Published: 24 August 2026 by Dan Williams
Grading stamps isn’t just a matter of checking centring, perforations, gum or cancellation against a fixed scale. A stamp needs to be judged in context: what it is, how it was produced, what is normal for the issue, and whether anything seen is the result of production, use, ageing, alteration or damage.
This is a guide to how I assess and describe stamps for Apollo’s Lots on eBay, based on years of collecting, handling and selling mainly British stamps. This isn’t intended as a definitive grading system for the philatelic market. Terms such as Fine and Very Fine are useful shorthand, but can’t tell you everything about the condition of a stamp. I prefer to grade conservatively rather than oversell the quality, and let descriptions and images do some of the work.
Condition should be judged in context
I don’t think every stamp can be judged against the same idea of perfection. What is normal, unusually good or poor depends partly on the stamp itself.
Centring is a good example. Some early surface-printed issues were rarely perfectly centred due to perforating processes of the time. A well-centred example with good colour, clean perforations and an attractive cancellation might therefore be Very Fine or better. The same centring on a modern QEII commemorative is what I’d normally expect.
The same applies elsewhere. Gum on an early mint stamp may show ageing, while pristine gum will make me look more closely, not less. Some production characteristics can also look like faults if you don’t know what you’re looking at.
Identification comes before grading. An abnormality might occur during production, through postal use, ageing or storage, later alteration, or damage. Knowing which can change how I assess it.
How I examine a stamp
I start with the stamp as a whole. Appearance, freshness, centring, margins or perforations, colour, cancellation and obvious faults all contribute to the first impression.
I then look at both the front and reverse. Presenting a stamp angled to a bright light can reveal things that aren’t apparent when viewed flat. Hinge traces, disturbed gum, thins, creases, crinkles and bends become easier to see. I’ll also use magnification where needed.
A watermark detector is useful for more than identifying watermarks. It can also help when examining thins, gum integrity and other faults that aren’t obvious.
Centring and perforations
Centring is important, but I consider what’s normal for the issue. Poor centring will usually reduce the grade, especially where perforations or margins intrude into the design.
There is a point where this can change. If the perforations are displaced far enough, particularly on KGVI and QEII issues, the stamp may be a genuine misperforation error instead of just badly centred. These are rare on later decimal issues and usually command premium prices rather than being treated as a condition fault.
Pulled, short or nibbled perfs will usually detract, but the degree matters. A small, unobtrusive imperfection may still be consistent with an otherwise Fine stamp. More noticeable damage can become the limiting factor even where the rest of the stamp is good.
Not every irregular perforation is damage. Constant perforation varieties caused by damaged or broken perforator pins can produce wide or irregular-looking perforations which may look like a fault. These are highly specialised collectable varieties. Where I identify one, I’ll mention it and not downgrade the stamp because it’s there.
These perf-pin varieties have been studied in detail by Ray Simpson and Peter Sargent in Stamp Perforation: The Somerset House Years, 1848 to 1880. I didn’t always recognise them myself.
Thins, tears, creases and other faults
Physical faults can range from minor to severe, and I don’t treat them all equally.
A thin might be tiny and localised or affect a substantial part of the stamp. A tear might be a small nick between two perforations or be obvious through the stamp itself. Creases, bends and crinkles also vary in severity and visibility.
Pinholes are another fault I encounter, particularly on Victorian line-engraved material. Pinholes are usually result from a historical handling practice – stamps we’re cut from their sheets, pierced by a needle and stored on a thread in multiples – to save time for those working in a post office.
With these faults, I look at their extent, visibility and the stamp as a whole rather than assigning a grade from one characteristic.
Mint stamps, gum and hinging
Gum is one area where the age of a stamp makes a difference in what I’d expect.
Original gum on early mint material can be hardened or discoloured and may show crazing or other signs of age. An early stamp with fresh original gum can be exceptional, but pristine-looking gum on old stamps is something I examine carefully.
Regumming is one possibility. The appearance of the gum and, on perforated stamps, what can be seen around and between the perforations often requires closer inspection. No single sign necessarily proves regumming. The same caution applies when considering whether a stamp has been reperforated or otherwise altered.
Hinging also requires context. A lightly mounted stamp is different from one with several heavy hinge remnants or pieces of sheet selvedge used as hinges.
For many collectors, hinging is acceptable, especially on earlier and scarcer material. An unmounted example may prove difficult to find or be many times the price. A mounted mint example can be a sensible way of acquiring an otherwise unobtainable stamp.
Colour, ageing and storage
Colour is another area where knowing the stamp’s issue helps.
With older GB stamps, some inks are more vulnerable than others. Earlier Victorian inks were generally relatively colour-fast, while later Victorian issues used fugitive and doubly fugitive inks that can be affected by chemicals or even water. Some colours are especially vulnerable, so a washed or faded appearance isn’t always normal ageing.
Sunlight can cause fading, while damp and poor storage can result in toning, staining, foxing, mould and other discolouration. The extent and appearance of these problems matter too.
Some line-engraved stamps also suffer colour changes through atmospheric effects such as sulphurisation. Knowing what the stamp should look like helps distinguish its original characteristics from later changes.
Used stamps and cancellations
On a used stamp I consider the cancellation alongside the physical condition of the stamp.
A light cancellation that leaves most of the design visible will usually be more attractive than a heavy cancellation across the face, but there are exceptions. A clear SON – a legible and upright central postmark from a thimble CDS – for example, can be scarcer and more desirable than a light corner cancellation. An interesting or unusual postmark can have philatelic interest too.
Pen and fiscal cancellations should also be considered. A stamp can be physically excellent while carrying a less desirable cancellation, so its use and physical condition aren’t always the same thing.
I’ve covered the terminology I use for mint and used stamps separately in my guide to stamp grades and philatelic abbreviations.
How I apply grades
I don’t regard stamp grading as a mathematical exercise where a particular fault automatically produces a particular grade.
As a starting point, if a stamp is as issued, post-office fresh and without meaningful detracting characteristics, I’d normally begin at Very Fine. From there I consider its age and issue, centring, colour, gum or cancellation, physical faults and overall appearance.
For older material, experience also comes into it. How often do I handle an example looking like this? Is this centring exceptional for the issue? Is the gum unusually good for its age? What looks good on one stamp can be much harder to find on another.
I reserve grades such as Superb and Gem for very few stamps. Most of the time I’d rather stop at Very Fine and let images, descriptions and the buyers decide whether an example is exceptional. If the highest grades are used too freely, they stop meaning much.
There will always be some subjectivity at the boundaries. Two experienced collectors or dealers can look at the same stamp and reasonably differ over whether it is Fine or Very Fine. That’s one reason I don’t push a borderline stamp into the higher grade.
The grade is only part of the description
For me, a grade is a summary. It isn’t a substitute for describing a stamp.
A short perforation, hinge trace, unusual cancellation, gum disturbance or other characteristic is usually worth mentioning. Descriptions and images give the collector information that a couple of grading initials can’t.
Lower grade doesn’t always mean undesirable. Scarcer stamps, expensive issues and specialised varieties can remain collectable with faults. A sound lower-grade example or gap filler may be exactly what somebody wants, especially where a higher-grade example is difficult to find or expensive.
Condition also has a major bearing on value. Two stamps with the same catalogue number can be very different buying propositions, which I cover separately in Pricing Stamps Realistically: Why Catalogue Value Is Not Selling Price.
I try to inspect everything carefully and describe what I see honestly, but occasionally something can be missed. If I notice something material after a stamp has sold, I’d rather contact the buyer promptly and explain it than send something that no longer matches the description they bought from.
The aim isn’t to make every stamp sound as good as possible. It’s to give the collector a fair assessment of the stamp in front of me.