Imperforate Poland Scott #169

I came across this in a packet of Poland stamps.
Apparently unlisted.
Unfortunately it has a rather large tear on the bottom margin.

Is this variety listed in any catalogue other than Scott?

I believe that is listed in Scott as Poland #169. The value in 2012 was US$0.20, used, for the 500m brown violet.

Scott #169 is perforated.

The one pictured is not perforated.

Good point. My copy of 169, though, has very large margins, which could be cut to be equal to the one that you have shown. Let's see what others post for more opinions.

My Stanley Gibbons for Poland (2002 edition) has no mention of imperfs, the set this is from is given as perf 10.5 to 14.5 and compounds. I have the complete set and of those only the 1000mk orange has four margins large enough to trim down to appear imperf. The colour appears a little washed out on your image (SG has it as 'plum'), but an interesting find Timm, worth hanging on to!

I seem to have the same problem with Poland Scott #298 Illustration #A65. No listing for imperf that I can find. Did some looking around the net but nothing yields that would help. Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks,
Chuck

A lot of the pre-war Polish stamps had HUGE margins that you could make seemingly-imperf stamps from. All stamps that are available genuinely imperf are listed in the Polish Fischer catalogue (the standard for Polish stamps). They are usually defaced with a red crayon line & are unused, having been 'liberated' by the Nazis from the Polish Printing Works during WWII & released onto the philatelic market.

The 1923 500mark, Scott 169 is available on thin & medium thickness papers, in 3 distinct shades & the copy illustrated above is well within the shade variations, it's not faded. It is available imperf. horiz. mint, as well as imperf with defacing red crayon mint only.

There are over 20 perforation varieties in this set. As war reparations after WWI, the Poles got some of the old Austrian perforators. Gibbon's Stamp Monthly quotes a post-war stamp printer as saying that the Czechs got the better ones, the Poles got the rest.

The imperf Scott #298 25gr Belweder Palace is a cut-out from a pre-printed envelope. 25gr was the standard domestic letter rate & there were 18 million envelopes printed between 1937-'38

The stamp design is identical to the regularly issued postage stamp Type I measuring 28.4 x 21.3 mm. ( the postage stamp was later reprinted in a larger size, 28.6 x 22.2 mm)

Here's my copy



1937 26 July. Luck to Poznan. Pre-Stamped Envelope. Domestic standard letter rate - 25gr

Thanks YeaPolska,
Your information is appreciated and very interesting. Those must of been some huge margins. Will print out your response for reference.
Thanks again,
Chuck

Then again there is always that unknown factor.
What about that random sheet that some how missed getting perforated or perhaps was only partially perforated?
The sheet arrives at the local Post Office and since the sheet was missing perforations... the clerk takes a
scissors to the sheet and used the stamps. Now there are 1 to 100 imperforated stamps out in circulation. The question is how many were save? One? 10? None? That's the unknown factor !

The back of my imperf stamp looks like what might be the inside of an envelope but the "cut" if done, sure is done square.
I would expect that if it was cut from an envelope that it would not be so precise.

Chuck

Chuck:
I use a stamp-mount guillotine rather than scissors when I want to cut something out for display, nice straight cut lines every time, could be the case here

Rick

Yeah, Good point. My brain was picturing a ol fella (like me) huddled over his kitchen table very carefully trimming....
Ah well, will never know. The good news is I learned something again today and I appreciate all the knowledge that showed up here.

Chuck

Yes, it could be cut with stamp-mount guillotine but what about a large paper cutter? An old post office may have such a device for cutting paper thus resulting in some pretty straight edges if the clerk was careful.
Yet another unknown factor!