Barbara Jordan Stamp Issued 09/16/2011 (Strange Black Line?)

Here's a scan from a pane of 20 of the Barbara Jordan stamp issued today (09/16/2011). Has anyone else picked up this issue?



I'm curious about something: There is a black diagonal line above the last "a" in "Barbara" that looks as if it supposed to be part of the outfit that she is wearing. It is on all 20 stamps of the pane I bought, so I assume it's normal, but yet it still looks out of place. Furthermore, when you look at a preliminary scan of the stamp offered by the USPS, there is no such diagonal line shown:



I'm curious if this line is standard on all of the Barbara Jordan stamps?

Comments?

Wow that stamp looks really grainy compared to the prelim. Not sure on back line?

I think my scanner is on its way out ... the stamps look much better than my scan would have you believe. However, that black diagonal line still appears out-of-order to me.

I think your right. (about the line as I've never met your scanner)

Just checked my copy and it also has that tiny diagonal line (don't need a scanner to see it). Since I don't have the luck to blunder into an odd variety, I imagine that that's nothing unusual on that stamp.

Larry

Thanks for confirming that the line is normal. Still seems to me that it is out of place, though, as I can't see any reason why it should be there in the first place.

Hard to tell, but it may be a slight fold detail on the blouse.

I can see no logical reason for that diagonal bar. Her blouse is one solid color as is her jacket. Just doesn't fit. Could it be some weird accent mark for her name? Don't believe she used a non-standard pronunciation of her first name. I'd like to hear more about this.

Larry

Look at that short "diagonal black line" under a good magnifier. Might it actually be "USPS" in microprint?

Excellent guess! You're right! Here's a blow up of that section of the stamp in 1200 dpi:

Thanks for checking.

Well, at least they didn't put it on one of her teeth! It is a rather weird place to put it. Probably would have blended in better if they had put it in her earring or one of the collar corners.

Wow, great catch! Never would have thought of that.