Call This Plate Deterioration Process.

Hi guys...Take a look at my 2 Scott 15 beavers..

A - Has a big/solid dot in the "C" of cent..Also a dot in the right flower.

B - Has a more worn out dot in the letter "C" and the flower dot has filled in.

Take a look at your 15's and see if you can see what I am talking about.

Robert

In my humble opinion, the red ink is darker in the right stamp, causing the colour depth difference between the two stamps

The moon in the right stamp is missing its top half.

A is a darker red while B looks like the colour is dying out with wear.

Robert

You are also looking at two different positions on the plate and possibly different states of the plate as well.

That's what I was trying to get across at the beginning..PLATE WEAR...Just plate ware Mike.

Robert

The plate was repaired 10 times creating 11 different states of the plate. In each state you will find plate ware. As the plate wore it was repaired creating each state. A lot of the positions on the plate have identifiable features for each position and possibly each state of that position. The fact that the guide dot in the "C" is in different positions on your stamps makes them different positions on the plate. Other differences may be found that could determine what state of the plate the stamp was printed from.

Robert, great idea. I am doing something similar on a different stamp although on my stamps I am looking for mat wear - wear on the flexographic mats that are used to overprint the stamps. But keep in mind that this is only valid if you follow Watermark's suggestion. The stamps have to be from the same plate and the same position on that plate!

Peter

Mike...The wear progression on the 3 cent vampire bite mark shows deterioration, as the stamps that you sent that I have seen..Also I have 2 small queens with different markings (getting a little off topic) and I have what I call a bug bite near the ear and a slash in the queens throat, and why did they deteriorate more quickly that the vampire bite..??

Just trying to get my head around plate deterioration and marking differences.


..True Peter, but seems flack comes with excitement...part of life I guess.

Robert

It would depend on the amount of damage done to the plate, the hardness of the plate, and how much the plate was used. Just to name a few of the reasons for a difference in a flaw. Plate repairs can also cause a change as well.

As for the dot in the flower, someone brought it up here:

https://goscf.com/t/44837#44837

Yes I did Beesee, but again PLATE deterioration is what I am trying to talk about..Not whether I or anyone else shown the dot..Sorry now I posted this...

Robert

Don't be Robert. It has generated very valuable technical information few people (including myself) new about the stamp.