A division of
First Choice International Inc.
This site was last updated on June 4, 2009
About
Us - Index
Skip to: UPDATE - What's
Happening at FCI Stamp Restoration – June 4, 2009
High Resolution Image of repaired Wurttemberg Stamp
About Us - Index
UPDATE - What's Happening
at FCI Stamp Restoration – June 4, 2009
- "Before
and "After" image of stamp
- Who
are we?
- What do we do?
FAQs - Please read - as these will explain most of what you would will need to know - Why do we repair/restore
postage stamps and covers?
- MISSION
STATEMENT
- Pricing
Policy
- Warranty
- How do we repair/restore
postage stamps and covers?
- ETHICS of stamp
restoration and repair - our views v. the American Philatelic Society
- Stamp Restoration Records
- Stamp Restoration Certificates
- Detection of Repairs and
Alterations
- Where are we located?
- Price/Services lists
- Contact
Us:
- Link to related Sites
You are visitor number
Since Jan 10, 2001
UPDATE - What's
Happening at FCI Stamp Restoration – June
4, 2009
The previous update for our site was some time ago on Jan 9,
2009. For those of you who have been following our sporadic updates, we are
still dealing with a number of distractions and personal issues. Although not
all difficulties are behind us, for the most part, we find ourselves in a
position where we can devote a reasonable amount of time to our little venture. Having
said that, we will be on vacation from June 5 until July 1, 2009. We will
be able to take on additional work after our return. Please note, our access to
email during this is severely limited and as such please do not expect answers
to any inquiries until a few days after our return. Please feel free to email us at: FCIstamps@gto.net
Due to the many emails we receive asking details about our
services, we have decided to try to save you and us some time by creating a FAQ
"Frequently Asked Questions" page. Please just follow this link at FAQs as we are certain that it
will go a long way in providing you with the answers to your questions. If
there are additional concerns, please feel free to contact us at: FCIstamps@gto.net
If you would like to have help with calculating any repair costs and you have
access to Microsoft Excel, we can email you our Excel template. All you would
need to do is fill in the information and it will calculate the estimated
repair cost.
Thanks
Hans and Anne Marie
Who are we?
We are
a small Canadian company dedicated to the preservation of postage stamps,
covers and other paper collectibles. We have been in business since 1985 and
have developed a global customer base. The company was founded by Hans Sitt Sr.
who in his time was an avid stamp collector. The company was originally known
as L. Armstrong Stamp Restoration Service, named after his former
daughter-in-law. He, as is the case with many collectors, could not always
afford to stock his albums with premium quality stamps. Yet, he still liked to
add copies of these often expensive pieces, even if somewhat flawed.
At that time it did not seem possible to find anyone to repair and restore
these items at a reasonable cost. Over time, much research was done in order to
learn how to restore and preserve articles of paper. Since then, our
ever-growing experience has allowed us to supplement our techniques with new
and improved methods and procedures. We can offer affordable quality
restoration and repair work, which will help to ensure the integrity of your
collection for years to come.
Please
note: We operate this business on a part time basis with Anne Marie now
performing most of the restoration work. I help where and when needed. My day
job as maintenance manager for a multi-national food processing company
requires me more often than not to work long hours during the week as well as
many week-ends along with unscheduled unforeseen call-ins and therefore,
depending on my schedule, it may take from several days to a few weeks for us
to return an order. If work is time sensitive it will be best for you to email
us so that we can estimate a completion time.
What do we
do?
We
repair/restore postage stamps, covers and other paper collectibles in order to
maintain them in the best possible condition for the enjoyment of philatelists
and other collectors throughout the world. We offer a wide range of services.
Much of our work relates to repairs of items with flawed or missing gum,
repairing thins, torn papers, missing corners or perforations and
reperforating. We also clean soiled stamps and covers and can remove or improve
many types of stains. If necessary, we can rejoin separated perforations and
repair creases, often by keeping the original gum in tact. The work is not
exclusive to stamps and covers but also includes any collectible papers.
As with any repair work, there are limitations to what can be done.
Unfortunately for some items, it is not possible to achieve a marked
improvement on their condition. Unless you give us specific instructions, which
would allow us to perform whatever work we deem necessary, we would return such
items as received. If in doubt, we are more than happy to have you mail us any
items for evaluation and we will promptly get back to you with a quotation
regarding the feasibility of repairs and associated costs.
Please feel free to take a look at our Price/Services list for more detail. No
matter where you are, we would like to be able to add you to our growing list
of satisfied customers.
Why do we repair/restore postage stamps and covers?
Some
stamps in Canada and the United States for example are now approaching an age
over 155 years. Due to their age, being handled by people and often less than
favourable storage conditions, many stamps have begun to show signs of
deterioration.
Really, there is little difference between repairing postage stamps, works of
art or for that matter any other collectibles. If it were not for the fact that
many of these items were properly cared for and from time to time repaired or
restored as needed, many such items would now no longer be around for us to
enjoy. Surely, it would be a great loss to all if collectibles were discarded
only because they were damaged or of otherwise lesser quality. With every item,
which meets this fate another piece of history is lost.
If we want to keep our hobby and in many cases our investment alive, then it is
necessary to stop or at least retard this aging process so that future
generations may also enjoy these collectibles.
MISSION
STATEMENT
We intend to provide philatelists
wishing to have postage stamps restored, repaired or modified, with our highest
quality workmanship, which is economically feasible in order to get these
stamps into a (to you) acceptable and collectible condition at a reasonable
cost. We strongly advise and encourage philatelists to fully disclose any
restorations, repairs or modifications of which they are aware upon disposition
of these stamps.
Pricing
Policy
We
charge no more than 20% of the value based on the current Scott catalog. The
basis for these charges are either the mint or used catalog (Scott) price of
the stamp, as the case may be. For
repair cost evaluation purposes we do not discount the catalog value due to a
stamps physical condition.
We charge this amount UP TO our Regular Price (i.e. for Regumming this would be
$7.50 USD). For a complete schedule of pricing please consult our price lists
which can be accessed directly from the bottom of this web site.
For stamps valued above $100.00 USD we charge an additional 3% of the total
catalog list price. By doing this, we can afford to spend the additional time
on an item in order to give it the attention it deserves. I suppose, one always
could second-guess the work done and under large magnification come to the
conclusion that something could have been done better. But as with anything
else, this comes down to a matter of economics. For example, it is not possible
for us to spend 4 hours repairing a thin and regumming a $20.00 stamp for a
price of $7.50. Hence our surcharge of 3% for stamps listed at over $100.00
USD.
Conversely, it would still be economical for a collector to have a stamp
repaired which is only valued at $5.00. The repair, regumming etc. would cost
only $1.00 USD. Although our charges are cumulative, the total cost will never
exceed 20% of the stamps catalog value at the time it is repaired.
An example would be as follows:
To fill a thin (regular price $18.00 USD) and to regum ($7.50 USD) a stamp with
a catalog list price of $10.00 USD would cost the lesser of 20% of the value or
the Regular Repair Price. In this example the Regular Repair Price adds up to
$25.50 USD. However, due to the stamps low catalogue value, the charge will
only be 20% of $10.00 USD which is $2.00 USD.
The cost to fill a thin and to regum a stamp with a catalog list price of
$600.00 USD would be the lesser of 20% of the catalog list price or the Regular
Repair Price plus 3% of the of the catalog price of the stamp. In this case,
the cost would be $18.00 + $7.50 + $18.00 (3% of $600.00) for a total of $43.50
USD. This works out to a only a total cost of 7.25% of the value of the stamps
catalog list price.
For pricing of repairs to covers or other paper collectibles please email us a
description of the item, it's estimated value and the repairs desired. If
possible, please attach a jpg scan of the item at 100 to 300 dpi. This will
help us greatly in determining the cost of the repair. Depending on the work
required, the minimum charge for repairs of this nature would probably start at
$25 US. When items are shipped to us, it is our policy to return these items
the same way as received. If stamps arrive by First Class Mail we will return
them by First Class Mail, if the shipment was registered, it is returned
registered - unless specified otherwise by the customer. By sending us stamps
by First Class Mail and us returning it the same way when no request is made by
yourself to return the items via registered mail you understand and agree that
we cannot be responsible for any stamps being lost in the mail.
Warranty
For this type of work, the quality of workmanship is at best
highly subjective in nature. Often some flaws in stamps sent to us for
restoration, due to previous repairs by others, become apparent only after the
work has commenced. As we strongly believe in satisfying our customers, we
fully warrant OUR work. At our discretion, we will either rework any stamp(s),
which we did not repair to your satisfaction or any money paid by you for such
repairs will be unconditionally refunded. It is understood by both parties that
any money refunded only applies to the repair cost charged by First Choice
International Inc. (FCI Stamp Restoration Service). Although we take all
reasonable care to protect any items entrusted us for restoration or repair,
you, the owner or its authorized agent, is solely responsible for any loss or
damage to your items while in our custody, however caused.
How do we repair/restore postage stamps and covers?
We use
similar techniques to repair rips and tears, thins in paper as would be applied
by conservators treating any paper of value. Much care is taken to repair
physical flaws to the paper or to replace gum, which might be damaged or
missing completely. Most of this is very delicate and time consuming work and
it is not uncommon to have to repeat procedures in order to affect the proper
repair. Usually, other than taking additional time, this doesn't present us
with a problem as most of our processes are reversible.
Just
for example, as part of our tool inventory, we have a set of custom designed
and manufactured perforation dies consisting of 44 dies of varying spacing and
an accompanying set of 22 hole punches. The perforation dies are manufactured
in varying sizes starting with dies for a perforation of '7' (spacing of 0.1125
inches or 2.856mm) up to a perforation '16' (spacing of 0.0492 inches or
1.250mm). Our set of dies includes all dies as referred to by the Kiusalas USA
and Canada Specialist Gauges. Sizes for our punches start at .023 inches
(.711mm) in diameter up to .046 inches (1.168mm) in diameter in .001 inch
(.025mm) increments.
We
manufacture our own papers and water soluble adhesives. Our gum has special
additives to obtain various degrees of flexibility, colour and sheen. We also
modify our gum Arabic to ensure that it lays flat when applied.
Along
with the above, we do have other specialty tools so that we are able to provide
you with some of the best restoration work available today.
Ethics of stamp restoration and repair - our views v. the
American Philatelic Society
This
is a topic, which often comes up in conversation with collectors and dealers
and it is one that we also have strong feelings about, although it may be easy
to guess which side of the discussion we lean towards. Due to a difference in
our views, we are no longer members of the APS. The reason being, that the APS
insists that repaired, restored or altered stamps are to be identified with
indelible ink. We, however, are of the opinion that we spend a great deal of
time and effort to restore a stamp's appearances and are not prepared to deface
these items with indelible ink unless the customer, (whose property these
stamps are), so wishes. It was for this reason that we were expelled.
We are
of the opinion that there are no repairs or alterations that we or anyone else
could make, which would not be detectible with present day technology; in most
cases without resorting to the hi-tech light, (crime), spectrometer as was
purchased by the APS. Often, rather simple methods can be used to determine
whether or not a stamp was restored or altered. Even commonplace scanners can
go a long way in exposing the repairs. We therefore believe that indelibly
marking a stamp is redundant. Besides, when using the proper tools, it is not
that difficult to remove an indelible mark should someone want to do so.
Seemingly,
some people at the top of this organization have to rely on what we believe are
slanderous remarks as a means of attacking our service and credibility. I
especially resent the implications that our intent, (and that of our
customers), is to defraud other collectors. We strongly believe that OUR
CUSTOMERS ARE HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY people. In the 20+ years in this business
we have had no reason to believe otherwise. We encourage all philatelists and
other collectors, whether or not they are our customers, to do what is legally
and morally correct when they deal with restored, repaired or altered stamps
and covers.
Stamp
Restoration Records
Although
our main interest is the restoration of stamps, covers and other paper collectibles
and return them to our customers as quickly as possible, we do spend a
considerable amount of time making photocopies and scanning images of all items
sent to us for repair, before and after the work is done. We do this for both
our own and our customers records. We will return your shipment with a black
and white photocopy of the items identifying the work done, which is included
in the price. If required by the customer we can issue a near photographic
quality colour Restoration Certificate at an additional fee of $10.00 US per
page. (Depending on image sizes we can fit up to 8 items onto one 8.5" x
11" sheet). Please specify your requirements at the time of the order.
It
must be understood, that the photo copies or certificates only verify the work
performed by FCI Stamp Restoration Service, (Division of First Choice
International Inc.). They are not intended to verify the authenticity of stamps
or covers, or the restoration, repairs or alterations performed by others. If
you need an expertizing service, I am certain, that for a fee, the nice people
at the APS or other accredited agencies, companies or individuals will be more
than happy to assist you.
Stamp Restoration Certificates
High Resolution Image of COLOUR Certificate of
Restoration High Resolution Image of B&W
Certificate of Restoration
Detection of Repairs and Alterations
There
are a number of good resource books available on the subject of detecting
restored, repaired, altered stamps as well as fakes and forgeries. Most of this
material is available from the American Philatelic Society and some through your
local stamp dealer(s).
This is a very comprehensive subject on which volumes have been written. It
takes a lot of effort to address this topic in the depth that it deserves which
I believe has already been successfully done by a number of authors.
Some of the resources available are:
17.
Scott -
Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue
18.
Linn's
World Stamp Almanac
19.
'How to
Detect Altered and Repaired Stamps' by Paul W. Schmid
20.
'Out-Foxing
the Fakers' by Jean-Francois Brun
21.
'Fundamentals
of Philately' by L.N. Williams
and many others.
There is also a recent entry in the information category which tries to explain
how to do this work. The softcover manual published by Midvale Philatelic
Gallery is called 'How to Regum Stamps'. The book addresses a number of valid
issues but in my humble opinion many of the suggested methods of repairing and
regumming stamps are seriously flawed and may do more harm than good.
Perhaps one day I will add my own 2 cents worth on this subject.
Where
are we located?
First Choice International Inc.
or
FCI Stamp Restoration ServiceAddress - since Feb 1, 2004
57 DAUGAARD AVE.
PARIS, ON N3L 4B9
CANADA
Tel: (519) 442-3396 (Business/Home - Voice Mail)
Cell: (519) 502-3638 Anne Marie 24/7 Voice Mail)
Cell: (519) 501-5757(Hans 24/7 Voice Mail)
E-mail: FCIstamps@gto.net
Prices/Services
lists
The
following lists provide our customers with information on services available
and costs involved. Please feel free to print a copy of any of the
following price/services lists. Please note: Services other than
those listed may be available upon request - pricing would vary accordingly.
IT COSTS NOTHING TO BROWSE! The only difference between the
following lists is that the pricing is adjusted to reflect different
currencies.
Canadian
Visitors and Customers
U.S.
Visitors and Customers
International Visitors and Customers
Contact Us:
We welcome any
reader comments or questions regarding our service. Please call or email us at:
Link to related Sites