When it comes to high-quality classic, rare or often-forged material, whether it’s a stamp, a postmark or a cover, collectors are almost always told to have an expert certify it. But did you know depending on the material in question, experts often recommend “refreshing” certificates pre-dating the use of forensic analysis? The decision ultimately comes down to the material in question and the owner’s motivation for seeking additional certification, said Garfield Portch, the president and chair of Toronto’s Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation. “With the advance in technology, I really think that any certificate done before the discovery of the VSC6000 should be re-looked at,” added Portch, who’s also a long-time member of the Greene Foundation’s expert committee, which issued nearly 990 certificates last year, even with the pandemic hampering the experts’ ability to meet in person. Continue reading →
Before Toronto’s Greene Foundation acquired its VSC6000 in 2014, philatelic expertizing was more of a ‘touchy-feely’ process, according to Garfield Portch, the group’s president and chair.
