Looking at the only version of this kind of stamp (3c Washington 1861-68) I have at hand I noticed a reddish line through the upper stroke of the O of POSTAGE and through the lower parts of the S and T.
Is this a recurring error or something else? The stamp is still attached to the album page and needs a soak in water to clean up the dirt, etc.. Thanks.
I've been curious about that, too. The other thread died out without a real answer. I looked at plenty of these stamps on ebay and it seems some have the same line in the O, but it's hard to tell without hi res scans.
I'm of the opinion that this is likely plate wear/damage. There were over 2 billion 3c 61s printed from, IIRC, 24 different plates? That's 4,800 entries, and certainly at least some of the plates were likely worked on over the course of printing....
But, does plate wear actually wear through in cuts and lines? The red line upwards through the O in POSTAGE seems more of an ink drag or pull, or a carving or engraving slip.
Parts of the dies become overworked and break or mushroom so all kinds. of plate wear anomalies can be seen. This, after all, was the basic workhorse stamp of the period and over a billion of this design was printed so, the "eccentricities" of the printing plates would likely be numerous. Just a thought.
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Stamp Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Stamp Community Family - All rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Stamp Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Privacy Policy / Terms of UseAdvertise Here
Posted 01/26/2014 01:26 am
