Just For The Fun Of It: Puerto Rico Overprint Plate Number Discovery

Outside my collecting focus, but who am I kidding: I'll buy/collect/hoard darned near anything.

Spotted the item below on ebay and it piqued my curiosity. It's a used plate number strip of 3 of Puerto Rico Scott #215 still on piece. The first thing I did was reach for my 2016 Durland just in case it was something valuable. Not really, at $35 for a strip of 3... but then I checked the plate numbers. All of the surrounding numbers are asterisked indicating "scarce", but plate #956 wasn't even listed, let alone asterisked.

So on a hunch I set my snipe and waited. I was the only bidder. I submitted a report to the folks publishing Durland, and the response was that according to Joe Napp's plate # references of U.S. posessions, this plate number is "unreported but could exist", and that this example will be the listing copy.

Certainly not winning the lottery, but it's fun finding something previously unreported.

Well done you. Great find.
When one's hobby is punctuated with such finds, it makes it all the more sweeter.

It also illustrates the need for good reference material.

Well done.

Congratulations. Great find.

Awesome! Very nice find!

The fun of using your knowledge of resources, search techniques and who to verify your finds. Valuable skills in this hobby.

I contacted Mr. Napp and this was his response:

I did check my first B&W book of 1989 as well as 2016 edition for 2016 NYC also with "UnReported". However, my current electronic version HAS a bottom known.

This is the has an electronic update:
Revision #137 PUR 1C BP#S3 W/ 956 ON COVER - FIRST KNOWN - Kim Johnson 07-15-17

I looked in my 2020 Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog and plate number 956 is listed under #215.

Then I checked the USSS on-line The United States Specialist in Plate Number Report section in Volume: 88 Number: 9 Year: 2017 Specialist: 1051 page 429 and plate number 956 was reported there. It also has the same picture as the one above. See http://75.101.135.193/PDF/Specialis...51/40253.pdf. You'll have to logon first.

As you might know Kim Johnson is the editor of the Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog and for last two months The United States Specialist in Plate Number Report section reports that he is current ill.