Is This An Error?

In the 80´s I got a letter from USA with the stamp you can see at the right hand (yellow instead red in the flag)
Can somebody tell me if it is a real error??

Red omitted perhaps?

Hello arcabuz410, welcome!

I do not know US errors that much but to me this looks like the whole stamp is tinted yellowish, not just the flag. The blues are changed to light blues or yellowish blues, the black of the airplane nose is a yellowish shade of black, the under wings are changed from a pink to a yellow tint or shade.

First idea was something was wiped over the stamp to add the yellow, but that can't be possible I do not think.

More likely to my thinking is that this stamp was printed with less red ink than others or no red ink at all.

Many colours are used over-lapping to make different colours on a stamp sometimes.

But let us wait for the experts on US stamps.

It is also possible that the stamp was left in the sun for a long time and the red faded out.

The yellowish stamp has been bleached by exposure to sunlight or chemicals.

If Red was omitted, that would not make the stamp yellow. The error was in mistreating a handsome stamp. (Not your error I expect).

I believe this is a known error. I can check when I get home.

Here's an old post from another site that has displayed virtually the same "freak" C115 air mail stamp you have shown, along with comments that almost mirror those said above:

http://www.bidstart.com/external.ph...9770&p=72071

I think the bottom line is that "freaks" such as this are known on this stamp, but they are not Scott Catalog listed and because of the odd nature of them, there is no count as to how many may be out there and so any premium value placed on the item is likely based on what a buyer would be willing to pay and what a seller may be willing to accept for the item.

Surprisingly, most "freaks" with color changes/misregistrations are worth surprisingly little, as most collectors either prefer a perfect stamp, or for the true EFO collector, they prize the full color missing examples, not just color changes or misregistrations.

In this specific example, definitely not a printing freak. All the colors in this stamp are faded, although not to the same extent.

I agree with Smauggie. Nothing more than a color changeling. As Wt1 noted, when it comes to color, EFO collectors are looking for significant color shifts or color missing (or wrong ink color). Color changelings are usually considered to be damaged stamps.

Still, retail value aside, a collection of comparative color changelings can be quite interesting.