Scott 648 - More Than Meets The Eye.

Hi guys...I usually pay more attention to pre 1940 stamps, but this stamp has bugged me for some time.
So I did an in depth analysis to see what was there...It was probably do my training on analysis from where I worked..Or just plain flyspecking.

We all now the varieties that are associated with this stamp.

648i ( red line vertical hair line) as mine shows below....





Also 648iv (red dot to right of head)



Also 648vi ( red line below Union 1874) This one is located in the blue banner and not in the white as Unitrade describes.



There are also Smudges on some stamps as my stamp below shows.



There are also ink pulls.



There are also light/dark versions of this stamp.



There are off center printing as the 3 stamps below will show you.



NOW FOR THE INTERESTING STUFF.
Unitrade counts perfs as 12.0 x 12.5
Bottom stamp is as Unitrade says, but top one is 12.1 x 12.5, not a lot but noticeable in the image.



I took a random 100 stamps for this next analysis..Take a look how I identified other stamps..In the world//union square to the right, we have lots and lots of colour variations on these stamps.
Below is a look at just one stamp with arrows pointing to the colour varieties.



The colour differences are show in the picture below...The dark violet is a normal colour..But a far lighter violet is apparent on some stamps.




Now for the details..I took a picture of that particular box and lightened it as to be able to add identifiers as shown below.



THE CHART BELOW IS JUST A SMALL FRACTION OF THE DATA COLLECTED.
The yellow boxes are the stamps that are normal and have no colour change.


BOTTOM LINE...We know varieties exist and Unitrade does not display all known varieties for all stamps, cause they think the book would cost too much and be too big.
I spent a lot of time on just this one stamp..What do you guys think.

I agree ... you spent a lot of time on this one stamp!

The color varieties in the World/Union are the most interesting to me, and I'd like to hear a good explanation on how this could happen. I've noticed the same on my stamps (though not to this much detail).

Thanks for posting.

Hi Robert,
Anyone can collect and enjoy whatever flips their switch but this may or may not translate into being interesting to other folks.

I don't think you should count on any catalog publishers; if you feel there is interest in this level of stamp details then press forward and consider publishing a book/website yourself.
Don

Robert, some nice material there. If you find some covers with these stamps ( with varieties ) you would have a great subject for an exhibition!
And after thinking about it, it would also make a great magazine article!

Peter

Excellent research Wert.

Although this is of great interest to me, I can understand Unitrade not covering such dissimilarities in the catalogue.

Regarding the perforations - in my opinion the bottom stamp has shrunk, making it only appear that there is a difference.

Wert: Maybe you could get this published in "The Corgi Times" of the BNAPS Elizabethan stamp study group.

Wert, I think you may have to expand your research of the Color Variation Grid. I have some examples where the areas are HALF-filled with colors. You'll have to come up with a code for that too.



You also forgot to mention the "ghost print" (though I think that this one is pretty dubious.



Lastly, though I like your finding of the light/dark versions of the stamp, you may have to look at light face, arm, etc. Lots of neat versions there, I have found. I would like someone to explain how this could happen, or whether it is related to the Color Variation grid.





Good luck.

Since soaking can affect used stamps, should not some of these colour varieties be searched for in mint stamps?

jogil..I would have to have a 100 mints to justify and accurate analysis of this stamp..I just took 100 random used stamps, but you are probably correct...BTW, it is not good enough in my opinion to get published,think for suggesting though.

Partime..I would love to add varieties of this stamp to my data base, but it would men posting lots and lots of stamps here, which would be a real pain...As to not posting thr "ghost print", I came to realize that a normal (non ghost print" is rarer.

Blackjag..Your stamp shrinking theory is understandable, but why did I only get one stamp out of 100 that shrank..?

Robert

wert: With regards to the shrinked stamp, try to see if the paper wove is different (vertical or horizontal) when compared to other copies.

Robert, another thought occured to me. Have you used UV lamps to see if there are any varieties, like Hibrite paper, or short wave UV abnormalities? That would certainly add to your data base.

Peter

Jogil..sad to say I put them away and cant remember which one it is..But good idea.
Peter..will look into that.

Robert

Jogil...Here are the 2 stamps together..Nothing noticeable..Good try though...I have a pair of electronic callipers on order..I will measure the stamp when it arrives.

Robert

Robert,
Using onscreen digital calipers...the distance between the perfs appears to be the same. (Calipers show pixels.)
Don

Probably will be Don..But it is how many perfs per distance I am after my friend.

Robert

Robert,
I was speaking to the 'shrinkage' theory (insert joke here!). If the stamp had been affected by soaking, then I would assume that the dimensions between the perfs would also be affected.
Of course this only applies to the paper gain in one direction, your image did not include the other perfs.
Don