Errors And Variations

here a poor plate wipe creating a cool effect on the water fall



this one is a vertical plate scratch upper left

3193, that last stamp does not look like a plate scratch, but looks more like a layout marker line.


Peter

yes correct that was another possibility. It seems parallel with the stamp design.

Is it common for a plate layout line to be in the middle of the stamp, and only last part way through the height of the stamp?

It does look like a segment of a layout arc.
It is often impossible to figure out what the idea behind a layout arc is, they often tend to be at "illogical places" unless you are the siderographer that put them there. If you are lucky, you might find layout arcs intersecting or ending in a layout dot at a "logical place" (like corner of a stamp row/column).


Here's an example of a layout line (from a 498a booklet pane) that defines the position of the plate digits. The line ends in layout dots marking the left and right edges of the stamp column (the left dot clearly visible).

Interesting. Here is my copy of the 2c Jackson with what I had labeled a plate scratch. Lower-left between the TW and also close to vertical. Could it be a plate layout line instead of a scratch?

Zebraman, on that one I would think it is a plate scratch. I think it is too thick to be a layout line



Peter

I agree. The line thickness is as thick as the shading lines on the stamp. Usually layout lines were very thin, shallow lines. As the plates were used on the press, layout lines overlooked by a plate finisher would vanish over time as the plates wore down.
Interestingly, the bottom left corner of the stamp might show a layout dot. The corners of stamps were logical places for layout dots which then became part of the design so the plate finisher did not need to remove the dot in the end.

Wondering if the two different 2c browns are not showing different parts of the same 0broken) scratch?

So I m going through an old lot and came across this:




Can anyone tell me what the cause of the ink smearing? Printing error or what ?!?

One more from the same binder insert as my block of 4 above.... Here's Sc 1284 - but what is the small ' 4 ' denote under the locomotive in the center stamp??

Hi, Stamps4Life,

The numeral 4 is the plate number. This is known as a plate number coil (PNC).

Ahh. Thanks Classic Coins! Not an area once again that I collect. Familiar with the term, but dont think I've ever seen one.

the 3c Prexie is over inking due to very poor plate wiping

Thanks. That's a doozy!