Liberty Bell "Forever" Booklet Stamp Variety

I must confess that I don't have a new enough stamp catalog to check this item, which I found among a bunch of stamps to soak off paper.



There is a distinct difference between Stamp #1 and #2, both in colors (black vs. gray "2007") and boldness in brown color (in printed word "FOREVER") as well as the perforations at the LH straight edge side of the stamps. I suspect these are simply from two different types of booklets and/or multiple printing companies involved in the process, but I am just not sure.

Can someone help identify these modern varieties?

Thanks.

This was covered with a bit of detail a while back elsewhere on this forum - have a look here:

https://goscf.com/t/331

There have been other varieties released since this was discussed. I know of at least one 2009 variety that WILL NOT SOAK (grrr), as well as an ATM format stamp (which also doesn't soak - those bank machine stamps have a wider perforation with more of a triangular shape to the tooth).

Ryan

Thanks for the info. I did look at the earlier link and based on that and a 4800 dpi blow up I just did of the microprinting sections of my two stamps, I think I have identified the first one as a #4125 (Avery Dennison with large microprinting and solid 2007 date) and the second as a #4126 (Ashton-Potter with small microprinting and a "dot matrix" style 2007 printed much lighter.)

All of the different varieties of these modern U.S. stamps (not only the Forever stamp, but others, too) really make it difficult for the average collector (in addition to your frustration about one the 2009 varieties not soaking off paper.)

I suppose it all has to do with contracting the printing out to more than one company, but some of the varieties are so minor it just doesn't seem worth the effort to categorize them, as none of them are likely to ever be worth more than minimum catalog value.

Forever stamps drive me nuts. I swear I keep seeing slight differences within the scott numbers. Probably just poor inking.

there are some that are found to be errors.. not sure which.. one the the stamp monthly's had an article about it