Buff Missing?

oh boy I am completely lost I found the ones I have can you explain the stamp talk to me please somebody I've posted mine what do I have?

Image: xmas.JPG
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Tina,

The stamps you show are the 2 basic different Currier and Ives designs issued in 1974 and 1975. The Currier and Ives "The Road-Winter" (sleigh) stamp is Scott #1551(23Oct1974) and the two "Winter Pastime" (frozen pond) stamps you show are #1702(27Oct1976)and #1703 (bet you didn't realize you had 2 different stamps there, did you?).

This is somewhat off-topic, but I'll discuss the 1975 issue first in this post, because the 1974 issue with the buff color missing that everyone is talking about is, quite frankly, just too difficult to ID based on a scan (although, if I remember correctly, t360 and nr-notrare gave excellent and accurate pointers).

Tina, in your pics, the upper left stamp is #1702, and the lower right stamp is #1703. There are several differences, but I'll focus on the "design" differences. If you look at the lettering below the base of the design that says "WINTER PASTIME LITHOGRAPH...", in #1702 (upper left stamp) the line is in black ink and roughly 0.5mm below the design. Compare to #1703 (bottom right stamp), in which the lettering is a gray-black and roughly 0.75mm below the design -- in other words, noticeably lighter shade and lower than in the upper left stamp.

It's hard to see in your scan, but if you examine your stamps, you should be able to see little white specks in the sky above the pond (this effect is commonly called "snowflaking") for #1703. You should not see the "snowflaking" for #1702. Both stamps have the same catalog value.

Regarding the buff missing error on the Currier and Ives "The Road-Winter" (sleigh) stamp, I originally wasn't going to chime in on this, but here it goes...

In the "sleigh" stamp, the buff color missing error as a USED single is exceptionally difficult to identify/certify. There are a lot of reasons for that, which I don't want to get into. Scott catalog users will notice that Scott doesn't even list a dash for the used stamp in their catalog. While not impossible, it is difficult to get a certificate for this error in used condition, and likely not worth the expense.

The buff color on this stamp is a very light shade that is almost transparent. Coupled with color registration issues, color variation/changling issues, it's tough to ID on even a mint stamp. This is why many error collectors prefer to collect this stamp as a plate block or full mint sheet, so they can "see" the "missing plate number". About 75-100 of these sheets have been found, and some have been broken apart to sell the plate block, so there are mint singles available.

While it's fun to "discover" an error in your collection, I'm nowhere close to being good enough to spot this buff missing error as a single. If you guys/gals can do it, congratulations, and I'll definitely be impressed! Again, the pointers given by t360 and nr-notrare are useful and accurate.

As for me, this error is so inexpensive that I feel it is easier to buy it from a dealer who is tearing them off of a partial sheet of known errors. I normally prefer the "discovery" route myself, but this is really one of those stamps, that if I wanted it, is not worth my personal uncertainty/frustration (just my opinion, sorry, if I discouraged anyone). These singles torn from partial sheets typically sell for $5-$7 from very reputable dealers, which is less than the cost of certification.

Meanwhile, have fun trying to figure out if it is indeed the buff missing error, and I'll be interested in reading your final conclusions on the stamp! Good luck!

k

What they are trying to say ( I think) Tina Is that you have 4 different stamps. #1551, 1551A, 1702 and 1703. They is a slight colour difference. Your set looks just like mine I can see the different shadows on the legs of the horse in one set and you can really see the different colors on the winter scene.

It took me a long time to figure these out but it looks like I got it right in the end.

Hope all this helped you Tina.

Just to clarify... Tina you have 3 different stamps. According to position in your pic, the Scott catalog numbers are

1702 1551
1551 1703

I assigned the 1551 to the sleigh stamp as a default opinion. I cannot ascertain from a scan that the 2 stamps are 1551 and not 1551A (color missing error). As with other US stamps from the 1970s, #1551 is notorious for color variations. Randomly select 10 of the C&I Road-Winter stamps and you are likely to find 5 different color shades of the horses and background; so having 2 different color shades does not mean one of them is a color missing error.

It's really a tough error to ID, but I guess that's part of the fun.
k

Great explanation KHJ. As always it comes down to looking at the details. It's part of what makes the hobby fun at many different levels.

KHJ...

Great job explaining the differences in these issues.....it does not help that everyone sees colors just a little bit differently and computers/monitors are notorious for not reproducing colors as they should.......it can also depend on whether or not it's a photo or a scan.