Scott 1619

The right pair in comparison to the left. I am pretty sure this is 1619a (Huck Press) as it is slightly smaller than 1619 and can be seen in the photo. What confuses me is that Scott says it has no joint line. This one does. Any thoughts?

Doug

When Scott says "smaller", it is referring to the stamp design dimensions, not the paper size. The paper size will always very somewhat, depending on the "cut".

Both your pairs have the same design dimension sizes, and can only be #1619 (overall tagging). Because of variations in printing and paper shrinkage, the background tinge and "fraction of a millimeter" size difference are inherently unreliable methods of distinguishing between #1619 ad #1619a. The only reliable method is to check the tagging under filtered short-wave UV light. #1619 is overall tagged, while #1619a is block tagged. Sometimes, if you look at the stamp at an angle under a light, you can see the block tag as a "block-shaped" film on the surface of the stamp. But again, most reliable method is using filtere short-wave UV light.

I have a pre-historic Scott Specialized from 1987. It gives this footnote under #1619: " No. 1619 was printed on two different presses. Huck press printings have a white background without bluish tinge, are a fraction of a millimeter smaller and have block instead of overall tagging. Cottrell press printings show a joint line ".
The catalog lists three possibilities of collecting, a single, a pair and a joint line pair.
As an afterthought; one would think that a "Specialized" catalog would give the two different stamps two different numbers - it gave the two 8.3 cent Ambulance bulk rate stamps different numbers ( 2128 and 2231 )!

Peter

There was specific reason for that. Scott 2128 was the regular coil stamp and was tagged with the legend "Ambulance 1860s" being 18.0 mm long; whereas Scott 2231 was the Bureau Precancel variety with the designation "Blk Rt./CAR-RT/SORT" and the legend "Ambulance 1860s" being 18.5 mm long.

Thanks all. I did not read anything about tagging in Scott (Specialized 2011). Must be blind! I do believe the tagging is overall if I remember since I looked at it several days ago.

Doug

dkucyk, your right strip is definetively printed on the Cottrell press. The joint- or Cottrell line is giving that away. The only sure way to tell the Huck press printing is by checking the tagging. Block tagging is Huck, overall tagging makes it a Cottrell.

wt1, the difference between 2128 (a) and 2231 is exactly the same as with the two numbers 1619. Scott 2128 (a) was printed on the Cottrell presses, and 2231 a year later on the B-press.
My point about the Scott Specialized is that the editors are inconsistent in their assignment of numbers; if one issue gets two main numbers because it was printed on two presses, why not the other?

Peter