Scott 1354 - Possible New Variety?

Hello everyone

I have been going through a large box of Canadian stamps sent to me by my friend in Norway...I noticed something different with the Scott 1354 "Edible Berries Definitives" stamps issued 1992-1998.

There is a constant variety with these stamps..I nick named them "Blue Dot" I have found 8 Blue Dot's so far. See pictures below I have posted.

Question: ODDITY or NEW CONSTANT VARIETY...??

Robert

If you have found 8 Robert, then a constant variety
(Perhaps in a particular print run)
could be lint from a screen transfer.

My examples are free of this.

Just a picture not a scan sorry,

Just_fella...I can see the "Blue Dot" on your stamp.
rod222...Thanks for your post to.

I looked through about 80-85 stamps and stopped.
Hope more posts are placed here...Getting more and more
like it maybe a possible constant variety.
Here is hoping.

Robert

Edible berries series. I dont have my catalogue with me but it looks like a blue worm. Am I correct in assuming it is a worm variety. I know the unitrade catalogue mentions several varieties on this series of stamps.

Wert,

I found 10 copies of your variety in a stack of 300 stamps. Two of those are on a vertical pair. Therefore, this variety is reproduced in numerous positions from the same column.

You might be interested in this additional variety, found in 13 copies from the same stack. A few pairs having this variety reproduced on both stamps were found also.

Serious question, will a "variety " get listed if you need to magnify it to see it?

Major1044..That stamp is a known variety called 1354vi....

rogdcam..Take a look at the 1354ix..dot on "K"...Yes, sometime magnifying is needed.

Robert

While only the editors of the various catalogs can truly answer for themselves. I would suggest "Sometimes".

It is clear from the listings in both Scott and Unitrade, that they list the most interesting and prominent varieties. Typically for most varieties, they should be studied from mint sheets to get a better handle on their frequency on the plate. Catalog space also costs money. These constant varieties are more likely to get listed in specialty monographs and society journals. Thus we have French's U.S. plate variety book, etc.

It also helps to call this stamp a variety of "Unitrade 1354"

I agree that there should be a defined inclusion criteria published by catalog authors. This would help with folks like Robert who is always on the lookout for varieties by giving him something to use instead of having to constantly interface with the publishers.

In my opinion, and obviously strictly a personal perspective, I would use the same criteria that many manufacturers use when calling out an issue with incoming materials. (No one wants to pay for material that has issues and this process is used thousands of times every day by countless companies and their suppliers.) The specification typically reads something like; "issue detected with unaided eye, at arm's length, under office lighting". I think this would be a good criterion for a general catalog where publishers do not want excessive cost of additional catalog numbers. Of course, specialty catalog publishers may choose to offer more varieties with less stringent criteria.

But whatever the criteria may be, I think it ought to be communicated.
Don

Same thing for buildings Don. There are standards for review. You cannot walk up within two feet to an aluminum curtain wall building and put a tiny scratch on a punchlist. There are distance and lighting requirements so that the process does not get abused. People still try.

Surprise...surprise.

Found the same "Blue Dot" variety not just on Scott 1354 but now on the Scott 1353...See below
Robert

After reviewing the 2021 Unitrade specialized catalogue of Canadian stamps I found a list of prominent varieties on all the different values of this set. The most common variety found on all the values of this set is the "blue thread" variety. This one is found in column 5 and in row 2 to and including 10.The list is detailed and found at the bottom of page 281 of the 2021 Unitrade catalogue. The following lines are italicized just preceeding the list below it. It states " Constant flaws on the low value edible berry stamps are plentiful. These are the most prominent."

So obviously there are lots of other minor consistent or variable positioned flaws to be found. Not an enjoyable task for some as they will find it tedious, while others like Robert enjoy the hunt to find them and as many as possible.

The one Robert illustrates specifically appears similar to the "snake in the grass" varietiy but of a different color and it is not found in the same locations as the listed ones.

@Wert A little OT dont mean to hijack the thread but could you tell me what scanner and basic settings you are using to scan and magnify these stamps?

What is your process. Do you randomly select stamps from youre collection and then scan them and analyze them in detail or is this something you spot by eye and then go in with the scanner for finer detail?

Thanks

Stamp Collector..Thanks.

No..My scanner is broken...I try to make any picture look good.
I use a USB Microscope...Shown below.
Also have a good phone and I use many software programs.
Lots of these programs I sent to BNAPS Digital Philately study group.

Wish I had a scanner again....Robert





Yes...I am a flyspecker.
Anyone can become one if you follow my 2 rules.

1 - See what is there that should not be.
2 - See what is not there that should be.