20th Century US Revenue Plate Varieties... Nonexistent Or No One Cares?

Other than some double impressions and a handful of double transfers, there is nowhere near the coverage in Scott of the various and sundry plate varieties (DTs, plate cracks, plate scratches, doubled lines) that one finds with the 19th century material.

Is that because the varieties don't exist to the same degree due to different printing methods and increased quality control, there isn't the same level of interest amongst collectors of 20th century material, or attempts to get Scott to list them have been futile?

I've also never seen anywhere near the same level of public discussion when it comes to varieties of 20th century revenues, but that could easily be due to my not traveling in the right circles, since that isn't my collecting focus.

For example, see the two examples of RE49 below. Notice what appears to be a consistent plate scratch through the C of CENTS at bottom. Also note the chatter within UNITED STATES INTERNAL REVENUE at top.

Very nice plate scratch. it will take me some time, but there are some things that I found when I was actively collecting and exhibiting the wine stamps. Notable is a prominent plate scratch on RE59, the $100 book wine stamp, and a lot of plate layout lines on RE55, the $9.60. I will try to post in the near future. The battleships have had a great deal of work as well and that has been published.

Is plate scratch the proper terminology for a offset printing, such as RE49?

Good question. I'm not conversent enough in the various printing methods. While I worked for over a decade in commercial printing, it was strictly on the prepress side of the house dealing with customer input files.

The more modern the stamp, the less comprehensive the coverage Scott gives, whether the stamp is a revenue or a front of the book stamp.

Offset printing still uses a plate of sorts, it's a rubber blanket but a scratch should still be a scratch. I suppose it could be called a gouge.

The rubber blanket has nothing to do with the plate. The plate is typically aluminum. It the issue is with the blanket, we get hollow spots that don't print; if foreign matter adheres to the blanket we get additional ink. Yes, there can be issues with the aluminum plate which is typically transferred photographically such as a distorted image. When I get a chance I will have to scan some images of issues that I have retained in my wine stamp collection.

Regarding the observation that Scott gives less comprehensive coverage to modern stamps, I might also suggest that I don't think we have as many students of the modern issues. That plus as methods changed there were less of the variations than in the nineteenth century methods.

Revenuermd, thank you for that explanation. One item though. I am a student of modern stamps, specifically the Transportation Coil Series. Especially in the first 17 or so stamps that were printed on the Cottrell presses one can find hundreds of varieties. One stamp alone, Scott 2128a gives so many constant mat varieties that I have managed to fill at least 5 volumes!


Peter

The offset plate may have been aluminum back when revenues were being printed, but it is my understanding they are plastic now.

eyeonwall

Offset printing is still done with aluminum plates.