Ireland map definitive stamp value: watermarks and coils

Identify the map design and its denomination

The Map of Ireland design shows the island inside an ornamental arch, with a shamrock above. James Ingram designed it, and the 2d first appeared on 6 December 1922. Stamp Smarter describes the design and release; the older Revealer study lists the map values as 1d, 1½d and 2d.[3][5] A map stamp is therefore one design within the first definitive series, not a name for every Irish definitive.

Copy the denomination exactly, including any fraction. Separate the map from the Sword of Light, Celtic Cross and Arms of the Provinces designs before researching value. Their shared lettering and ornament do not make them the same catalog entry. The historical penny denomination is not an amount in modern euros, and an old album heading is not a current valuation.

Photograph the whole stamp before taking detail shots. Retain the edges, inscription and cancellation in the original. A cropped map by itself omits the evidence needed to distinguish an ordinary sheet stamp from a coil candidate. If the object is a pair, strip or complete envelope, record that format now rather than reducing it to a single for a price search.

Read SE and e as paper evidence, not dates on the front

The original multiple SE watermark combines a Gaelic s with a Gaelic e and refers to Saorstát Éireann. From 1940, a multiple e watermark gradually replaced it. Stamp Smarter illustrates the two paper groups.[3] Raven separates the retail lists into 1922–34 SE and 1940–68 E headings.[2] Those are the dealer's grouping labels, not proof that your loose stamp was printed in a particular year.

Inspect the back against a dark background if you can do so without disturbing an attached stamp. Follow the watermark identification guide for the physical check. Record what you actually see, and keep SE, e or unresolved as separate entries. The front design cannot establish the watermark. A cancellation date records postal use, not the paper manufacture.

Note the viewing side when recording orientation. Upright, inverted, reversed and sideways are different descriptions. Stamp Smarter specifically explains that a sideways coil watermark can be described differently when viewed from the front or the back.[3] A fragment of a letter is not enough to declare a valuable variation. Save a clear back image and ask for a specialist comparison if the impression remains incomplete.

Measure every edge before naming a coil

The Revealer study describes the ordinary definitive perforation as 15 × 14.[5] Stamp Smarter explains continuous-reel coils with perforated horizontal edges and imperforate vertical sides, and sideways-delivery coils with imperforate top and bottom and vertical gauge 14.[3] Write the horizontal reading first. Perf 15 × imperforate and imperforate × perf 14 are different objects.

Use a physical gauge, not the dimensions of an online image. The perforation measurement guide explains how to align several holes across each edge. Record whether the side is fully straight, retains teeth, or is damaged. An album mount or a close photographic crop can hide an edge, so leave that field unresolved until the complete stamp can be examined safely.

Never trim teeth to imitate a coil. A straight edge can also result from cutting, and a booklet stamp needs its own format assessment. The measurement, watermark and edge condition must agree with the exact reference. A pair that preserves its original join supplies context a loose single may lack. Keep it intact while the identification is being checked.

Separate feed-hole coils from paste-up joins

Stamp Smarter dates the first 1d vending-machine continuous-reel coils to April 1933. Their vertical sides were imperforate apart from a single feed perforation at the top. Fully imperforate sides followed in July 1934.[3] Do not describe a random puncture or tear as that feed hole. Photograph both sides and their top corners, and compare the entire edge arrangement.

Paste-up rolls are another production method. The exhibit explains how strips from sheets were joined using the sheet margin.[3] Raven lists a 1940–68 E 1d unmounted-mint vertical coil-join pair, DC023, at EUR 7.[1] That pair is not the 1933 single-feed-perforation variety. A pasted join and an imperforate side answer different identification questions.

Once the design, denomination, paper and edge arrangement are recorded, a photo tool can help organize the likely identification. Stamp Value Identifier & Scan supports photo-based research and follow-up questions. It cannot authenticate a feed hole, establish hidden gum condition, or certify that a straight side is original. Keep uncertain fields visible instead of allowing a suggested catalog match to overwrite them.

Compare exact displayed prices, not a family-wide range

Raven's retail list displayed EUR 0.50 in the FU column for the SE 2d pearl-green sheet entry, and EUR 1.00 in the FU column for the E-watermark 2d entry on 13 October 2026.[2] FU is the dealer's fine-used condition column. These are generic retail entries, with no individual stock ID or confirmed delivery specimen. The list explicitly says all prices are in euros and may change without notice.

The specialist coil page supplies stock IDs and narrower descriptions. DC016 is a used SE 1d, perf 15 × imperforate, with circular datestamp, displayed at EUR 32. DC018 is a mint SE 2d, imperforate × perf 14, at EUR 50.[1] They are not comparable to each other or to an ordinary used 2d sheet stamp merely because the map is familiar.

The table reports what the live pages displayed today. It does not confirm available stock, a recent price revision or a completed transaction. Ask the dealer to confirm the exact item and total delivered cost before ordering. No buyer premium or currency conversion has been added. The different amounts do not create a minimum-to-maximum value range for your collection.

Keep pairs, gum condition and watermark direction separate

DC021 is a used horizontal pair of SE 2d coils, imperforate × perf 14, described with two circular datestamps and a 1936 year slug. Raven displays EUR 125 for the pair.[1] Do not assign EUR 125 to each stamp, and do not split the pair to simplify an inventory. Its quantity and preserved relationship are part of the advertised object.

DC008 is a fine-mint SE 1d single-feed-perforation coil at EUR 108.[1] Fine mint does not mean unmounted mint. Inspect accessible gum without touching it and record hinges, hinge remnants or gum disturbance as observations. The condition guide helps describe folds, thinning and short teeth without turning a seller's adjective into an independent grade.

DC029, an E-watermark 1d coil with upright watermark and slogan cancellation, is listed at EUR 18. DC030, an inverted-watermark E 1d coil with circular datestamp, is EUR 13.[1] That comparison does not prove that inversion adds value, or reduces it. Condition, cancellation and specimen identity also differ. Both entries need their own comparison record.

Treat the rare 2d vertical-imperforate candidate cautiously

The exhibit distinguishes the 1935 2d perf 15 × imperforate coil from the 1934 2d imperforate × perf 14 coil.[3] Reversing that notation changes the identification. The latter appears in the DC018 and DC021 observations. Neither price is evidence for the former. A rare-variety search result must not be applied to every green 2d map stamp.

This packet gives no realized sale for the rare 1935 variety and no authenticated valuation of a submitted specimen. If its paper and edges appear to match, keep the stamp intact and obtain expert examination. Do not claim rarity from an album label or a straight-edge photograph alone. A specialist must assess original edges and the complete physical object.

The genuine scan below illustrates the 2d map design, not a certified coil, a watermark photograph, or one of the priced offers. Its file description identifies the design first issued in 1922.[4] The original scan reaches the upper teeth, so it is not a reference for exact edge measurement. The back is not shown, and this guide assigns no watermark to that pictured object.

Exclude overprints and other definitive designs

Stamp Smarter documents a 1941 commemorative 2d map design in orange with a green overprint, alongside a 3d Celtic Cross.[3] Preserve any overprint exactly in your record. Its familiar map does not put it into the ordinary unoverprinted sheet table. A commemorative reuse requires a separate comparison, not a color adjustment to the ordinary green-stamp price.

The same exhibit describes the later Gerl definitive designs as a separate series.[3] An Irish stamp showing an animal, cross, sword or arms is not this map family. Overprinted British issues also require a different identification path. Use a catalog number with its publisher, rather than treating an unexplained number on a stockcard as universal.

For stamps still on envelopes, retain the cover and photograph its date, routing and other markings. These single and pair listings do not price postal history. Do not soak off a possible coil or remove a stamp merely to reveal the back before the whole object has been assessed. An unresolved identification can be recorded without altering the evidence.

Make a dated comparison record another collector can use

Build one record per object. Write the denomination, map design, watermark and viewing side, both edge readings, format and visible condition. Put uncertainty beside the field concerned. Then add the source URL, dealer stock ID if present, quantity, original EUR amount and observation date. This makes it clear whether a new offer really matches the stamp you own.

For a realized comparison, require a sale date, an exact description and the fee basis. None of the Raven numbers here is presented as a realized result. A displayed list, catalog quotation and dealer buying offer answer different questions. An old copyright footer does not date a specific price change, and a live page alone does not guarantee inventory.

Group ordinary sheet stamps separately from unresolved coils and postal items. Ask a dealer about the actual described group instead of adding the largest online prices. If a watermark check changes the issue group, revise the identification before the estimate. Preserve the earlier observation with its date so future readers can see what changed.

Save the map family without replacing physical checks

Take one square-on photograph with all edges visible, then add a back image only when safe and useful. Keep the original files. Save pairs and strips as whole objects, and include a close-up of a possible feed perforation without losing the full view. The generated scenes in this article illustrate collecting equipment and are not suitable specimen references.

Stamp Value Identifier & Scan can keep saved discoveries and answer questions attached to a scan. Use that collection record to separate SE from e, ordinary sheets from coil candidates, and EUR single prices from pair prices. The app offers a free tier on iOS and Android. Its estimates are research context, not authentication, certification, grading or an official appraisal.

Before selling or insuring an unusual coil, resolve the physical identification with an appropriate specialist. For routine map sheets, a dated modest retail comparison may be enough to organize the album, but it still is not a promise of what a dealer will pay. Keep the amount and its limitations together rather than storing an unexplained number.

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