East Africa & Uganda: What's Up With This Stamp?

A couple of Edward VII 1907-08 3c gray green (Scott 32)
Colonial watermark 3 (multiple crown and C A)

What's up with the blotch under the Kingly chin on the right stamp?



A flyspeck problem or a known plate flaw?

Well either no one knows, or it is too much of a flyspeck question.

I have s SG Commonwealth 1840-1970 catalogue on order. Would the SG list any major plate flaws, or is that too detailed for a (still) general catalogue?

One other question....
Note how the center portrait (Edward VII) vignette is not centered the same way when examining both stamps? Is that because the center vignette is printed as a separate operation from the frame?

As you can clearly tell, I'm a generalist, not a specialist.

Many flaws are shown/listed, but I don't know how encyclopedic it intends to be...I should probably read the introductory pages again.

My copy (2006) didn't show yours.

[edit: Most of the higher values in this set are printed in two colors, so I assume all of them, including the single-color values, are printed with a separate vignette...I'm certainly open to better information, though.]

Thanks for the information Cjd.

I would think indeed the center vignette must be printed separately.

This flaw isn't listed in the 2011 Gibbons either. As it affects the head plate, which should have been common to all the low values, and it's very prominent, you'd expect it to have achieved recognition if anything was going to. Perhaps a transient - or perhaps Gibbons just need to be poked in the ribs over this one.

Gibbons doesn't say so in so many words, but this must have a two-plate printing. With the 1910 6c red, Gibbons says 'Printed from a single plate.' so by inference, the earlier low values weren't.

Ah I see now that Scott also lists the 1910 6c carmine (33a Scott) as from a single plate. So two plates it is.

Most likely the flaw is a transient.

Thanks tonymacg.