The white strip on the back of this stamp is ungummed. Absoutely no gum in this white area at all. The sides of the strip where the gum stops is not crisp and straight, but irregular. I can tell by looking under a glass that it happened during production. Has anyone ever seen this on the back of a stamp? what caused it?
Because of the irregularity, could this strip of non-gum be caused by the stamp being attached to something for display and the sun or room tempurature heating it enough to transfer the gum away from the stamp?
Depending on the issue it could be a 'gum breaker', purposely created gum skips that help keep sheets flat. Under normal (read that varying with the weather) humidity environments sheets without gum breakers would curl, making them tough to handle.
billsey-- A "gum breaker" doesn't really produce an absence of gum, as the name misleadingly implies. They were ridges pressed into the paper, like you said, to keep them from curling. An important identification issue for Kans. Nebr. overprints.
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 03/26/2015 6:44 pm
