Missing Period On The Ro49 Byam Private Die

I recently found out that there are copies of the RO49 where the period after the top BYAM appears to be missing. I looked through my stash and found three (all on watermarked paper). I've attached a scan of the with and without versions. Most of the RO49s seem to be with the period, including the sample in the Scott catalog. Does anyone know the story here?

Here's a watermarked paper with the periods (although I think they are likely commas).

Someone off list suggested the period is likely a comma, which would make a lot more sense.

that is a nice multiple of the I variety. I am so jealous.

I looked at 10 examples (RO49d)and found one missing the comma. I wonder if it is an inking issue, or if it re occurs on the plate position(s) it came from.
KBT, did you read this somewhere or was it something you noticed while studying the stamp?? I did not notice this on any old or silk paper versions.

I was looking at lot 803 Siegel auction 1187. It was a group of Byam stamps on custom pages and there are couple spaces with notation for this variety. You can use Siegel power search to find it.

I looked at the pages again and noticed that the non-comma instances were all watermarked. Would be interesting to see if we can spot one on some other paper.

I looked at mine under magnification and it doesn't look like the ink ran or something like that. The ink in that are was very consistent. But I am no expert in this.

I like the idea of one or more of the plate positions having this "feature". It would be great to find a sheet with both.

Keith

I second the motion, sideshowbob's strip of RO49is is quite spectacular!

Most watermarked m&m's were printed by the BEP; some were printed by NBN. The only way to find that variety on other papers is if that plate was one created by NBN that was later used by the BEP, so it might show up on silk paper stamps. It is extremely unlikely to show up on old paper stamps printed by Butler & Carpenter. This was a large company and there were multiple plates created.

I would like to see the bottom right stamp of the block around the Inter Rev area, there seems to be something interesting going on there, possibly a minor plate variety.

The colored die proofs do not seem to have the period or comma after Byam.

i think that either a new or re-engraved die or plate is responsible for the variety. if it was originally a comma the tail wore faster than the rest of the impression and would appear as a period. that said the wrappers all have commas.

The wrappers were produced by American Phototype, not the engravers of the stamps.

rev you are correct. I was only trying to point out that all the ads, wrappers and references I have seen had commas, not mislead or infer who printed what which is well known.

Has anybody found a single only vertically perforated single stamp of RO49is with margins large enough to be considered a part perforated stamp of the First Issue Revenue, I haven't.

I have only seen multiples, which I strongly suspect is how they were used.