Scott 148 ? Cracked Plate ?

Hi. While checking this stamp for a grill (could not find any but can't be sure without taking off the stamp, afraid to do that)I did notice this at the top. Is this what is called a cracked plate? And although I find it makes the stamp more interesting I wonder if it adds any value to the stamp? I have included pictures of the cover itself as someone may find the cancellations interesting. Thank you for any input you may have.

Hello, decrynne,

A plate crack or scratch would normally show up as a straight or irregular line of color. See the attached example from position 40L1L of the One-Cent 1851 issue (Scott #9; image used with permission from One-Cent Plating Image Archive). Your example actually looks more like a wrinkle in the stamp paper to me.

You can sometimes see the grill with a strong light shining across it, try a bright led light from the side while you look at the face.
There was a great image of a cracked plate revenue posted today in the Back of the Book forum. I've seen a lot of marks similar to this on Atlanta trial color proofs. Possibly rust spots?
My favorite of P4 cardboard proofs O92P4, the Plum shade.





The plate crack.

https://www.stampcommunity.org/topi...50921#445144

Thanks guys..so not a plate crack then it seems. Thanks for the link :)

Better scan gives more information. I don't know what your mark is, I think mine is rust, but your stamp is from a plate (several?) in more or less constant use. The 90 Cent War plate was stored in a vault for years between uses.

The color of the stamp and the cancel suggests that it is a Scott 159 Continental Bank Note printing on hard paper or possibly a Scott 186 on soft paper. The stamp image on color was too small to verify that the stamp has a secret mark in the lower left corner ribbon.

The cover is dated to 1871 by two British transits. It has to be a National.

You are correct. I didn't look at the transit date. The washed out color looks like inappropriate use of flash. This is often the case using a cell phone or a macro lens with flash.