#4iv 3-Penny Beaver With A Scratched Plate?

I picked up this #4iv a couple of years ago and the description said it has a "cracked plate at right." Well I've looked the stamp over quite thoroughly with a 12x magnifier and by scanning the stamp at 1200dpi and examining it on the computer and I can't make out a scratch. The only anomaly that I can make out is a small white line below the upper-right numeral 3. But, a scratch in the plate would be a recess, so it would pick up ink, which would result in a red line not a white line.

Have a look, let me know if you can make out the scratch.



Green arrow highlighting the white line.

A plate crack or plate scratch would have filled with ink and printed as a dark line, rather than as a white line.
This is my cracked plate example - note the two dark lines at the lower right.
C.

Yea I was expecting/looking for a dark line. Curiously, looks like your copy has the same white line under the numeral 3 as mine. But my copy certainly doesn't have the dark lines like yours anywhere.

I wonder if yours came from the same plate position as mine - just before the plate cracked?

Therealwesty, If you check the re-entry page on this stamp at http://www.re-entries.com/pence_three_pence.html
you will notice that all the stamps show this white line (broken of the orange design lines on the upper right frame and ornament. I checked my 16 copies and I can see same broken line on most (clearly on 13 of 15) so this would suggest this is the natural/normal state of the stamp. I also notice same on my 2 proofs

Could it be considered a "secret mark"?

My copy of the number 4 also has this white line. I only have one copy for reference.

Sorry but I do not have a scanner so the image is not that good so you can only faintly see the white line but I swear it's there!

Note also a white disgonal line running across the beaver. It can be seen on many Beavers. see re-entry site from RETrimble for more examples (re-entry.com)

The diagonal white lines you refer to were on the original die that was used to lay down the plates. It is more noticeable on some plate positions than others but all the stamps show various signs of this crack that originated with the die. I think Boggs discusses this in his book.