Scott 279B Double Transfer

I posted this stamp under ecommerce: ebay auctions, but I think it really belongs here. I saw it sell on ebay last night, I was bidding but it went to high for me. Has anyone ever seen this DT?
I have checked all over and can not find any reference to compare to.

Lovely stamp. I have seen them before; it is one of 21 different double transfers on 279B. They are listed in the Encyclopedia of Plate Varieties on US Bureau Printed Postage Stamps by Loren French. The book is out of print and usually runs about $80-$100 when you can find one.

Thanks revcollector. It sold for $79, in a strip of 3. Is there a book value on these stamps?

French lists this variety on page 12, column 2, as a Scott 267 with the additional notation that plate numbers 505 and after are Type IV (All this was published before the current recognition and renumbering of the Type IV dies). He calls it a double transfer over most of design and references two previous publications:

Bureau Specialist, May 1955 (page 146) by Norman Kempf which has a tracing of the stamp matching the stamp shown above and describes this as loaned to Kempf by Mr H W Wenck and text of "A strong downward double from plate 859. The variety occurs on the stamp under a left plate number stamp. Erasure of the first entry was poorly done above the portrait and the word STATES is badly messed up, with remains of background shading in the forehead and hair, as well as a heavy line in the white oval. Both numerals show heavy marks and there are traces in the leters of TWO CENTS and in the bottom margin." Obviously there is a slight error in this article as the stamp is 2 stamps below the plate number.

United States Specialist, September 1967 (page 328) by Cloudy French which is a very abbreviated listing of the previous article, and is identical to French's listing.

Mr Becker, thanks for the great detailed information. Did I pass up a great buy at $79? Just wanting to know in case I see another. I would really like to own one as I think it just rocks.

I don't collect this area, but my woefully outdated 1990 Durland Plate Number Catalog does not attach any premium to this plate strip of 3 over any other strip, so apparently it is equally common/rare. In my opinion, the eye appeal of the DT would push the price upward beyond the normal catalog value.

This is a beautiful strip. Errors and John Becker, besides the double transfer I see a very nice looking dot, smack in between the two stamps. Is this just a dot or could it be a guide dot?

Peter

Good eye Peter. I think it is a guide dot, but I am no expert. What would be the significance of this dot if it was a guide dot.

$79 is not so bad for an item like this, this position does not show up all that often.

I just happened to stumble on another strip of 3 with same plate number 859, but it has no double transfer on any of the stamps. Would this be a repaired or replacement plate?

No. Neither. Press sheets of 400 cut into panes of 100.
One of the strips is from the upper left pane.
The other is from the lower left pane.
I don't know which is which, but if you look closely, the imprint is not aligned the same compared to the stamp images.

Thanks, nice to learn something today.

fantastic DT