examples to aid in recognition. The presentation is enriched by contributions from the other ISCNY members, adding depth to the discussion. Concluding with a handy checklist, this video is an essential guide for collectors looking to accurately classify their 'Red Triangle' stamps, a common yet intriguing piece in many collections.

[@Samael-Metzger]

Nice presentation Tara. I am in the same boat as you are. The learning curve is massive for world collectors, and the U.S.P.S. doesn't make it any easier with all the changes and variations that exist in just the U.S. stamps alone.

[@peibelmont]

I'm glad I am not alone. Relocating to the United States means I am way behind the curve when it comes to collecting US stamp. The darn USPS watermarks just trick me up! It's great when I see them, but when I don't I have no idea if its because the cancel is obscuring the watermark or if its positioned in such a way that it only has a small part of the watermark I am missing. Give me the British Colonial watermarks any day over the American!

[@stevenpowers546]

Awesome lecture & discussion. I learned a lot.

[@iscny]

Really glad to hear you enjoyed the talk and found it informative! Thanks for joining us and for your positive feedback!

[@peibelmont]

Awww, tickle me pink. I am so glad you found it helpful. I really strugggled with diferentiating Type III with Type IV and figured I can't be the only person.

[@GreatStampAdventure]

Excellent presentation and helpful comments! I learned a lot, also what to possibly expect in differentiating varieties of other stamps and what process to follow to distinguish them. Thanks so much, Tara! One of the better and clearer, understandable presentations I recently watched.

[@iscny]

Thanks so much for your encouraging feedback, @GreatStampAdventure! We're really glad to hear that Tara's presentation not only helped with understanding the Red Triangle stamps but also provided insights into differentiating stamp varieties. It's comments like yours that inspire us to keep sharing our love of collecting!

[@peibelmont]

That's great to hear you found it helpful! I was worried I was all over the place with it. Switching between Type III and Type IV and difference numbers 1 through 17, it can get confusing! Which I guess is ultimately what motivated me to begin with.

[@GreatStampAdventure]

You managed to present the complex characteristics and why they were useful or not very well. 👍@@peibelmont

[@tedlawrence4189]

You bring me back to my youth. I started collecting in 1959 at the age of 10. My guess is that I was about 12 or so when I was able to identify the triangle varieties. Was not until perhaps 18 when I became proficient with the Washington-Franklin issues. Since then have become pretty knowledgeable of both US and World wide philately. The one exception,which drives me bonkers,are the small Greek Hermes Heads. Knowledge may lead to rewards. I may have been 15 when I was at a show in Chicago. I was looking through a dealers binder of used US in the 300's. I needed a #339,the 13c Washington. I picked a nice o out. When I arrived home I examined it. I thought that it may be the rare Blue Paper variety. I sent it in to be expertised in 1988. It came back a genuine blue paper and without faults! This is the only valuable stamp that I purchased for so little and now have a valuable stamp.

[@iscny]

Wow, what a journey you've had in the world of stamp collecting! Starting from such a young age and developing your skills to identify such notoriously challenging stamps is inspiring. And that find at the Chicago show? Incredible! Stumbling upon a rare stamp like that is something every collector dreams of. Those Greek Hermes Heads can be tricky, but it sounds like you’ve the eye for it. Thanks for sharing your story with us - it’s these kinds of experiences that really bring the stamp collecting community together. Keep enjoying the hunt, and who knows what you’ll discover next!

[@peibelmont]

Gee - proficient at 18 with the Washington Franklins?!?! That is impressive. I strongly suspect my next presentation will be on that topic as I am most definitely not proficient in those. I have no experience with the Greek Hermes Heads - if I ever come across any I will be leaning on Allan's expertise. Congratulations on your find! Those are the experiences we all live for!

[@paularmitage1230]

Wonderful. Thank you

[@michaelanzelino5068]

My thoughts were why all this information in the first 6 minutes. But as it turns out, it is nice to know the concurrent history surrounding the stamps in question. Overall, a well put together presentation. Looking forward for more content from you.

[@iscny]

We're thrilled you stuck with us through those initial six minutes! We understand that not everyone might be interested in the historical backdrop, so we always encourage viewers to skip ahead to the philately content if they prefer. It's worth noting that Tara pioneered these informative presentations, starting with a detailed exploration of the Penny Red, even before we began sharing on KZbin. We're delighted to hear you found it valuable! Keep collecting happily, and watch out for more content coming your way soon!

[@peibelmont]

Yeah, I am wondering if in my next presentation if I should somehow incorporate the historical context later. It's really a leap of faith for the viewer to sit through it before the relevant stamp discussion. I suspect that more people would appreciate the historical context if it was woven more into the presentation....food for thought. Thanks for sharing it!

[@johnscamardo2145]

Excellent presentation but was wondering if the SG color guide might help on the color variation.

[@iscny]

Thank you for the positive feedback! Phil does mention in the presentation that the Stanley Gibbons color guide, with its solid swatches of color, tends to be more reliable than those using lithographic samples. While we haven't directly applied the SG color guide to the Red Triangle stamp variations, your suggestion is ia good one. It would be interesting to know if its helpful in distinguishing the color variations.

[@clivebellian5056]

Thank you for this. Well done and informative for someone at my level. I am inspired; that envelope full of triangles will laugh at me no more

[@iscny]

We're glad to hear that the presentation was useful for you and you are ready to tackle those stamps! Happy collecting, and may those triangles bring more smiles than laughs from now on!

[@peibelmont]

I am so delighted the presentation inspiried you! I know it was a bit long, but I wanted to walk through the identification step by step to show the challenges. For me, this journey was sparked by a shoebox of the triangle stamps I had been avoiding for years! Next I am going to tackle my Washington-Franklins, so there may be a presenation on that coming down the pipeline.

[@adamhuffman3354]

Great video! I absolutely love the history!

[@peibelmont]

I was afraid I would bore everyone with the history but I had so much fun looking into it, that I couldn't resist. So glad you enjoyed it!!!

[@davidkeeley8473]

I just stumbled across your channel today and this video was extremely helpful. I really appreciated the US history you presented as well as the differences between the 4 types. This was very educational. Thanks for sharing and I subscribed!! I'm looking forward to more videos and will check out your past videos as well.

[@iscny]

Welcome to our channel, and thank you for subscribing! We're so glad you found the video helpful, especially the distinctions between the stamp types. Happy watching and keep collecting!

[@peibelmont]

I figured if I was struggling with identifying the 4 types then there must be others. I am planning on tackling the Washington Franklin series next, so there will be a presentation in the coming months on that. Thanks for the encouraging feedback!

[@ChipsPlace1952]

Hey. What a pain the the butt. Fantastic job. Glad I hung in there.

[@iscny]

We're glad you stuck it out! We know the topic can be challenging and pretty esoteric, but we're glad you found it worthwhile. Cheers to more stamp discoveries!

[@peibelmont]

I'm so thrilled you enjoyed it. It turned out longer than I had initially planned, so thank you so much for perservering!

[@masterofcents.8175]

I have been specializing in error and variety coins for over 40 years and I thought that was a rabbit hole. American stamps particularly are a rabbit hole that even I don’t want to go down… lol

[@iscny]

Thanks for tuning in! It's fascinating to hear from someone who appreciates the challenge of varieties whether in stamps or coins. It's always interesting to see the parallels and differences between the various collecting realms. Happy coin collecting!

[@peibelmont]

Yes, it's an acquired taste. One of the things I love about collecting is you get to decide the level of minutia you want to engage with. For me I love fly specking. I know many other collectors have no time for that level of detail, but it brings me joy. 💕

[@FilipeLemos1964]

Many Many Many thanks :)

[@iscny]

You are most welcome! We are so glad you found this useful.

[@peibelmont]

I tickled you found this helpful! Thank you for the encouraging feedback.

[@jasont659]

Just soaked about 1k stamps, and had about 30 of those. I thought I ID them all, then discovered I accidently had good 20 in a stack under 3 without the triangle (too many drinks and sorting stamps can result in fun identifications later). Been staring at the stack cursing that it's the last ones to ID now from this batch. Nothing worse than already ID's bunch of other ones of the same type then finding out, oh, you actually had more.

[@peibelmont]

I feel your pain! I have an entire box of South African Springbok stamps - I started sorting them and then realized I was missing a category and will have to back through them all again. For now, they are sitting in my closet. To be honest all of my collecting has kind of hit a stand still as I try to wade my way through my US stamps first. Good luck!!!

[@piratephilately1087]

This is why we need AI image analysis! Thanks for a great presentation for a confusing topic, regardless :)

[@iscny]

YAI image analysis would definitely help with these tricky identifications! We're glad you enjoyed the presentation and found it helpful despite the complexities of the topic. Happy collecting!

[@peibelmont]

I would have cried tears of joy if there was an AI app that could have identified Type III versus Type IV! I reamain optomistic we may get there in the next 5-10 years, at the speed AI is developing. Wouldn't that be great!

[@piratephilately1087]

@@peibelmont I was also enjoying the sheer contempt on some of design choices, lol. I think sometimes the sheer frustration makes many of us run away and cower in fear. That is, until a presentation like this confirms we are not alone :)

[@peibelmont]

​@@piratephilately1087 I have love-hate with these classic American stamps. Some of the engraving is just beautiful, but the varieties and the way USPS did their watermarks just makes me want to tear my hair out. My next goal is the Washington-Franklins. That will take me another couple of months to wrap my mind around I'm sure, but stay tuned. I will definitely be doing a video on those!

[@ThriftShopHustler]

Amazing video btw, one suggestion, mute everyone else in the presentation. People were hot mic'n

[@iscny]

Thank you for that feedback. As the one who does the video editing I whole heartedly agree. Most of the editing effort is consumed with trying to edit out unwanted audio and as you note, it's not always susccessful. It's an ongoing debate for the club. A number of our club members are inexperienced with technology and despite our best efforts can't figure out how to unmute themselves once they have been muted. Or in some cases they are calling in on the phone. And so muting them during a presenation would effectively bare them from participating. To stay inclusive the group has decided not to do that and just asks that everyone stay quiet. I understand the issues this can cause with microphone unawareness and will discuss your feedback with the group again. We're always looking for ways to improve.

[@peibelmont]

I'm so glad you found it helpful! I was afraid I would bore everyone to death, but it's good to know there are others out there like me who embrace the minutia, lol.

[@jimgordon6629]

I choose not to worry about Iii and IV. I have enough headaches

[@peibelmont]

I know several collectors who whole heartedly agree with you. Especially as they are relatively low value stamps. My sense of mandatory order though drives me to classify everything. The greater the subtle minutia the more I am motivated. Not sure what that says about me, lol.