Blind Perfs

Not all stamp errors are as dramatic as the inverted Jenny. I came across these two in a batch of old postage I had set aside for use on mail to collectors. They are called blind perforations, a pair of stamps missing a perforation hole between them.



The first is a coil pair of Scott 1031, the 1-cent Jefferson in use from 1954 to 1968.



The other is a vertical pair from a booklet pane of Scott 1736, the 1978 "A" stamp issued when rates jumped from 13-cents to 15-cents, but printed ahead of time before the rate change had been determined.

On this pair, the second and sixth perforations from the right made contact leaving an impression but did not cut through. The fifth from the right did not make contact and is a blind perforation.

I wonder if there are tens of thousands of these out there, or if they're pretty rare. I can't personally recall finding any in any of my stashes over the years.

Are they worth a decent premium over their normal value?

Very interesting ,, are these common or not so common ?

I also would be interested to know what type of premium this type of error adds to the base value of the stamps .

Metalman

I don't think they are all that uncommon. It seems that if what cuts the perforation in that spot is not doing its job it would repeat itself as the presses ran. Don't know anything about values, though some collectors look for them. Would likely be worth a small premium to someone who collected them.

Of course, with the self-adhesives and their fake perfs, they aren't making these any more.

Blind perforations are considered a type of "freak." They are common on some issues, and not very common on others. They are fun to look for.

I don't recall seeing anyone charging a premium for blind perforations. Maybe a dealer would charge a small premium for a quite striking example.

Anyone interested in in so-called philatelic errors, freaks and oddities (EFOs) should visit the EFO Collectors Club web site. John Hotchner has provided an excellent article which describes the different types of EFOs and includes pictures of many interesting items.