GB # 49 Plate 8 Question

Below is a scan of a GB #49 plate 8 item, with a very nicely centered SON cancel from the Isle of Man.
My question is that there seems to be a extra wide margin to the left. If one looks at this under intense light you can see there was an attempt to put perfs at the normal closeness to the stamp, but they appear to have not made it all the way through.
Can I assume this stamp was issued with a gutter pane between to sets of sheets (or something) that would give it this extra wide margin?




Ideas?

It's a Wing Margin. Wing-margin stamps occur on the surface-printed stamps 1855-80. For the 3d, 6d, 9d, 10d, 1s or 2s stamps with watermark emblem or spray the sheet is arranged in 12 panes of twenty stamps forming a sheet of 240 stamps, stamps with D, E, H or I in the SE corner will have a wing-margin. That is 80 stamps out of 240 or one third will have wing-margins. With the introduction of the Imperial Crown watermark in 1880 (SG 157) there are no wing-margins.
For the 4d and 8d garter series the plate is in 4 panes of 60 stamps (10 rows of six) and thus letters F and G would be wing-margins, that is 40 out of 240.
The 2½d stamp (plates 1-20) had two panes of 96 stamps one above the other and no wing-margins.
With the crown watermark there were two panes of 120 stamps (ten rows by twelve) and no wing-margins, Hope that helps.

Thanks stallzer. Intereting. Scotts doesn't go into a lot of detail on this, so
all this is new to me. Thanks again.

Here is an example of what one of the panes looks like. As you can see the "E" in the S.E. corners are "Wing Margins"

Humm, thanks, I guess the postal clerk knew what they were doing with a centered cancel on the only stamps that would take the whole thing! Thanks for the post.

thanks stallzer - great information!

Glad I could be of assistance. I think Wing Margins are great pieces and I'd love to do a collection of them. They are highly sought after and are not cheap and the Wing collectors are every bit a fanatical as the rest of us :)