U.S. # 113 Used Graded XF 90..READ DESCRIPTION

Description

The Philatelic Foundation Certificate labels this a # 113 Used  Extra Fine 90!   The stamp is off centered & has a major fault..."Pulled Perf".  In my opinion, a very generous grade would be average "30".   It would be interesting if the Executive Director, Larry Lyons, would explain how the extra fine 90 rating was achieved.
Important Information:  The photo is a # 104 that was certified by the Philatelic Foundation as being genuine with a corner crease.   (Cert #529287)  Seigel's auction house listed this stamp for sale, however, Seigel's pointed out that the left perfs were doctored, that side was reperffed.   This stamp was listed with a ,500 catalog value.   Seigel's is one of the foremost stamp auction houses in the USA.  They have a very talented staff!   The photo is available to the reader to decide if Seigel's was correct in pointing out the problem with the perfs.   One would assume that the Foundation would have a number of "experts" review the stamp to ensure they were correct.  If you agree with Seigel's opinion, then you might also be wondering how the Philatelic Foundation got this so wrong!
As can be expected I have received some comments about the Seigel findings.  The tone of the comments was basically any organization could make a mistake & my reporting is unfair.  From my perspective I just report information so other philatelists can make informed decisions.  However, since this issue has been broached I can also share another reperf problem that Seigel's auction site points out.  Obviously, it is another valuable stamp a # 125 which Seigel's claims is reperffed on the bottom.( As with the # 104 this stamp also had a PF Cert that did not mention the  reperffed issue)  The reference is auction 10-24-2017 lot # 763.  To me, identifying a reperffed stamp is stamp collecting 101.  Therefore, this information could indicate a very basic problem.
SPECIAL NOTE:  I have received a few reports that claim the # 113 cert was altered after it was issued.  This is interesting because there was an article in the Chicago Tribune (about 30 yrs ago) where the Foundation was involved in a FBI investigation over 0,000 in fraudulent certs.   The culprit was a Foundation computer operator according to the article.  One would have hoped the Foundation would have taken action to protect the philatelic community by making their certification documents tamper resistant.
The Philatelic Foundation uses the phrase "Collect with Confidence", these examples may lead one to question their claim.
By the way,  I believe Linn's carried a number of articles about 40 years ago about an error made in calling a fake Orangeburg Coil pair genuine.   I believe it was the Philatelic Foundation that made the error.  If anyone has information on this problem please send me a note.  I am surprised that Linn's does not have any information about this major mistake on the internet. (Orangeburg Coil catalog value about 0,000)
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM:  This listing has been viewed by about 2000 philatelists.  As mentioned, I have received a number of comments about my sharing information about both American Philatelic Society (APEX) & Philatelic Foundation (PF).  The one thing I have found surprising is individuals are not aware that both the APEX & PF business models look for donations to meet their financial needs.  I suspect the donors range in size from small to significant contributors.  The big donors are probably the ones who buy & sell stamps that range in value as high as 6 figures.  From a personal stand point I find this a bit disconcerting, therefore, I am extremely cautious when looking at APEX or PF cert for high value stamps, especially coils.  As a rule of thumb I do not buy coils only based on a APEX or PF cert.  I do my own research.   Obviously, each philatelist should do their own due diligence when making a significant purchase.