A Question About A US 1618 With Brown Paper

i found this in my recent kilo purchase.
i have seen many of these types of stamps but can not recall any of this paper color.
could the paper have faded?

thanks

While some other stamps in the Americana series are known to have been printed on tinted paper, the 13c Liberty Bell was not printed on tinted paper. However, this stamp is known for faint brown ink smears during the printing process. I've seen many times over the years, but have not seen one so large that it covers an entire stamp so evenly. I've seen smears that cover entire blocks and coil multiples, but usually not so evenly.

Hard to say for sure based on a pic, but I don't think it is toning as the stamp seems to have no other faults associated with improper storage, and the backing paper is still quite clean/white. If the stamp was toned before use as postage, look at the stamp under a magnifier -- you should be able to see some signs of "brittleness" in the paper.

Whats th eback look like LONEDAN? Is it uniform?

the stamp is on paper.
i was not sure if I should soak it off.
i would think this issue could soak off easily...but you never can be sure.

Unless they affixed the stamp with permanent glue, the stamp should be easy to soak.

the stamp did soak off easily...but I have destroyed stamps before from soaking...that is life

i got another copy of a 1618 and the stamp on the right is the darker stamp....it appears that the paper is a bit darker.