Space Issue

I found this curious, below images are of a plate block for 1331/1332. In the Scotts Cat it states a plate flaw in the flag on the capsule. I have both plate block numbers called out in the book but am having a hard time understanding what the flaw is. The comments in Scotts read as follows; "(red stripes of flag on capsule omitted, 29322, 29325 UL 19). Does this mean the flaw was in the plate numbers in Upper Left (UL) portion of the sheet?

Thanks again, y'all are always so helpful!

eagle

It could be just the final, bottom red line?
My copy has a complete set of red lines. Yours
appears to be missing just the lowest one.

UL means upper left pane position. For this particular issue, the press sheet of 200 stamps were produced as 4 panes of 50 stamps each. The cut panes (often called mint sheets) are what we buy at the post office. The panes are IDed by plate number and pane position (UL, UR, LL, LR).

Your plate block is from the correct plate number, but from the incorrect position of UR.

The 19 means the 19th stamp in the pane (not the plate block), where the stamps in the pane are numbered starting with the upper left corner, then going across each row. So the 19th stamp is the 4th stamp in the 4th row (the pane is 10 rows by 5 columns of stamps).

So even if you had the correct UL plate block, you still would not see the plate flaw.

Also, for clarification, one of the red stripes is NOT missing. Rather, the red stripes are shifted so that one red stripe is masked by the capsule gridwork.

One of my favorite space stamps. Thanks for posting the pic!

k

Thanks for responses! khj, yes, I too noticed the mis-registered print, you can actually make out the dark spot in the top area of the flag. I did find a supposed error on-line (link below) at an auction that sold. Curious thing about it, it appears to my untrained eye that it is the right side of the sheet, or is it the center cut?

DUH! Here's Link...unless it was stripped?

http://stampauctionnetwork.com/v/v401019.cfm

I have some questions about the layout of this plate. From the picture of the plate block we can see that columns 4 and 5 make a pair. Working to the left, I surmise columns 2 and 3 make another pair. So, what stamp is in column 1, the astronaut or the capsule?

The layout described above probably only applies to the right side panes (UR & LR) of the plate. What about the left side (UL & LL)? Is column 5 the odd column?

Thanks for your indulgence.
Robert

Robert,

This image of a left-side pane should answer your question.

Steve

Yep, it does. Thanks again.
Robert