Flyspecking 2012 And 2013 Holy Family Stamp Issue

Apart from the obvious 2012 booklet and 2013 pane format and date (the latter with perforations all around) I thought I'd scan the two stamps next to each other to see if there were any other noticeable differences:



As expected, they are pretty much the same, although I do detect in the 2013 stamp a slightly bolder print in the word "Christmas" and it would seem there is an extra space between "USA" and "FOREVER".

There is also a slight difference in the vertical centering of the stamp, most noticeable when comparing the lettering to the frame of the stamp, but I believe that is probably within acceptable printing tolerances.

Hi wt1,
Do the lasso rope holes in the mans right hand guiding the mule look different to you?

I didn't notice the ropes until you mentioned it, but it looks like you're right!

Wt1, this particular issue was one of my favorites in 2012! And I am happy it is re-issued this year.
Difference? I notice the black in the 2012 printing is much "blacker" and also sharper. On the other hand, the clouds in the 2013 re-issue seem more defined. Overall I think I prefer the original ( 2012 ) issue!

Peter

If you look at the white label on the 2012 booklet that contains the image of the holy family, you can clearly see two loops in the rope because of the sharp resolution. The smaller loop sometimes does not show up clearly in the stamp itself. When I compare the 2012 booklet stamp to the 2012 press sheet stamp, the smaller loop shows up vaguely in the former but disappears in the latter. The 2013 stamp does not show the smaller loop.

I think these variations are due to the insufficient resolution of the stamp image.

The 2012 stamp looks like the person holding the rope has no nose.

Forever looks like a thicker font in the 2013 stamp. the left boarder line looks smeared on the 13. The white cloud above the sun is more defined in the 2012. This is all probably stuff that is meaningless but it is what I noticed with a quick glance.

That would be Joseph.

Terry

The camel's ears are different.
Joseph's heel is farther off the ground in the left one than in the right.
Mary's face and hair are definable on the right, but not as well on the left.
The year dates are in different places.
The camel's rearmost leg appears to have a loop or ring in front of it on the right.


-IBFS

I didn't bother to check, are they printed by the same company?

Yes. Both have plate numbers beginning with the prefix "S" as in Sennett Security Products (SSP).

Thank you Terry, I should have known that.

Kris