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The GB surface printed stamps (1855 - 1901) are among the most popular to have received the regumming treatment over the years. This is not surprising when you consider the potential difference in value between a used and mint example of many postage stamps issued in this period.

For obvious reasons I'm going to completely gloss over the kind of techniques employed to create a new layer of gum on the reverse of a stamp that may have had a postmark chemically removed or simply escaped the heavy handed cancellations usually applied at the time.

Before going on to offer three DIY tests to identify regummed stamps I should point out that there is a market for such stamps and they are not normally worthless. Regumming is not a modern issue, it has been going on for a long time. While much of the regumming done in the past may have been done to try and deceive unwary collectors, it is also likely that some resulted from the innocent, albeit misguided, desire to produce a better looking stamp within a collection. While specific rarity will always impact on values, it is not unusual for regummed stamps from this era to trade for up to a quarter of the typical hinged mint value provided they have retained their full colour, there hasn't been a postmark removed and there's no other repaired damage being covered by the regumming.

So how can collectors check mint stamps for regumming? Here are three free or inexpensive tests you can do yourself:

• Close up inspection with a decent magnifying glass. The methods used to create a new layer of gum on individual stamps means small traces of the new gum can end up on the printed side or within the paper fibres created when the stamp was seperated along the perforations. Any trace of the gum on the printed surface or creating a "web" effect across paper fibres in the perforations should arouse strong suspicion of regumming.
• Place the stamp in the palm of your hand with the printed side face down. The heat generated from your hand will cause the edges of stamps from this era to curl upward (away from your palm). Stamps that remain stubbornly flat or even curl downward towards your palm are prime suspects for having been regummed.
• As regumming was often carried out to stamps after a cancellation had been removed, close up examination under UV light can often reveal the signs of a postmark not visible in normal daylight. Obviously it stands to reason that a used stamp shouldn't have gum. I've already written about using philatelic UV lamps a few days ago.

So what can collectors do if they find they have been duped in to buying a regummed stamp?

The first - and most obvious - thing to do is contact whoever sold you the stamp. Calmly and politely explain the stamp appears to have been regummed and you wish to either keep the stamp but have a partial refund or return the stamp for a full refund. It is possible the vendor was unaware and will offer a full refund without question. If the vendor is a member of the Phlatelic Traders Society (PTS) they will almost certainly guarantee against this type of event. However, in the highly unlikely event that a PTS member fails to offer a refund in these circumstances, you can contact the PTS directly to make a complaint and have it resolved.

If the seller is not a PTS member (or a member of any other reputable trade organisation) and refuses you a refund then it becomes more difficult and the best tips I can offer are to take some simple precautions BEFORE entering in to an expensive purchase that will greatly help should this situation occur.

Try to use a recognised credit card to pay for expensive purchases. In the event the stamp you buy proves to be falsely described you can contact the credit card issuer and request a "charge back". This means the money will be recovered from the seller and if your complaint is found to be justified you will be refunded. I stress this is a feature of traditional credit cards and not debit cards where funds are taken directly from a bank account balance. Charge back protection is actually a part of consumer credit law meaning you must enter in to a credit agreement when buying the stamp. Obviously, for those people who don't like an outstanding balance on credit cards, they can clear the balance quickly before interest is charged.

Contrary to what you may hear from some people, eBay is actually one of the safer websites to buy expensive stamps online provided you pay using their Paypal service. This can give you two lines of protection. Firstly, if you fund the Paypal transaction using a credit card then you may still have the ability to instigate a charge back via your card issuer. However, when you buy on eBay (no other auction sites) and pay using Paypal you will almost always be covered by their buyer protection scheme. This means you have up to 45 days after purchase to start a Paypal claim if the item you receive is found to be "significantly not as described". Auctions and "buy it now" listings that offer this protection are clearly labelled.

When forcing a refund from a seller unwilling to acknowledge the error of their ways, you may have to seek an expert opinion to confirm a stamp has been regummed. If you ensure you follow the process laid down by your card issuer or Paypal and make it clear from the outset you will return the stamp for a full refund or submit it for expertisation and then take additional civil action to cover any additional costs incurred to prove your complaint, any sensible seller concerned about their reputation and standing on eBay would put their hands up and settle pretty quickly.

The other precaution I hope all collectors use when buying on eBay is to check a seller's reputation before making a bid. If the feedback number is low (perhaps less than 100) or the percentage of positive feedback is less than 100% you should examine their full feedback record carefully to see what people are saying. If you become at all uneasy because of anything you read then seriously consider bypassing that auction.

Unfortunately fakes and forgeries are often good enough to fool many less experienced sellers so don't always assume people are being deliberately dishonest at the outset. You will find there are many good sellers who offer a fair return policy if you are unhappy for any reason and you will resolve any complaint quickly and easily. For what it's worth, I have bought and sold stamps on eBay for 10 years now covering thousands of transactions and I can count the bad experiences on one hand and most of those got resolved to my entire satisfaction.

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