Plating This 1c 1857

I bought this stamp back at the beginning of the summer shortly after buying a Neinken One Cent book. And I stared at it and the book until I was as blue in the face as Franklin and couldn't decide what it was. This I knew: it was plate 4 relief D. But because of a 1mm gap between the C and E of cent, I was convinced it had to be IIIa-III transitional. But nothing would fit. Then I went off and did all those summer things over the summer and didn't spend much time with stamps--explaining my absence from here as well. And now that school is back in session, I've been picking up where I left off. Turns out that 1mm gap is irrelevant. And in just a few minutes tonight, "bing!" the light went on and I figure out what it is. Here is (umm, I think?) a type IIIa #22, position 74L4:



And here's the Neinken diagram:



Unfortunately, Richard Doporto doesn't have an example on Slingshot Venus of this position. I've decided it's really hard plating from the diagrams, which are hand drawn, after all. This stamp seems to be a late example, and the plating marks are really faint. It's hard to decide whether you are really looking at a mark or just imagining it. And then what if the mark isn't there? I guess what I'm looking for is what's known as experience. I'm still looking.

I have some more little blue men that I've been staring at that I'll be sharing in the next few days or weeks.