The varieties of these flag stamps makes them unusually hard to identify. Besides the typical Sheet, Coil and Booklet varieties, there are two styles of denomination, four different year imprints, regular and die cut perforations, multiple perforation sizes, microprint styles and date imprint sizes. All-in-all, a mess.
Here are some tables to help make sense of them. Following that, I describe one possible way to sort through these stamps to identify them more easily. The numbers in parentheses under booklet stamps are the possible number of perforated sides on the stamps.
2002 “First Class” Sheets Booklets Coils Notes
Perf 11.25x11 3620
Die Cut 11.25x11 3621 Micro Bottom/Short 2002
Die Cut 11.25 3623(2,3,4) Micro Top/Short 2002
Die Cut 10.5x10.75 3624(2,3) Tall 2002
Die Cut 8 3625(2,3,4) Tall 2002
Die Cut 10V 3622 Tall 20022002 37c Sheets Booklets Coils Notes
Die Cut 11.25x11 3630 Micro Top/Short 2002
Die Cut 11.1 3634(3) Tall 2002
Die Cut 11.3 3634e(3) Tall 2002
Die Cut 11.3 3635(2,3,4) Micro Top/Short 2002
Die Cut 10.5x10.75 3636(2,3) Tall 2002
Perf 9.75 3631
Die Cut 8.5 3633
Die Cut 9.75 3632
2003 37c Sheets Booklets Coils Notes
Perf 11.25 3629F Micro Bottom
Die Cut 11 3634b(3)
Die Cut 8 3637(2,3,4) Light
Die Cut 8 3637 var(2,3,4) Light, Valley Variety
Die Cut 8 3637 var(2,3,4) Dark
Perf 8.5 3633A
Die Cut 10.25 3632A
Die Cut 10.25 3632Ae Valley Variety
2004 37c Sheets Booklets Coils Notes
Die Cut 11.75 3623C
Die Cut 11.25x11 3636D(2,3)
2005 37c Sheets Booklets Coils Notes
Die Cut 9.5 3633B Micro Top
You can identify these stamps any way you like, but here is a sorting order that I think is pretty simple.
Sort by denomination style--Non-denominated “First Class” vs. Denominated 37c
For the “First Class” stamps:
Perforated stamp is 3620 (sheet)
Die Cut Coil is 3622
Die Cut with micro print at bottom of top red stripe is 3621 (sheet)
Sort Die Cut Booklet stamps by perforation:
Perf. 11.25 is 3623
Perf. 10.5x10.75 is 3624
Perf. 8 is 3625
Notes:
Tall vs. Short 2002 are not needed for identification
Don’t rely on having die cuts on 4 sides to tell you you have a sheet stamp. Some of the booklet stamps have four sides of perfs. Instead, check your four sided die prints for that microprint on the bottom of the top red stripe. Pull those out as the sheet stamps. All the others are booklet stamps.
Sort the 37c stamps into Perforated vs. Die Cut stamps
For the Perforated 37c stamps:
Perforated on 4 sides is 2003 sheet stamp 3629F
Sort the Coil stamps by perforation:
Perf. 9.75 is 3631 (2002)
Perf. 8.5 is 3633 (2003)
For the Die Cut 37c stamps:
Sort the Coil stamps by perforation:
Perf. 8.5 is 3633 (2002)
Perf 9.5 is 3633B (2005)
Perf. 9.75 is 3632 (2002)
Perf. 10.25 is 3632A or 3632Ae (2003)
3632A has peaks at the ends of the top perfs.
3632Ae has valleys at the ends of the top perfs.
Perf. 11.75 is 3623C (2004)
Notes:
The perfs are enough to sort out the coils, but the dates at the bottom will help you tease out the similar 9.5 and 9.75 perforations.
Micro printing, square corners, backing paper and date sizes are not needed for identification
Sort out stamps with 4 edges perforated:
Perf. 11.25x11 is 3630 (2002 sheet stamp)
Perf. 11.3 is 3635 (2002 booklet stamp)
Perf. 8 is 3637 (2003 booklet stamp)
Notes:
Remember, some of the booklet stamps have perforations on 4 sides.
3630 and 3635 can be hard to tell apart. Use the vertical perforation difference to distinguish these.
3637 has two unlisted varieties. The normal stamp has the same shade as all the other flags, but on variety is a noticeably darker shade. Also, the normal stamp has peaks at the ends of the top perfs, but there is also a version with valleys at the ends of the top perf.
Micro printing and date sizes are not needed for identification
Sort out the rest of the 2 and 3 sided booklet stamps:
Perf. 8 is 3637 (2003)
Perf. 10.5x10.75 is 3636 (2002)
Perf. 11 is 3634b (2003)
Perf. 11.1 is 3634 (2002)
Perf. 11.25x11 is 3636D (2004)
Perf. 11.3 is tricky:
Stamp with Microprint and Short 2002 is 3635 (2002)
Stamp without Microprint and Tall 2002 is 3634e (2002)
Notes:
3637 has the varieties discussed above
The difference between perf. 11, 11.1, 11.25 and 11.3 can be difficult:
Perf. 11 will have a 2003 date to confirm
Perf. 11.25 will have a 2004 date to confirm as well as the perf. 11 sides
Telling Perf. 11.1 from 11.3 is the hardest. 3635 will have a microprint to confirm, but you will struggle with telling 3634 from 3634e as both have no microprint and a tall date. If you have both in hand, you can compare them to each other for confirmation. Also, the ends of the perforations will be slightly different.
