Stamp Overprint Extraction Pipeline
A Python image-processing pipeline that extracts the overprint from each stamp across reconstructed philatelic sheets — preserving every ink defect and natural irregularity — with per-position masks, a master CSV, and a documented two-stage workflow.
This Python pipeline extracts the overprint from each stamp across two reconstructed sheets — 100 positions in total — while deliberately preserving every ink defect, stroke break, and natural irregularity rather than cleaning them away. Each position yields a binary mask, a minimal hue-threshold extraction, and a dust-only cleaned version, alongside a master CSV of threshold values and uncertainty flags.
Delivery was two-stage: a grid overlay to confirm position mapping first, then final extraction once the mapping was approved, with per-sheet ZIP bundles and a documented pipeline. The careful, provenance-first approach earned a five-star review for quality and turnaround.
Case Study
The Problem
A philatelic collector needed the overprint isolated from each of 100 stamps across two reconstructed sheets. This is not a clean automation job: every ink defect, stroke break, and natural irregularity had to be preserved rather than smoothed away, each position had to be mapped accurately, and the result needed documented provenance and a way to flag uncertain extractions for review.
The Approach
Built a Python image-processing pipeline producing, for each of the 100 positions, three deliverables: a binary mask, a minimal raw hue-threshold extraction, and a cleaned version with dust-only cleanup that leaves genuine defects intact. Generated a master CSV recording the threshold values and uncertainty flags per position, plus per-sheet ZIP bundles and a README documenting the whole pipeline. Structured delivery in two stages — a grid-overlay overlay for position-mapping approval first, then the final extraction once the client confirmed the mapping.
The Outcome
Every one of the 100 positions mapped, confirmed, and extracted with its irregularities preserved, delivered with full documentation and per-position uncertainty flags on a fast turnaround. The client left a five-star review for the work, speed, and communication.
“Excellent work, really quick turnaround, and great communication!”
— aabouesh