Need Some Help With This One: #300 Trimmed Or A Single #316

Greetings Precancelleirs,

I found this stamp in a collection I'm breaking down. It looks to me to be a coil Perf 12. Scott Specialized only list them in pairs. So, #1, does anyone think that this could be a true coil, just seperated from its pair? Please note the guide line at the top of the stamp. So it couldn't have been trimmed at the top. And #2, Scott Specialized stated that these were used in vending machines or affixing machines, first issued in 1908 using Perf 12. They were changed to different perfs in subsequent years. Does anyone know if they used precancels in vending machines back then?

Looks like a SC300 with perforations scissor'd off the bottom. No precancelled coils exist on the 1902 series.

That's what bothered me about that too, I was once told that there were no precancelled coils in this series, thanks for confirming that
But looking at the top and the bottom of the stamp, it shows alot of real estate still on the stamp that is persumed to be trimmed. My first thought it was trimmed, still think it is. Nice attempt to make something out of nothing on the part of the perpetrator.

Thanks for your response chasa!

There appears to be a horizontal green line along the top, as if it were attached to another stamp.

Zipper, the green line is the guide line. These stamps were printed from flat plates of 400 subjects. The sheets were cut into 4 sheets of 100 each. The sheets had horizontal and vertical guide lines for cotting. The copy above was from the top row of on of the bottom 2 sheets.

The plate proof below is the same format as that used for the Scott 300. Note the guide lines.

Oh. My bad. Shows how little I know. Better keep my mouth shut. Sorry.