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Expertization Service
EXPERTIZING
& FEES
The Greene Foundation has provided the pre-eminent expertization service for British North America philatelic material since 1976. During this time it has issued over 15,000 certificates of genuineness and over 3,500 certificates identifying lack of genuineness. It is a member of the Association of International Philatelic Experts (A.I.E.P.), the international body of experts all over the world.
Items can be submitted to the Foundation by completing a submission form, enclosing the appropriate fee, and mailing the item to the Foundation at the address shown on the submission form. The fees are shown on the form. You may download the submission form in Microsoft Word or PDF format as indicated below. It will be automatically downloaded to your hard drive where you can open it as a PDF or in Word and print as many copies as you wish.
PLEASE NOTE: When mailing items for expertization...
Recently there have been a few instances where items coming in from the U.S. have been charged H.S.T. by the Canada Border Services Agency.
We recommend describing material sent as, "Stamps sent for expertization and return to U.S.A. (Australia, U.K., etc.) No commercial value until expertized."
DOWNLOAD the Expertization Submission Form in Microsoft Word format HERE. (3.9MB)
DOWNLOAD the Expertization Submission Form in PDF format HERE. (155KB)
Please use the new submission form shown here on the website effective from January 1, 2009. Please note that the fees have been increased but the structure has remained the same. This is the first fee increase since the early 1990’s. Regarding the cost of return postage and packaging the Foundation will continue to absorb this where only 1 or 2 items are submitted, but a $10.00 fee is requested with submissions including 3 or more items. Catalogue values can be determined using prices for “fine” condition and with no extras added for mint, never hinged stamps. Where items are not catalogued in Scott/Unitrade the fee will be $40 for each item (including stampless covers).
Please use a separate form for each item – it will be apparent from the new form that it also serves as the worksheet for Committee members. Complete the top half of the form, more specifically the boxes entitled Submitter’s Statement, Item Submitted and Opinion Requested.
EXPERT CERTIFICATES
Effective March 1, 2011, our "False" certificates used for items that are not genuine or are repaired have a different appearance.
The original supply of these certificates, which were pale pink on a security paper, has been exhausted after some 30 years. The new certificates are printed on white paper with a pale pink security background. Also, the Foundation logo has been added.
The photo of the submitted item will be fastened to the certificate and the Foundation seal impressed on it in the same manner as previously.
Terms & Conditions
While reasonable care will be taken of any item submitted to the Foundation neither the Foundation nor any director, officer, employee, agent or consultant will be liable for any physical or financial loss or damage suffered (whether as the result of negligence or otherwise) with respect to any item submitted to the Foundation nor as the result of any opinion which may be expressed by the Foundation or any director, officer, employee, agent or consultant as to any items submitted to the Foundation.
Consent is hereby given to the Foundation to consult any person or persons with respect to the item hereby submitted to the Foundation. In addition consent is hereby given to the Foundation to use commonly accepted methods of treating the item for the purpose of arriving at a conclusion with respect to its condition, watermark or other characteristics.
In making its determination, the Foundation will endeavour to describe any and all flaws not visible in the photograph, such as thins, repairs, stains, removed cancels, etc.
Any person submitting any item to the Foundation is deemed to have accepted these conditions.
The Expert Committee meets every four weeks to review items. In addition to the members on the committee the Foundation uses a variety of outside experts for assistance in specific specialized areas. Also, in its review of items, one of the instruments used is the CrimeScope CS-16, our forensic light source machine. This enables the committee to identify items suspected of having cleaned cancellations, altered or enhanced postmarks, counterfeit overprints, repairs and sealed tears, and removed or altered colours by subjecting the material to an extremely wide range of wavelengths of ultraviolet, infrared and filtered visible light. (For more detailed information on the CS-16, click here for an article courtesy of Ken Lawrence of the American Philatelic Society.
(Below - Close-up view of the CS-16)
The scope of the expertization service is confined to philatelic material of British North America, meaning Canada and the various provinces that issued stamps.
When referring to our certificates please refer to them as being issued by The Greene Foundation, rather than by V. G. Greene.
