The Most Inexplicable Stamp I Own

This is without doubt the most inexplicable stamp I own or, indeed, have ever come across.

This is the REGULAR issue (Republic of China SG 427):





This is the issue I came across this year:





There are many curious things about this stamp, the most obvious of which is the fact that two chunks are missing from the Great Wall!





There are numerous additional differences that can be discovered upon closer examination. The differences are concentrated in the lefthand portion of the stamp, in the background landscape.

Once the differences have been noted, the problem becomes in explaining how they came about.

It doesn't seem possible to me to explain the differences in terms of scuffing or foreign matter on the plate. For one thing, the entire left portion of the stamp is a paler and blurrier - if it were a photograph, we should be saying 'out of focus' - than the righthand portion. The righthand portion, moreover, is virtually as sharp as any of the regular issues.

While the size restrictions in force here prevent me from posting larger scans, I'm hoping they're sufficiently large for people to grasp the fundamental mystery involved.

I'd be most interest in knowing what people think about this most unusual stamp.

Interesting stamp jimjamtwo

I am wondering if this stamp is listed in the Yany catalogue or any other Chinese specialised catalogue??

Chimo

Bujutsu

Hi!jim
Looking for varieties in the older stamps really is a special treat because the printing processes were so primitive and many flaws can be found on stamps in these printings.
The one off printing flaw is, in general, worthless. In KGVs they are known as Tin Sheds. This name came from the very primitive printing shed of that time and the heat in particular did strange things to the paper causing the gum curl it. This shed did not stop the wind and so on. Tough times for the printer indeed.
When I find a printing flaw I consider it to be a tin shed until proven other wise. If I did not have my speciality books on KGVs I would not have a chance of knowing if the flaw was a constant printing flaw or not. It is the constant printing flaws that are worth a premium compared the a standard stamp. The one off type of flaws are of novelty interest only and there are many of them.
Some tin sheds look like constant printing flaws so extreme care must be taken when identifying flaws.
I only have speciality books for KGVs. It is the only area that I can be sure of identify a true flaw. I would be totally lost without them.
Some of the reasons for constant printing flaws are that rats had chewed the printing plate in storage or just simply developed a printing flaw from over use. John

'I am wondering if this stamp is listed in the Yany catalogue or any other Chinese specialised catalogue??'

No, it wouldn't be. As KGV Collector seems to appreciate, freak stamps like this are of little or no philatelic interest and/or value - except, perhaps, to people who collect freaks!

I suppose I'm reconciled to the fact that it isn't worth anything. However, I'd still like to know how it could have come about.

Jimtwojam, it could possibly be a constant variety, that appears on the same single stamp position of all sheets of a particular printing.

Since it does not seem to be reported as a plate error it was probably a inking error. The size of the unink area is relatively large, small areas are common from improper polishing of the plate (this is the process that cleans the top surface and forces the ink into the plate. In the polishing process a chalk like substance called whiting is used to help clean the top. Sometimes an excessive amount will get into the plate recesses preventing the ink from properly wetting the paper.

Hi! jimjamtwo
The point I was trying to get across is it is exciting to find a printing flaw but we should not get to disappointed if it is a one off flaw.
Your beautiful stamp is really in limbo. It is not proven to be a tin shed or a constant printing flaw. The excitement of the chase is still on. Nobody has proven it be one or the other at the present time.
I never give up on the chance of a find until I really know one way or another.
I had a hard time trying to develop this mind set so I might sound a bit hard but I do not mean to be. Your stamp no matter what the out come is, would be a treasured stamp in my collection. It is a beautiful flaw. I have many tin sheds in KGVs that I treasure. They are still very special to me. But the hard science of it contradicts this attitude that I have. John

Observations from a non-China collector who has never seen the stamp before. [probably]

Unless it is because of the scanning, I'd say the stamps are from different printings. The overall quality and lines remind me a bit of differences between printings of the GB high value castles.

The left portion of the stamp is lighter on both of the examples..at least from where I am sitting.

The two 'missing' chunks might not be connected. The middle piece of wall looks like it has the lines of the sky in it's place. Would that normally be the case if say the plate was damaged ?
The left missing piece does look more like a scuff, also scrubbing out the frameline.

Points made are from the scans shown.
Is it possible to scan them side by side ?

Londonbus1......having an idle Friday !

Something else that needs to be explained about my comments in general is.
I was a totally isolated collector all my stamping life until 10 months ago when I joined this great forum of ours.
10 months ago was my first real experience with a computer and I am still very much a beginner but slowly I am catching on to the workings of this digital world. To give an idea of what I am saying is the fact that 2 weeks ago was my first posted image that I have done totally by myself. I still am a face to face person and always will be. Developing an on-line personality for me is like living on Mars. I am a very happy one finger typer but I am so slow that many posts can take place on a thread before my post happens and it has some very funny out comes at times. If I did not have spell check I would be totally lost. My family is a great support in this area and I have never been belittled by them or on SCF. Not only is it new to me to write about but stamps it is also a situation where I have never talk about stamps to a collector as well. I will continue to grow and be a very happy collector. Happy stamping to all. KGV

Londonbus1, thanks for your interesting observations. I do have a scan of the stamps side by side but it's too big to insert in the forum. If I made it smaller it might be no more useful than the form of presentation here, with the regular stamp above the unusual one.

BTW, I have quite a few examples of this stamp and the regular example shown is entirely typical. There isn't any significant variation in the way this stamp looks.

Although several of the stamps in this series had at least two printings - one in which the stamp was 0.5mm taller and 0.5mm wider - this was not the case with the 60c.

'The middle piece of wall looks like it has the lines of the sky in it's place.'

That's one of the most intriguing things about the stamp, I think.

It looks to me as if the stamp was printed before the engravers had finished work on the wall!

BTW there are other differences besides the missing chunks of the wall. There are white blotches on the hillside that aren't in the regular example, including a big one near the frame on the left, where the frame is broken.

I made a basic tutorial for scanning and uploading larger images - https://goscf.com/t/10675#96102
You appear to be well versed in the scanning so just the uploading/hosting may be useful. It would be great to see some higher quality images.