Stamp Authentication Certificates

There may be a lot of differing opinions on all this, so as this thread develops, let's all respect each other's viewpoints.

Expertizing certificates are just opinions, not fact. Likewise, opinions on various expertizers are opinions, not facts.

Keep in mind:
-- certificates have been revoked before (not only from genuine to fake, but also fake to genuine), so they aren't iron-clad
-- certificates cost anywhere from $25+ to $100s (I've factored in shipping cost), so only cost effective for major premium stamps (unless your criteria is something else...)

Reason for getting certificate:
-- peace of mind
-- detect hidden flaws/alterations that are not obvious
-- improve salability (note, contrary to common belief, in general certificates do NOT increase your net when the item sold, rather it more often increases buyer interest when compared to a stamp w/o certificate)
-- new find of very rare stamp
-- publicity
-- insurance documentation
-- OCD
-- because you like them (hey, don't laugh, we collect stamps, don't we?)
-- when to get the certificate, depends on why you are getting a certificate

Validity of certificate:
-- not all expertizers were created equal, nobody is an expert on all stamps
-- not all expertizers are accepted by everyone
-- most major US auction houses prefer (acknowledge for purposes of refund) certificates on US stamps from one of the big 3 (APES, PF, PSE; not necessarily in that order)
-- for purposes of refund (not selling), some US auction houses/dealers do not acknowledge some certificates, even from the big 3

Who to get to expertize (strongly my opinion):
-- go to the proper expert for the item in question (e.g., don't ask me about Pepsi, ask JanetC)
-- for US stamps, APES/PF/PSE are OK
-- Weiss is gone, and many auction houses would not accept his certificate for refund purposes, but I consider his certificates to be as good as the big 3
-- for British Commonwealth, go with RPS London (although I'm still grimacing from when they certified the Plate 77 Penny Red cover as genuine; yeah, the one submitted by a notoriously famous forger!!!)
-- for Germany+area stamps, go with BPP
-- Sismondo often gets recommended for general WW, but there are pretty strong differences of opinion on that (I've never used them); bottom line, go with the recognized area expert whenever possible
-- Filitalia has a pretty decent/comprehensive list of well-known expertizers (past and present)

For the record, I have never ever sent a stamp in to be expertized. I don't have any stamp that's valuable enough or questionable enough to do so (my opinion). And even if I did, I probably wouldn't do it until I was planning on selling it.

k