I'm ok with marks and dealer pricing, and other things.
That may be because they're accepted in other collecting areas. And in some cases are important enough to attract a small premium.
In stamps, especially ones from europe, the expertizers who fill sort of the same function as TPG but don't do grades, would stamp their name or symbol on the back, and often extra info like an opinion of what shade it is. (which can make a difference of anywhere from a few cents to thousands of dollars)
The collecting culture in Europe not only expects but demands these marks on anything expensive and in a general sense often even on inexpensive items.
In the US this hasn't been the practice, the preference has been for a certificate with an attached photograph (really old ones don't have a photo)
Likewise, many of the famous collectors marked their best items or in some cases many items with owners marks. I would like to get something from some of the most famous, and have stumbled into a couple including one from FDRs collection.
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