This is especially helpful if you run your own servers. If you are presented with an error message or warning that the signature has changed or does not match the IP/domain you are connecting to you always want to verify manually.
So your e-mail/web client will show you an SHA-1 fingerprint like this:
"Could not verify this certificate because the issuer is unkown" or other reasons such as a mismatch in IP/domain.
It will also show you........