Scott #24 With Multiple Plate Cracks

I am not sure "multiple" is the correct term but I call it multiple due to numerous small cracks from top to bottom on the right side. It is on a cover I recently bought as part of a lot. I did not even notice the cracks until I scanned it. Cover corner damage also damaged the stamp where the cover paper seems to appear under the upper right of the stamp. This is the first cracked plate stamp variety I have ever gotten. Nice unexpected bonus to come with an inexpensive cover lot purchase..

Hi quigngt....hope all is well down south!

The stamp has the typical side scratches of a "C" Relief stamp from the 3rd and 7th rows from plate numbers 7, 8, 9, 10 and some of plate 5.

They aren't plate cracks, and all of the same plates above have scratches in different, but very consistent patterns on the right side with the "B" and "D" relief stamps also.

Reliefs A, E and F don't ever show scratches.
The reliefs go like this:
Row 1 = A, 2=B, 3=C, 4=D, 5=E, 6=F, 7=C, 8=D, 9=E, 10=F.
So, there are 200 stamps per plate printed, both right and left side having 10 rows and 10 columns. That means that at least 20 B's, 40 C's, and 40 D's on plates 7, 8, 9 and 10 have the side scratches.

Plate 5 is a mix of Type V and Type Va, and the stamps with side scratches are on part of the left side, with a mix of Type V and Va, and the right side is all Va. The Type Va stamps are worth 6x as much as the Type V stamps, because they're only on part of plate 5, and plate 5 wasn't used for long. the Type Va do not have side scratches on any of the 6 reliefs.

Hope this is helpful, I might have gone overboard, but there are a few topics going right now on the #24 stamp, and I have Type V/Va on the brain tonight!....Ray

Agreed I see no plate cracks.

Neinken writes in his book,

"In addition to showing very incomplete ornaments at both right and left sides we find many stamps of this type with heavy scratches through the right ornaments, or through the left ornaments, or both. These type V stamps are glaring examples of poor workmanship and no trouble should be encountered identifying the common type".

Thanks Ray and stallzer. I assumed these were small fissures of a beginning crack. Years ago when I worked in a machine shop there were similar fissures in stressed steel. If not repaired or replaced the fissures opened up into a full blown crack or tear. I had heard about stamp plate scratches long ago and had completely forgotten about that possibility for this stamp. In fact I don't believe I had a correct understanding about the difference between a scratch and crack . It is now clearer to me and again, thanks for educating me.

Marty

Ray, all is well and we are grateful to God for our good health. I send the same wish to you.

There is one thing not going well which ironically is stamp related: the Guatemalan postal service has been non functional since July 2016. The former president and vice president of Guatemala at that time are currently in jail on major corruption charges. I suspect the postal service shutdown might be related. There still does not appear to be any attempt by the new administration to get it up and running again.

As others basically said, these were on the transfer roll itself. Toppan Carpenter probably butchered their transfer roll reliefs, most likely to make room for perforations/separation.