Scott 25, 25A, 26, and 26A

Scott 25A faulty

The faulty stamp to the left is a Scott 25A. It is a defective stamp, since the perforations have been trimmed on the right side, and there are perf. faults at the top.  

I bought this stamp for $20 on Ebay.  Why would I pay $20 for a defective stamp? Doesn't make sense, does it?

Take a careful look at the right side frame lines.  You can see an inner and outer line.  This is the difference between a Scott 25 and the much rarer Scott 25A.  The Scott 25 has only the outer frame lines.  

Lets take a look at the different stamps of the 1857 issue, and what identifies them. 

The stamp below is a Scott 25. It is identified by the frame lines.  They are at top, bottom and both sides.

Scott 25

It is difficult to acquire a very fine centered copy of these stamps, due to the close margins, and most stamps are notoriously off center.

There were 38 million of this variety (type 1) were printed.  If your stamp has a margin frame line visible at the top or bottom it is a Scott 25.

Scott 25A Pair

Scott 25A
Inner Frame
Line

The pair of stamps above are Scott 25A. The inner frame lines are clearly visible on the right side.  The inner lines are difficult to discern on the left side, due to the perforations obscure some of the printed image, but the inner line is visible there also.

Scott 26

Scott 26 has side frame lines that extend past the image on both side, but does not have frame lines at the top or bottom. 620 million of this stamp (type II and IIA) were printed.

Scott 26A side frame lines end even with the printed design and do not extend past the design.  26A also does not have frame lines at the top or bottom of the stamp.

Scott 26A

Scott 26A detail of frame line